Favorite plane maker?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Who is your favorite old wood plane maker?

I was messing with the stack of hollows and rounds the other day, which are just a mix of what I've found over the years, and got to wondering what was considered the most desirable user class maker. There are several dozen makers in my stack, and some are obviously better than others. Personally, I seem to go for the English planes most often. Mathieson has more than a few good examples on my shelf, so does Sims. Thoughts?

[george wilson]

I have an old Nurse jointer plane that has a pretty nice looking handle I like. I used it in the instrument making film at the beginning,when I was planing the back edge of the spinet. I'm not a collector,so don't have a wall full of planes.

[David Weaver]

I'm not aware of anything being a favorite maker of user planes. On moulding planes, whatever plane has a good bed and well fit wedge is going to be the nicest to use (even if it's ugly) and on bench planes, I tend to prefer what george prefers - the older planes where someone took care to preserve the crispness of the lines on a plane. But that doesn't necessarily make them nicer to use.

My personal favorite plane is a JT brown jointer, but it would be nicer to have if it was double iron (it's a 50 degree bedded 28" long plane with a 2 1/2" iron). the english held on making nice looking planes and saws longer than the american makers.

[Mark Wyatt]

I think you will have the best luck finding good older planes if you stick with the more prolific makers. Ohio Tool Company, Sandusky Tool Company, Auburn Tool Co., and Union come to mind. I have found very well preserved planes from each of these makers. The jack (Union) and jointer (Sandusky) below are two wooden planes I use often.

[george wilson]

You find whatever you happen to find. Those American makers are common,but they are late models,and have hardly any bevels on their edges. Rather,they have slightly rounded off edges. I like to try to find something with a little more style if possible.

[Zach Dillinger]

18th century and early 19th century Gabriel, Lie-Nielsen, and myself. I too go for English wooden planes, but I don't find them in the wild very often.

[Kees Heiden]

Moseley. No idea why, I just like the name and they made nice planes, and I have a few.

The old Nooitgedagt planes aren't bad either and they are easy to find and very cheap overhere. The laminated irons are very good.

[James Conrad]

I prerfer American makers myself, my personal favorite right now I picked up last fall a type 1 pair of rule joint planes by Moses Sweet, 1823-46 I think. Typically, I buy what I am in need of as long as its a good user I'm not too picky on who made it. How desirable depends on if you are collecting and/or using. Pollak's book on American planes is helpful if you want to date, determine rarity or possibly value of a particular moulding plane.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thinking about what George said about the bevels vs rounded, and I think that is what draws my eye too. Could be the English planes I have had been better taken care of than the American examples, but I don't think thats all the user. I think some designs hold up better. For instance, some makers have a better method for attaching boxing. Some have better wood too.

Maybe a better question would have been, does anyone know what were considered the premium planes by the craftsmen of the era? Did each company have different lines, like the ivory tipped center wheel plows, vs the equally effective run of the mill plow?

[Jeff Heath]

My problem has always been finding wooden planes that aren't completely worn out. This is why I started making them myself. I do have 2 very nice sidebead planes, both by H. Chapin, that are both very well executed, and work very, very well. The beech used is in excellent shape, with no cracks or end checks, and the boxwood boxing is tight. I must admit that I've never been willing to pay a premium price for better examples. Cheaper for me to just make what I need.

For modern planes, Lie Nielsen has gotten a lot of my money before I started making my own wooden planes. Now, with Old Street Tool no longer taking orders, my favorite is.......ME.

[David Weaver]

My problem has always been finding wooden planes that aren't completely worn out. This is why I started making them myself. I do have 2 very nice sidebead planes, both by H. Chapin, that are both very well executed, and work very, very well. The beech used is in excellent shape, with no cracks or end checks, and the boxwood boxing is tight. I must admit that I've never been willing to pay a premium price for better examples. Cheaper for me to just make what I need.

For modern planes, Lie Nielsen has gotten a lot of my money before I started making my own wooden planes. Now, with Old Street Tool no longer taking orders, my favorite is.......ME.

I've only found one good one in the wild. My three favorites (the above mentioned jt brown jointer, a mathiesen closed-tote jack and a chapin fore plane) have come from ebay and fine tool journal's newsletter sale. None were more than $25, but the chapin was listed as a door stop and the jt brown jointer was listed as having no maker's mark, despite a big fat picture showing "JT Brown" across it in script on the auction. Someone was dumb enough to ask whether or not there was a maker's mark, and the seller one-upped them by saying no. It was basically unused, but someone had been either oiling it or putting tallow on it, and it was stored somewhere dry because it was rust free and the iron was stuck solid in it (fortunately it didn't blow out the sides).

Anyway, mislabeled sales and auctions that have large quantities of tools with good pictures (mjd and FTJ) are nice places to get tools that have good bevels and eyes.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I like the English/ Scots makers too. First, they tended to make a lot of cabinetmaker planes with 50 or 55 degree pitches and quite often a skew to the iron while most of the more commonly available American makers concentrated on making planes for the carpenter at a 45 degree common pitch an no skew. I particularly like Mathieson and Griffiths of Norwich.

[george wilson]

Well,my favorite maker is me also,but I was limiting my comments to antiques. I like the looks of English makers the best also,generally speaking about antique planes.

[David Weaver]

Well,my favorite maker is me

Reggie Jackson would approve of this statement!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Someday I'd like to try making my own, but it's not going to be in the near future. It's fun to see what you guys make for sure, but buying old is more realistic for me. I also like the feeling of rescuing something from a possible life as decorator art.

I asked the question because it would be fun to pick a particular brand or two to primarily look for.

[Jack Curtis]

... I particularly like Mathieson...

Me, too, just received a pair of 5/8" rule joint Mathieson planes from one of my favorite sellers, Andy Stephens of Inchmartine. While I can handle making H&R type difficulty planes, rule joints and the like need to be a lot more precise. I'd have to buy a pair to model from anyhow, which I may do and then sell the originals; but it's nice to use them first.

[Jeff Heath]

I asked the question because it would be fun to pick a particular brand or two to primarily look for.

Condition, of course, is everything. However, you will be very happy if you stay in the 18th century british category, if you find them in good shape. This was, in my opinion, the heyday of planemaking, and they were also great looking, great in your hands, and made from stock that we can't even find anymore these days.