Stanley Bedrock 606

       I know that it's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted anything on this blog and I apologize to any of you who might actually read it. The gap in posts is due partially to the fact that there hasn't been really all that much to blog about and I really haven't had the time or ambition to post anything. So I thought I'd get back into the blogging mood here and start off with reviewing (otherwise known as bragging if we're honest with ourselves) a new tool I bought recently.
     
       I was going yard sale "shopping" which is a favorite pastime of mine. I found this one yard sale with a large amount of tools and equipment. I scoured for any goodies and items of interest and found none. I was about to leave when something caught my eye. A hand plane. I went to check it out and was surprised at what I saw. For my readers who don't have an extensive knowledge of tools, what I say next will mean almost nothing, but I'll say it anyways. The hand plane was a Stanley Bedrock-No. 606-corrugated bottom-Stanley Sweetheart Iron. Basically, quite the find! Needless to say I grabbed it up paid the 15 bucks the guy wanted and went home with a giant smile on my face, a smile made even larger by the couple other tools I picked up later that day, including a 1910 hand drill. (More on that later) So anyways here's some pics.

The plane was quite dirty when I bought it so I gave it a thorough cleaning. It's in very good condition considering it's age (1925-1934 range)! It has very little rust (mainly on the blade) and the japanning (black paint on the body) is probably 95% there which is good. The sole (bottom) of the plane has pretty much no rust on it and the tote handle and knob are in good shape. So I looked this plane up online and found other ones in similar condition selling in the $200 dollar range! $15 bucks for a $200 dollar plane isn't bad at all! Here are some more pics.

 The "Bed Rock" line of planes were simply a heftier and more accurate model that featured some improvements in the sole and some highly innovative changes to the frog mating surfaces and frog adjustment system.

Model number. (Notice the nearly complete japanning)

The signature bedrock frog which made "chatter" much less of a problem.

The easy-to-access frog adjustment screws.

Here's the corrugated sole. Basically all this is a sole with grooves so it glides smoother (supposedly) and it makes it easier to flatten the sole if you need to.

Hope you enjoyed seeing pics of this! Soon here I hope to give it a good tuning up and sharpening and then well see how this 80+ year old beast works! Thanks see ya next time!