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Joe Fabbri
12-01-2011, 10:35 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm a little confused by this plane. I'm not sure what it's meant to do. It's clearly a round of some sort, but it appears it once had a fence or something screwed to the side. Is it something someone modified?


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If anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

Joe
Jim Koepke
12-01-2011, 11:10 PM
It looks like it cuts what some call a flute. A dado with a curved bottom.

It may have had a fence to control how far from the edge of a piece it cut the flute.

jtk
Joe Fabbri
12-01-2011, 11:14 PM
Yeah, Jim, I thought maybe it cut flutes at first also. Though, when I searched fluting planes, it seems they had the round in the center of the plane, without fences. Maybe it's just another style of fluting plane.

If it is a fluting plane, then I imagine it could only make narrow fluted molding.
Jim Koepke
12-01-2011, 11:26 PM
If it is a fluting plane, then I imagine it could only make narrow fluted molding.

Or it just makes one or more particular parts of a molding.

Molding is often cut with a combination of planes.

jtk
Joe Fabbri
12-01-2011, 11:30 PM
That's true. I just figured that since there are regular hollows and rounds, this was dedicated to a particular task. Maybe not.
Jim Koepke
12-01-2011, 11:39 PM
I think the cut is different than a regular hollow or round. Yours looks like it can cut much deeper than a regular hollow or round.

It is probably for a specific task as you suspect.

Can't really tell, but from the pictures it looks like the blade may be in backwards.

jtk
Joe Fabbri
12-01-2011, 11:43 PM
Yeah, it does look to be in backwards, I saw that. I'm just glad it's still there.

This plane is part of a lot of planes I'm looking at (you can see that plough in the background...same deal). The other planes include two ogees (one with a fillet, one without) and a groove cutter of some sort (either for a tongue and groove, or drawer bottoms). I mention this, because maybe it would give some idea of what the guy used this one for.

One of the other planes also has a piece nailed to the bottom, where the plane probably had a regular spring fence. I assume the original wore down and he replaced it. I thought maybe this round plane was originally something else and similarly modified.
Zach Dillinger
12-02-2011, 9:05 AM
The sole is cut similarly to a cock bead filletster, but there is no adjustable depth stop and the iron isn't cutting in the right place.
Joe Fabbri
12-02-2011, 11:22 PM
So no one has ever seen one like this before?

Maybe it is just some sort of fluting plane.
Zach Dillinger
12-03-2011, 10:18 AM
So no one has ever seen one like this before?

Maybe it is just some sort of fluting plane.

I studied Whelan's wooden plane book last night. I didn't see anything that looked like your plane, which is rare. I've never been stumped on a wooden plane, as long as I have my copy of Whelan handy.
Joe Fabbri
12-03-2011, 11:35 AM
Zach, thanks for taking the time to look into it.

Does it help at all to visualize it having a fence on the side, so that the curved sole goes directly against the fence?
Jim Koepke
12-03-2011, 1:21 PM
Does it help at all to visualize it having a fence on the side, so that the curved sole goes directly against the fence?

It could be for cutting a deep cove on the edge of a piece.

jtk
Joe Fabbri
12-03-2011, 9:04 PM
I was thinking the same, Jim, but I think it would be leaving an upturned edge, not like a real sprung cove. It's possible, I suppose, that the fence was sprung, who knows.
Larry Williams
12-03-2011, 10:36 PM
It looks to me like a craftsman made plane. The left-handed construction, chamfers and what looks to be flat sawn stock makes me think it's craftsman made. Is the iron made from a file by chance? If it is craftsman made then it would be pretty difficult to determine what the maker had in mind.
Joe Fabbri
12-03-2011, 10:41 PM
Hi Larry,

I don't have the plane in my possession yet. It's a pending sale, along with some other items.

It's very possible that it's a homemade style plane designed for a specific common task.

But, maybe this might help: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ADVERTISING-WOOD-MOULDING-PLANE-INTERESTING-/260904178128?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbf19d1d0

This one doesn't have a fence, but other than that, pretty similar I think.