This Shelton plane was manufactured under the US Patent: 1,914,609 by Cornelius J. MacAller – Derby, CT.
The Shelton Plane and Tool Manufacturing was a division of a company that had existed as a maker of picnic baskets under one name or another since 1865, and as the Shelton Basket Company since 1911. Cornelius McAller persuaded Abraham Lavietes, president of the basket company, to finance the manufacture of this plane. This version was the commonly encountered thumblever-on-a-long-screw type adjuster normally associated with Shelton. MacAller died in 1940 but Shelton persevered under Lavietes and later came up with the single-piece enclosed lever cap design. The Stanley knock-offs with Bailey-type adjustments are considered on par with their Stanley-Bailey counterparts. Shelton sold all their plane stuff to Stanley in 1954.
Shelton had a few other patents as well.
Thanks to James A. Clarke for additional information on this.
“The Shelton plane shown is not a #04. Even though the casting may say “No. 04” …..it is a later “improved” model that eliminated the top-side “Lugs” for the adjustment screw, by placing it “inboard” in the Lever Cap.
It is, rather, a Shelton # 504 (c.1950-1954) that had no patent to cover the revised adjustment but they put the original Pat # (1,914,609) on the casting. [Remember they also put that same Pat# on their Block Planes as well, Go figure!] As a matter of interest – They (C. J. MacAller) also had another patent (1,929,504, also 1933) that covered the original plane design (for a Lateral Lever, and Depth Indicator Drum). The Indicator was never used but the Lateral “Thumb Tab” was.
I have recently completed a rather extensive study and writeup on The Shelton Basket Co, and The Shelton Plane & Tool Mfg. Co. and thus have some insights on this subject. As you already know Roger K. Smith’s PTAMPIA Vol 2 has excellent coverage on this entire subject! Also see Lee Valley (D. S. Orr) Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 3, Jan, 2015 God Bless – James A. Clarke”
Here the position of the locking screw is turned to the unlock position and the cap can be removed.
Here the locking screw is in the locked position and the cap can be tightened. By turning this screw in and out you can adjust the lever cap.
