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As a collector and restorer of numerous bench planes, all stemming from the classic Stanley Bailey design, I can confidently say that the two components most prone to breakage or damage over the years are the wooden knob and the handle. While cast-iron planes are notorious for cracking if dropped onto hard surfaces, that same impact often damages the knob and the tote (the handle). If the knob hits the ground first, the force can bend the threaded rod at its center or even chip the edges of the base. Similarly, if the tote takes the hit, the end may break off.
Over time, I’ve repaired several plane handles with missing base pieces, always aiming to match the original wood type as closely as possible. Mid-century quality planes often featured Rosewood for their knobs and totes, while planes from the ’60s to the ’80s used stained maple, beech, birch, or mahogany. Modern planes from Lie Nielsen tend to feature cherry or figured maple, and Veritas opts for exotic Bubinga wood.
The plane knob I recently restored belongs to a rare model in North America but is more common in the UK. Over a decade ago, I acquired an old Record bench plane on eBay, imprinted with “SS.” This stood for “Stay-Set,” an innovation by the Record company in Sheffield, England. This clever design allowed craftsmen to quickly remove and reattach the blade and cap iron for sharpening without fully disconnecting the cap iron.
The Stay-Set system featured a two-part thick cap iron. The front portion (known as the “deflector”) rested in a groove on the main body of the cap iron, which was screwed over the blade. To sharpen the blade, one could simply unclamp the lever cap, remove the blade assembly, and then lift and move the deflector aside. After honing, the deflector was easily recapped, and the assembly was reinstalled.
Many woodworkers claim that the thicker two-unit cap iron dampened chatter and reduced vibration by distributing the clamping force applied by the lever cap. While this innovative feature was popular, it became too expensive to produce and faded from the market. For a time, Clifton, another high-end plane maker based in Sheffield, sold their planes with a version of the Stay-Set cap iron, but they’ve since discontinued it as well.
Unfortunately, the base of my Record SS plane’s front knob was broken. Though I don’t have a photo of the original damage, I’ve included a picture of a similar break from another plane in need of repair. In the next part of this series, I’ll walk through how I fixed and restored the knob so seamlessly that the new addition is almost undetectable.
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