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Background Some mini-routers were manufactured by established tool companies like Stanley, Sargent, Preston, and Record, but many of the small metal routers we find today were made by craftsmen or patternmakers for their own use. Stanley started with their No. 271 in 1926 (according to John Walter’s book on Stanley planes). Sargent, according to Dave Heckel’s guide to Sargent planes, started ten years earlier - in 1916 with their No. 73. I don’t have any references that pinpoint the starting dates for the early Preston and Record mini-routers, but Preston’s No. 1397 was included in their May 1909 catalog, so it goes back at least that far. There is obviously no way to date the routers made by pattern makers and craftsmen – except in a few instances where the maker included a date on the router. I categorize the mini-router planes as follows:
Category 1 Routers Here a few examples of manufactured mini-router planes. (If you know of any additional manufacturers, please let me know – especially if you want to sell.) Top row L-R: Preston No. 1397 (This is the largest commercially produced router plane in my collection that I consider to be a Mini-Router. It is 4-1/8” x 2-1/8”), Preston No. 22, Record No. 722 (Record version of Preston 22). Bottom row L-R: Phelps mini-router (or cast iron recast of Phelps – not sure which), Sargent No. 73, and Stanley No. 271 (the most common commercially produced mini-router plane). The Sargents were produced from 1916 to 1941. The Stanleys were produced from 1926-1973 in the USA. Production continued until a few years ago in the UK.
All of the commercially produced mini-routers allowed the cutter to be mounted in at least two positions. The cutter for the Preston No. 1397 (top left, above) could be mounted in four different positions. The cutters in most of the routers are held in place by a simple thumb screw mechanism. To change the cutter position on the above routers (except the Phelps), you had to move the cutter to a different hole in the base. For the Sargent and Stanley routers, you also had to move the thumb screw to the new location. The Preston No. 22 and its Record No. 722 clone utilized a more interesting and ingenious method. A steel rod which has two half-moon sections cut out is attached to a single screw. You put the cutter in either position with the cut out section aligned with the appropriate hole. When you tighten the screw, it holds the cutter firmly in place (no matter which hole it is in). See the No. 722 below.
Category 2 Routers Recast mini-routers: The middle router below is a cast iron recast of the Preston No. 22 on the left. Note that the hole for the second cutter position was not drilled out, and a thumb screw was used to hold the cutter in place. The Record No. 722 on the right doesn’t quite qualify as a recast, since it has Record’s name and number on it, but for all practical purposes, it is the same. They were produced after Record bought Preston.
Category 3 Routers The following mini-router planes are currently being produced on a small scale. The top three are made by St. James Bay Tool Company. The one on the left is essentially a bronze recast of the Stanley No. 271 with its markings removed, the middle one is a stylized, miniaturized version of Stanley’s No. 71. The one on the right is a recast of a pattern maker’s router marked “A N D Y”. The one on the bottom was made by John Moberg – Austin, Texas area in 2005. All four are bronze.
Category 4 Routers Here are some of the routers planes in my collection that were made by pattern makers or other craftsmen. The bronze router plane at the right end of the top row is 4-7/8” x 1-7/8”. It is the largest of my pattern maker produced mini-routers.
The router plane mounted on a wooden base (top row, second from left) wouldn’t have qualified as a mini-router plane when I received it. It was mounted on a 3/8” thick board 14” x 3-1/2”, with knobs mounted at the ends.
This is an unusual mini that I got from Clarence Blanchard (Fine Tool Journal). It is the only one I have ever seen like it, but it is so well made that it may have been a production item at one time. (The penny is standard U. S. size.)
Below is the smallest mini I have. It was given to me by my Galoot Santa Claus last year (2005). The router is marked “H. W. Waite, 1915”. The picture is a little deceiving. It is actually 1-1/4” x 1-9/16”. (That is a Texas-size penny beside it.)
If you have a mini-router plane I don’t, and you want to sell it, let me know. If anyone desires more information about specific router planes (measurements, pictures, etc.), just let me know. If you have a mini-router plane I don’t, and you want to sell it, let me know. If you have a mini-router plane that matches one I think is pattern maker produced (indicating it was possibly a manufactured item), let me know. If you have a mini-router plane I don’t, and you want to sell it, let me know (get the idea?). You can email me at Galoot@sbcglobal.net. (To be continued. Right now I have to hide the routers before my wife sees them all in one place and realizes how many there are.)
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