Unverified draft - do not rely on this page
This record has not passed review. It is published here so the gap is visible and so a reviewer can work on it, and it is excluded from search engines. Treat every figure on it as unconfirmed.
- Confirm the Auto-Set introduction and discontinuation years
- Confirm which sizes were actually offered in the line
- Confirm the frog registration mechanism in detail against a catalogue illustration
Sargent
Sargent No. 722 Auto-Set Bench Plane
The Auto-Set version of the 22-inch Sargent: the premium line, built so the frog goes back exactly where it was after you take the plane apart to sharpen. Sargent's answer to the Stanley Bedrock, and much less known.
- 1920–1943
- Bench Plane
- low confidence
- unverified draft
| Model | No. 722 |
|---|---|
| Production | 1920–1943 |
| Sole length | 22" |
| Cutter width | 2-3/8" |
| Body | cast iron, japanned |
| Handles | rosewood knob and tote |
| Notable feature | frog registers on machined seats so it returns to its setting when reassembled |
How to identify it
- 'AUTO-SET' marked on the plane, and a frog that seats on positive registers rather than free-floating on pads.
- 22 inch sole - the last two digits of the number are the length, as in the 400 series.
- Scarcer than the 400-series equivalent, and priced above it.
Buying and using
The Auto-Set does the one thing that genuinely irritates people about a Bailey plane: it removes the guesswork when you reassemble after sharpening. Whether that is worth the premium is the same argument people have about Bedrocks, with lower stakes because the premium is smaller.
The same size from other makers
These do the same job at the same size. Parts do not interchange between makers, but the shaving does not know the difference - and where one maker commands a collector premium, another usually does not.
| Maker | Called | Made |
|---|---|---|
| Millers Falls | No. 22 | 1929–1975 |
| Record | No. 07 | 1931–present |
| Sargent | No. 422 | 1887–1964 |
| Stanley | No. 7 | 1869–1984 |
| Stanley | No. 607 | 1898–1943 |
Sources
- reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach
Others in this family
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Sargent No. 708 Auto-Set Bench Plane
The Auto-Set version of the 8-inch Sargent: the premium line, built so the frog goes back exactly where it was after you take the plane apart to sharpen.
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Sargent No. 709 Auto-Set Bench Plane
The Auto-Set version of the 9-inch Sargent: the premium line, built so the frog goes back exactly where it was after you take the plane apart to sharpen.
-
Sargent No. 714 Auto-Set Bench Plane
The Auto-Set version of the 14-inch Sargent: the premium line, built so the frog goes back exactly where it was after you take the plane apart to sharpen.
-
Sargent No. 718 Auto-Set Bench Plane
The Auto-Set version of the 18-inch Sargent: the premium line, built so the frog goes back exactly where it was after you take the plane apart to sharpen.