Small smooth plane?

[steven c newman]

Found this little Butcher ironed plane the other day..247985normal, right? Then, i took a look at the side view..247986247988someone has been carving? Sole looks good, though247989as for that iron..247990 plane doen't look too hateful? Ever see a wood body like that?:confused:

[Matthew N. Masail]

Interesting. I'd love to know, once you put it to a test, if it's a comfortable configuration?

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

It looks like what some of the German-type wood planes I've seen have for a grip, but on a more English-style coffin smoother. I think I may have seen a similar plane on Follansbee's blog once. Looks comfortable.

[george wilson]

Looks like it was made that way from scratch. No glue lines to add on the higher handle. Someone combined the German type grip w/English block plane. The result?: Jawol,Matey!!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

The result?: Jawol,Matey!!

That makes me snicker. Thanks,George.

[David Keller NC]

There are examples of really old British-style planes from the 16th and 17th centuries with a similar type of grip that's reminescent of the continental Europe style, but are definitely entirely of British manufacture. While not a smoothing plane, there's an example of what evolved into the "continental style" with a front horn and a back-grip similar to your plane that was found on the Mary Rose (British navy ship that sank in 1545). Peter Follansbee had a reproduction of that plane on a recent Woodwright's Shop episode.

While your plane is not from the 16th or 17th centuries (my guess is that yours is from the mid-19th century based on the Butcher mark on the blade), it's still an interesting representation of how the style of tools has evolved over the years.

And George is quite right - that was a professionally-manufactured plane. And it would've been an expensive variation in its day - it's a lot more work to manufacture a plane like yours than it is to make the "standard" British smooth-plane style.

[steven c newman]

Expensive is right. There were three other Coffin style planes sitting aound at that mall. The most any of them were $22.00> The Carved coffin was listed @ $65.00 and stayed in a glass display case. In the process of haggling down a better price right now. It is a 2 mile walk from my house, though. I do have a friend that goes nuts around anything with a Butcher stamp. He seems to want a crack at this, so I am a "go-between" enabler for him. A shot of a $17 Coffin, just for reference..248041Place had all sorts of treasures....248042248043248044248045Those "jaws" are at least 2x8 in size...

Location? Ah, but that would be telling, now?

[David Keller NC]

Of perhaps peripheral interest, I've seen Mathieson and Preston marked wooden coffin smoothers that had a brass piece behind the blade of the same form as the carved portion on the plane you photographed.

Just my opinion, but I think I'd give this vendor a pass. $65 is pretty steep for a plane in that shape (rusty bevel on the blade (probably means pitting), fairly open mouth, somewhat ragged wedge, unsigned). In general, the retail price for a nearly-new smoother from mid-20th century production by Marples, Mathieson, etc... is about $60 - $100, depending on whether it has an intact maker's sticker on the side of the plane, whether it comes in the original box, and whether it's been lightly-used or never-used.

[steven c newman]

I haggled the price down a ways. A friend of wants this plane, mainly of the strength of the brand name on the iron. I'm not a fan of wood bodies. I had four wood bodied planes over the years, sold them all off. Even a Stanley #33, a #129, a #29 and oneof my first ones, can't remember the number. Others seem to like them.