The Sargent Vintage Hand Plane Tote Differences
A quick note as to whether we should call it a handle or a tote, the term tote is relatively new in the metallic hand plane world. It’s possible it is a translation of toat, found in early literature. However the earliest example of tote meaning plane handle seems to date to the late 1600s in Joseph Moxon’s Mechanick Exercises. Moxon uses the term without explanation, which I think implies it was commonly known. The Sargent catalogs call them “handles” and given modern trends, they are typically call totes now, but if they’re called handles, we know what’s meant.
It would take an intensive study to determine all the differences in totes among the various models and sizes of Sargent hand planes.
There is enough evidence however, that Sargent hand plane totes lacked consistency to warrant careful consideration when one is trying to find a replacement.
Here are just a few known inconsistencies I have encountered.
First is a reference from “The Sargent Hand Plane Reference Guide for Collectors & Woodworkers – Second Edition“
Sargent Single Numbered series Some Shaw patented hand planes have a different tote configuration.
Here is a difference from a Autoset Jack Plane (#714) to a 400 series Jack Plane (#414)
The first image show a slight angle difference. The #414 is in the front, the #714 in the back. I’ve seen this on other sizes as well. As stated above, I only assume it would be for all sizes, but I never verified it.
Here we see the toe spacing is off enough to not be interchangable.
And here we see what a #414 tote would look like on a #714
The type 0 is an extremely rare version of the Sargent 400 series, but the totes are not only a completely different shape, they are also not interchangeable. Here is another reference from “The Sargent Hand Plane Reference Guide for Collectors & Woodworkers – Second Edition“
