The Rebirth of an American Company
As we examine the "Featured Plane" it's important to understand some of the history of the Union Manufacturing Company, where it began and where it is today. While not exhaustive nor complete, the following paragraphs will give you a little insight into what started out as a small industrial company over 150 years ago and continues today producing top quality tools .
This excerpt from a longer article by Don Bosse (Thanks Don, for the update.) at:
https://www.unionmfgco.com/blog-1/union-mfg-co-from-new-britain-to-boyertown-a-brief-history, gives the reader some background of UMC from its origins through the end of its first itteration.
​"The incorporators of the original Union Manufacturing Co. reads like a who’s who of the most influential businessmen of New Britain’s hardware industries, Cornelius B. Erwin, Timothy W. Stanley, William H. Hart, Henry Stanley, and Augustus Stanley, are a few of the 37 incorporators. If you are a hand tool user, I am sure some of these names are familiar to you! The stated purpose of the company was, “The manufacture of Hardware, Casting Metals, finishing and converting the same into Merchandise, or any of the various articles of hardware which are or may be desired, and for the sale of same”, which essentially describes almost any type of product related to hardware and the manufacture there of. Which they did, casting iron products for other industries and for their own use, butts, hinges, and hardware, the machining of goods into finished products for the same, which eventually expanded into other lines of other goods, yard and cistern pumps, and chucks for lathes and machine tools, etc. They diversified to broaden their sources of income and provide economic stability for the company and employees." (Don Bosse)
​ A more detailed version of the history of the Union Manufacturing Company and the Union Plane Company can be found here: https://www.unionmfgco.com/blog-1/union-mfg-co-from-new-britain-to-boyertown-a-brief-history
Over the next half century or so Union or the Union trademark and name, went through a few owners but for the most part ended up closing the doors in about 1986. Then, in about 2018 a fellow in Pennsylvania, with a business named Porter and Sons came up with the idea to create from the original, a new "X" plane, an X0 with an adjustable mouth, designated as X0A. This fellow, Robert Porter ended up buying the trademark and name "Union Manufacturing Company" and embarked on a quest to produce it from scratch. Porters knowledge of machining and a burning desire to create "the best plane ever", drives him over the next 5 or 6 years, to design, produce and deliver the X0A in various configurations as illustrated below. The author was privy to much of the process and admittedly skeptical at first and then at various points during the long process of building something that hadn't been built before. Porter's desire for near perfection sometimes slowed the process but his tenacity prevailed and before the end of 2025 delivered the Union Mfg Co X0A, X0AG and X0ASP.
You can visit the Union website at https://www.unionmfgco.com/ and tell Porter I said "hi".
 The original X0 c1910Based on the Carlton and Trask Patents of 1903 and 1904, the "X" series of planes were apparently an attempt by Union to remain viable in a highly competetive marketplace. Stanley had developed the Bedrock, Sargent the "Shaws Patent", and Ohio's Mark's patented adjusting mechanisms from the last decade of the 19th and first decade of the 20th century. This is the pattern that the new Union Mfg Co used to develop the new X0A. |  Original Union X0 c1910 |  Prototype #1 Second runDeveloping any product is a tedious, time consuming and frustrating task. Today, with the aid of CAD, the design process can be streamlined to a degree but the real proof of the pudding is at the point where you pop the casting out of the mold and see what needs improvment. This is the first prototype of the X0A and was used as the example for the next edition. |
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 Second PrototypeThis second prototype was created from the first analysis and has some very subtle changes over P-1. |  First run of the production modelsThe analysis and final adjustments of the prototypes the first production run create the mold for the first production run. Unfortunately, the castings did not meet the high standards set for the tool and all of the first 100 planes had flaws significant enough for them to be rejected. Instead of destroying them, they were used as "place holders" for the original buyers until the final run was finished. |  The final product: Union X0AAfter years of frustration, disappointment, struggle and critical judgement from customers and board members, the final production model is distributed to pre-sale buyers in December of 2025. |
 The final product: Union X0AThrough a committment to the highest quality, the X0A is indeed a magnificent example of workmanship and art. From concept to reality it has been a labor of love and probably the hardest learning experience Porter has ever had. Congratulations. But wait, there's more... |  Union No 67 SP (SPecial Edition)On the road to developing the X0A, Other planes and products were experimented with and marketed. This No 67 SP (SPecial Edition) is really a piece of art over the functionality of a tool. The design is based on the Bailey Tool Company( Seldon Bailey) Model B block plane of the 1870s. |  Union No 67 SP (SPecial Edition)Now really, would you put this plane to work? |
 Bailey Tool Co B Block plane c1870sThis is an example of the Bailey Tool Co (Seldon Bailey) B block plane, one of the rarest collectable planes in today's market. The 67 SP and the X0ASP were paterned after the unique sole design. (Photo c/o jimbodetools.com) |  X0AGUnion designates its corrugated versions with a "G". The X0A does in fact come with "wavy" corrugations musch the same as Rodier's patent from the 1880s |  X0AGUnique "wavy" corrugations on the X0AG. |
 Rodier's Patent corrugationsRodier's patent "wavy" corrugations on this No 3 plane c1880. |  X0ASPAgain, not one to let blank space go to waste, the designer created the X0ASP on a limited basis, probablynot for the woodworker but it could be. Would you? |  X0ASPThe very intricate and "Victorian" design of the X0ASP make it a throwback to the Bailey Tool Co Model B block plane of the 1880s. |