I've been reading about Stanley's aluminum handplanes, and I'm curious why they made them in the first place since they didn't seem to work as well as their cast iron counterparts. Would it have been difficult for them to add a thin steel sole to these aluminum planes? I've seen plenty of wooden planes with metal soles. I suppose they could've used rivets or something similar to attach the steel. Has anyone seen a personal project where someone cast an aluminum plane and added a steel sole? Was it more of a failed experiment by Stanley, or was there some other reason they chose aluminum? I'm also wondering if the costs of adding a steel sole were the main deterrent since people didn't seem to prioritize lighter planes back then.
5 Answers
Adding a steel sole would definitely hike costs, and Stanley wasn’t one to go overboard with expenses. Some high-quality bronze planes do have a 'sweated on' steel sole, so it’s feasible, I guess!
Aluminum planes are lightweight, which is great for hard-to-reach places, but not so useful traditionally where weight is an advantage. Plus, aluminum can leave marks on the wood since it's softer. Unless you're working on a big project, aluminum isn't the best choice for planes.
Iron planes were popular mainly due to tradition and cost. Wooden planes slide better, but iron was cheaper to produce. Back in the day, aluminum was super expensive because of how hard it was to extract, similar to gold prices! It's all about what was available and what folks were used to.
From what I remember, they were already around 25% more pricey than cast iron ones, which turned people off. Plus, adding more steps to manufacturing steel soles wouldn't have helped! I'm not too sure about how galvanic corrosion plays into this, though.
Stanley tried aluminum planes as a lighter option, but they didn't hit the market well. Cast iron was more popular due to its durability, stability, and lower price—still used by many woodworkers today.
Totally agree! Paul Sellers mentions how metal planes didn’t catch on at first since woodworkers preferred wooden ones. The transition took decades since older generations were used to wood. By the time newer workers came in, metal was what they found on the market! Check out his article for more insights.