Reply To: Rosewood handles vs Beech handles
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Not an expert, but I have been interested in this subject when buying and refurbishing older planes on ebay. Rosewood varies considerably in appearance and colour unfortunately and most manufacturers used coloured varnish to make the beech look as rosewoody as possible to maintain the “quality” look after they started cutting costs.
You can sometimes spot the distinctive, prettier grain patterns through the years of applied finish that signify rosewood rather than beech. I find that is often easier to spot this grain on the rear tote than on the front knob. The top of the front knob where it is end-grain may show the rosewood pores but this can be difficult to see depending on how much crud is on top.
If you are talking about old stanleys or Records then you can use the plane features combined with a type study to work out if there is a chance that they could be rosewood. e.g. google “dating record hand planes” etc. Generally the older the plane, the more likely the handles are rosewood and there is a date range after which they will 100% be beech, although the range might be larger or more confusing than ideal – I have some old records with beech rear handles and rosewood front knobs – they must have been in the process of transitioning to beech when they are made as they are undoubtedly original.
The only way to be 100% sure sometimes is to have the plane to hand. Usually removing the handles will help as they are often unfinished underneath or the finish has worn there – Beech is very obviously much paler. Failing that you may have to strip, sand or scrape the finish if you are still not sure.