No. 90 Smoothing Plane and
No. 140 Jack Plane
The No.90/140 had a short eleven-year run starting around 1958 and ended just before the January 1969 catalog was published. The “B” version will give us a very fine timeline when changes where incorporated into these planes as well as the premium line and the 900/814 series. The following will show some of these changes leading up to the end of the series.
A corrugated version started when the “B” version was introduced around 1964/65. The No. 90CBG and No. 140CBG were government issued models and were not listed in the catalogs available to the public. Near the end of 1968, the company reorganized any model number that ended in a “C” and replace that letter with a dash number. The corrugate No. 90 model number was changed from 90C to 90-01 in the catalog. After the change, the model number on the cheek for the corrugated planes would be 90-01BG and 140-01BG. The Corrugated version ended around 1971.
No. 90 and No. 140 from 1958 to 1964
Both models had the same configuration
Iron - Solid Tool Steel
Frog - red paint with casting number 496
Frog - No frog adjuster tab/screw
Frog - Solid depth nickel adjusting nut
Lever Cap - One piece nickel plated with cam lever spring
Body - All the same features as the premium type 4 body without the frog adjusting screw
Knob/Tote - Premium type 4 style cherry stained hardwood
The No. 90 had the type 4 style knob and tote with a normal horn
The No. 140 had the type 4 style knob and tote with a shorter horn
Millers Falls had a publication campaign to buy their tools for Christmas right down to the Christmas tags.
No. 90B and No. 140B from 1965 to 1968
This is an example of an early “B” version. It has the one-piece Philips screws for the wood and Philips locking screws for the frog. The body has the raised tote receiver and a stamped “MADE IN USA”. This version has a black frog and a solid brass depth adjusting nut. It also has the regular length STS iron. The date on the box is February 1965.
This 140B has the shorter iron and the cheek stamp is a mix of upper and lower case letters. Also note the No. 140B will use the same knob and tote as the No. 90B.
In a September 1968 price list booklet, the No. 90 and No. 140 are listed and available. By the January 1, 1969 catalog, the No. 90 and No 140 were no longer available.
Both of these planes are stamped 90B. The plane on the right has a full-length iron with an ink stamp “Tool Steel / MF Co. / Made In USA”. This stamp has been found on other planes with a date stamp from 11/1965 to 11/1966. The plane on the left has the new shorter iron with an ink stamp “MILLERS / FALLS Co. / Made In USA”. This plane was in a box with a date stamp 6/1967.
Both planes have the original red frog with a nickel depth adjusting nut. The cheek stamp is the original font with all upper-case letters. Both planes have the original casting numbers.
This 90B was in a box with a 6/1968 date stamp just six months before the 90 series was terminated . The frog has metal removed between cap iron screw recess and frog locking screw slots. The body has metal removed in the middle of the upper frog seat. The stamp on the cheek is the new style with both upper and lower case letters. The iron is the shorter version with no ink stamp.
No. 90CBG and No. 140CBG
This 90CBG above was made in January 1966. The picture has the old-style font on the cheek like all the other No. 90 before this one. The wood on the 90CBG is now black and the iron is the shorter version with no stamp. The frog is the original style, and the cap still has a cam lever spring.
This corrugated plane has a cheek stamp 90-01GD. It has a frog with the metal remove above the lever cap screw. The font on the cheek has the new style with lower case letters and the cap still has a cam lever spring. It is not clear why the stamp is “GD” and not “BG”. Under the No. 22 page, there is an example of a No. 22-01-GD. So the “GD” is not unique to this plane, but to a period of government issued planes.
The No. 90 and No. 140 were in production from 1958 to 1969 which means you will find these planes with either a type 4 or type 5 style knob and tote. The type 4 style knob and tote pictured above were used from 1958 to 1965. This style will have a nickel waist nut on a 12-20 double threaded bolt securing cherry stained birch hardwood. The knob and tote on the left are on the No. 90 finishing plane. The larger pair on the right are on the No. 140 jack plane.
The "B" version standardized the knob and tote to the same size on all existing bench planes. The knob and tote on the left are from a No. 140B. Both the 90B and the 140B will use the same style knob and tote. The pair on the right are from a No. 90CBG government issue plane. Both models use the single 12-24 bolt. A cherry stain is still applied to the 140B model, but the government version has a black finish.
A 90 Like No Other
I saw this No. 90 plane on eBay and thought it had to be a mix of pictures from two different planes.
It looks like a No. 90
It has the nickel cap, the stained wood, the STS iron and the No. 90 stamped on the cheek.
It also has a frog adjustment !
The plane was in a box with a No. 90 label and a stamp “2 63 43?”. The frog is black with a brass depth adjusting nut. The premium line also used a black frog and had a brass depth adjusting nut. The casting number on the frog is 496 which would match the 1963 timeline. The body is also from the premium line. The stamps on the base match both the premium and the 90 timelines. Did the factory need to “borrow” a frog and base from the premium line before the cheek stamp was applied?
Are there more examples like this one out there or did MF need just one?