Information on Hand Plane??

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bluthart

New User
Brian
I bought an old Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft 14" Jack Plane. Does anyone have information on when these were made? I have heard that Stanley made them for Montgomery Ward, but was hoping someone here would have more information. It is in great shape, and I just sharpened the iron and tuned it up.

Montgomery Ward Jack Plane.JPG

I paid $20 bucks for it, and it seems as though that is a deal for a nicely working plane. Any information will be helpful, especially a date range of manufacture, thanks!
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
I know for sure there was a Stanley No. 45 plane made for Montgomery Ward by Stanley. The "Stanley" brand markings were obviously machined off and the users manual was obviously the same one that came with a Stanley. You can do some web research, but I think it's a Stanley. Looks like you have a real good deal here. Make sure the sole is flat before you try to use it.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Brian,
You might give Ed a call and discuss it with him.
He is one of the few tool collectors / sellers that doesn't have some "snobbery" about name brands.

This is all I found in a brief internet search;
http://www.papawswrench.com/vboard/index.php?topic=2413.0

Not sure where "Jim C." got his information - so until I corroborate it - I will call it hearsay...
Additionally you can see where they say "Stanley or Sargent"

Still - a good user plane!
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Powr-Kraft was the MW tool line and their 1936 catalogue shows an "Eclipse" plane on page 25.

View attachment 14401

I couldn't find any definitive information about Powr-kraft hand planes and who made them for MW, but the Stanley name popped up several times.

http://lumberjocks.com/nobuckle/blog/32694

Does this look familiar? It's a Stanley Defiance #1205 jack plane from the 1940s.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/139752394658293025/

Jeff, that makes a TON of sense - the MW era would be ~~ Stanley Defiance era as well and as Mike points out this is a 30's to 50's plane...
 

donald.woolley

New User
Donald
My go-to jack plane is a Montgomery Ward Eclipse from probably 1940 or 41. It is every bit a Stanley Defiance 1205, with the exception of a really nice, heavy tapered iron (marked “Eclipse”). The Defiance line was marketed to homeowners and farmers, but all of the 1930s and 1940s Defiance planes that I have come across are markedly superior to many of the Stanley planes put out from the late 1950s on. The Powr-Kraft versions would be just as good.
 
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