Toothed Coffin Smoother I found at an antique store

[jason thigpen]

I found this at a local antique store the other day. Was gonna leave it on the shelf, but when i popped the blade out I saw that it was toothed. It is a W Butcher blade. I don't have a toothing plane and I've been looking for one so I picked it up. The blade is not original to the plane. The plane body is setup for a blade with a chipbreaker. I have a spare blade that I can put in the smoother. Was thinking about making a plane just for the toothed blade. Possibly a new entry in the Woodie Build Off. What angle would be ideal for a toothed blade? I was thinking something in the 50-55 degree range. Also, any tips on helping reveal the maker's mark on the back of the plane body? I can make out Boston, but not the actual maker's name. I was wondering if a few light passes with a cabinet scraper might help the letters stand out a bit. Any info would be greatly appreciated.There are a few good cracks in the plane body, but nothing a little glue and clamping can't fix.
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[george wilson]

A toothing plane has a vertical,or close to vertical blade. It scrapes rather than planes the wood. Toothing planes aren't very cheap unless you get lucky. I bought one for $80.00 last year,an English one in very good condition. Did you see my journeyman Marcus toothing wood to veneer on the Housewright's Shop ?

[jason thigpen]

I didn't catch that episode. I did just see Steve Latta toothing some veneer on the Woodwrights shop the other day. I picked this plane up for $29. I think the blade alone was worth the price. Is there a standard size for a toothing plane's body? I was thinking a bed angle of 85-90 degrees would probably work pretty well.

[Sam Takeuchi]

You should do a search first. There was a pretty thorough toothing plane thread a few months ago. I don't mean to come off like a grumpy guy, but there's a wealth of info from the past that's already available through search and they are too good to waste.

[george wilson]

The body of my old toothing plane is about the same as a standard coffin shaped smoother. Just has the vertical blade.

[jason thigpen]

No worries Sam. I usually scour the neander forum pretty regularly. Not sure how I missed some of the toothing plane threads! Just did a quick search and found some good info. I'm excited about trying to get this toothing plane build going. I just need to finish about 15 other projects first!

[Bill White]

Though I don't have a "toother", my collection of W. Butcher stuff has been a joy to own and use.
Clean it up and use it if ya want, or just send it to me. I'll take really good care of it.
Congrats on some great cast steel.
I've never known if they (Butcher) actually made the plane bodies, or just the irons. Any ideas? :confused:
Bill

[Zach Dillinger]

I'm with Bill White on this one. I don't have a Butcher toothing iron, but I love my Butcher chisels (would get rid of my LNs before my Butcher firmers. Not even a question.) Congrats on a nice find, although I'm sure that plane and that blade didn't start life together. Now's a great time to make a coffin body with the proper bed angle for that blade :)

[Mark Wyatt]

Here is a comparison between a traditional coffin smoother and a plane with a toothing iron. These are both of american make from companies that turned out a lot of planes, so the designs are likely to be "standard."

They are roughly the same size and shape except for the bedding angle.

[jason thigpen]

Thanks for the photo comparison Mark. I'm looking forward to building a plane to test this new iron out!

[robert dankert]

What angle would be ideal for a toothed blade? I was thinking something in the 50-55 degree range.

I also have a toothing blade waiting for a body. It's a JAMES HOWARTH tapered blade 7 x 2 inches. I'm in the same quandry as you are about the bedding angle. In my case, I'm looking for something to smooth stubborn grain. I currently have no interest in veneer work. I'm leaning toward 65 degrees like the one made by ECE (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/ecetoothingplane.aspx). Perhaps someone could comment on the use vs bedding angle aspect.

[Mark Dorman]

Mine is vertical looks like the one Mark shows. Some good info here. http://anthonyhaycabinetmaker.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-toothing-plane-a-tool-of-our-time/