To try and clean up the main page for the Defiance tool set I have broken everything down to as few but distinct pages as possible for easier reference. Any updates I have in my research, to include my ramblings and thoughts will also be posted here.
You will also be able to find a growing list of links to offsite resources in which Defiance tools are mentioned and or used, restored, etc..
Update 10/11/22 – I had a bit of spending money which coincides with me being out of work until I heal up, so I thought I would go looking for some more hand planes to collect. I was lucky enough to score the 1204c, and an interesting discovery. I purchased a plane that was simply listed as a “Defiance Plane” and the price was right. Well I received it today and was looking it over and planning how to restore it when I noticed two things different on this one. The lever cap is different than all of the Defiance planes I’ve had before and it has an integral frog !!! So I immediately set about trying to find out what this was because the handle does have the Defiance stamping so I was confused at first, then I got to reading more and found it to be the Defiance 1244. It was made in the same timeline as the rest of the Defiance planes so you can see how the integral frog would have thrown me for a loop. Now there’s one more plane I have to identify and it was purchased as a Defiance 1202… well I didn’t know they made a 1202. Now there is an Eclipse 1202 but this doesn’t match the measurements for it.
Update 10/13/22 – Taking advantage of my downtime while I heal up I was able to sit down and surf for more planes and information in this particular line and came across yet another “oddity” within these planes. The Defiance 1213 and 1213 1/2 both have a unique lever cap that allows it to be adjusted almost like a chip breaker using the grooves found on the cap. Here are some pics that I found about this over on TimeTestedTools. One dead giveaway when looking for these two planes will be that cross rod that the lever cap pushes against, it’s not found on any of the other Defiance planes. It’s also said that the 1213 1/2 is among the rarest also and not listed in the Sellen’s book.
Update 11/30/22 – Here’s an interesting read for more about the history of the Defiance line and the other tools besides planes that were offered: The Stanley Tool Co. and Defiance Line. I am working on getting a few other tools from the Defiance line but only those that I can actually see a use for, as mentioned before these are more for my personal collection and use than anything else. So I have officially added a section under the planes for the additional tools I purchase for the collection. This link provides a lot of insight on the Defiance line of tools such as stating that there were 11 pairs of pliers and 14 screwdrivers. Just have to find the proper numbers for them all and get some pics going.
Here’s a nice little write up of another person rehabbing what appears to be either a 1203 or a 1204, he doesn’t mention which other than he originally didn’t plan on doing a full rehab of the plane but got suckered into it when he found the jappening chipping off. Accidental Woodworker I will say that he goes far and above what I would do, the mirror polish really makes it stand out though.
And here’s yet another recently discovered restoration of either 1203 or 1204, no mention is made and I started glazing over it once I saw the red, but to each their own, fellow on YouTube paints his blue regardless of what they are so I guess it’s down to preference. House173
Here is a short video series from Old Sneelock’s Workshop showing how he restores a Defiance 1203: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Here’s another video of a 1204 it looks like, being restored: Walker Mayer
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