Trix X acto history?

[FlyingFish]

I've owned x acto tools since I was a child. Always thought they were made in the USA.

I've just bought a vintage set of Trix x acto tools, which say they were made in England. Can anybody shed light on this history of how they were made in the UK?

[FlyingFish]

Well whilst we wait for a more knowledgeable comment, I discover that Trix was (is) a German company specialising in model railways. Their models were repainted in England from 1935 by a Trix subsidiary, and further metal models made in England after the founder Stephen Bing was driven out of Germany by the Nazis in 1938.

I think these tools date from the 1950's, but I cannot find any reference online about the link between Trix and x Acto.  

I think it likely that the set I bought (a no.86 'Burlington' collection in a bakalite chest) has not been used much - I took the mini plane and without sharpening used it to shape planks for my Orca build ( see build logs) and it takes a perfect 1.5 thou' shaving from hard maple. Not bad eh?

 

 

 

[Bob Cleek]

That's a nice little plane. It's a knock-off of a Stanley No. 101 modelmaker's plane. If kept sharpened and adjusted, it will give good service. 

 

I came by a 1970's X-acto boxed set very similar to the one pictured. It had a plastic-bodied plane that was useless.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[druxey]

I still own and use an identical palm plane, also made by X-Acto. It has a little less red paint on it now, though....

[FlyingFish]

10 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

Stanley No. 101 modelmaker's plane

Here's a similar bull-nose one; it has a price tag of £500 on ebay- apparently very rare!

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by FlyingFish

[thibaultron]

Several Stanley 101s, though not that exact design, for $30 to $50 on Ebay here in US.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Does anybody know what the little bulge at the back end of the Xacto and the Stanley Bullnose plane is for?

[Bob Cleek]

2 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

Does anybody know what the little bulge at the back end of the Xacto and the Stanley Bullnose plane is for?

 

Good tool trivia question! That's the sort of question that drives me crazy. I couldn't find any thing on the internet about it. The "blister" on the heel appears in several of Stanley's smaller, simpler, cast-bodied planes. I can't think of any purpose it might serve other than to add some strength or rigidity to the casting in that place. Non-curved plane soles should be perfectly flat to work best, but a cast iron plane body such as the Stanley 101 series is slightly flexible, surprising as that sounds. (This deflection is often created when the screw holding the iron is tightened and it's for this reason that cast iron plane soles must be flattened with the irons mounted, and set above the mouth opening.)  It would seem that the weakest part of the casting would have been right down the middle of the sole, were it not for the finger pad on the toe. The "blister" on the heel would complement the strengthening effect of the finger pad at the other end. These cast iron planes are susceptible to breaking if dropped on a hard surface, such as a concrete floor, so the "blister" may have been for the purpose of strengthening the edge of the heel. It may also serve some manufacturing purpose, such as perhaps simply being a vestage of a casting sprue.  ... Or, like the nib on the tip of the pre-1920's Disston saws, it may just be a stylistic a trademark feature.)

 

I'm definitely going to follow this thread and see if anybody's got a real answer and not just a lot of guesses!

 

 

https://www.woodmagazine.com/tool-reviews/hand-saws/the-enigmatic-nib

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[FlyingFish]

3 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

perhaps simply being a vestage of a casting sprue.

This site http://thevalleywoodworker.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-commun-stanley-no-120-block-planes.html suggests you may be right Bob:

Type 1 No 110 Late 1874 to mid 1875
The earliest model of the Stanley No 110 was designed by Justus Traut and is covered by US patent No 159,865 issued on Feb 16, 1875. 


A - Boat shaped body wide sides thickened at the top edge and textured with raised vertical ribs, for better finger grip


B - Cross rib cutter support

Type 1 cross rib in the back. 

C - Raised cylindrical receiver for front knob
D - Long raised lug at heel of plane (that would be the nib left over from the sprue casting)
E - Shoe buckle lever cap

 

That fragile shoe buckle was captive on the plane bed 

by a metal rod running over each ends and under center arch.

Metal rod is screw in from the sidewall of the bed 

F - Steel or brass lever cap locking screw has four spoke
G - Fruitwood front knob (Apple) has cylindrical tenon that fits into cast receiver on plane bed

[Roger Pellett]

Thanks, that answers the question 

[Bob Cleek]

Bingo! You win the internet today!

[Charles Green]

Bob:

 

I have a 1902 Disston & Sons catalog (copy).  On page 138 it clearly states the nib "...has no practical use whatever, it merely serves to break the straight line of the back of the blade and is an ornamentation only." 

[Roger Pellett]

Thanks Charles,

 

Maybe 1902 Ad Man spin to explain why Stanley did not spend money to grind off the casting spruce?

 

Roger

[Bob Cleek]

22 hours ago, Charles Green said:

Bob:

 

I have a 1902 Disston & Sons catalog (copy).  On page 138 it clearly states the nib "...has no practical use whatever, it merely serves to break the straight line of the back of the blade and is an ornamentation only." 

Correct!

 

[mic-art]

On 3/21/2021 at 6:48 PM, Roger Pellett said:

Does anybody know what the little bulge at the back end of the Xacto and the Stanley Bullnose plane is for?

Flying Fish has a good theory but I wonder if it could be used for tap adjustment of the blade?