Mystery Plane

[Rob Kukta]

I've done plenty of searching a can't find another plane remotely like it. I wonder if any experts out there know what it's called and what it is used for. It came in a toolbox with other tools I was able to date to the later half of the nineteenth century (including a type 1 Stanley 71 router and a type 1 Stanley 12 scraper). The maker's mark reads "H. Amundin Wimmelskeftet N.25", which I believe might be Dutch. There are 2 cutters, a straight one through a metal skate that seems to cut a thin grove, followed by a rather unique curved cutter that cuts a cove. Above the cove is a metal depth stop that runs the full length of the plane. What was this profile used for? Is there a name for this type of molding plane? Is the curved iron for cutting the profile across the grain? Has anyone information on the maker? I'm attaching 5 pictures. Thanks in advance for your help.

Rob

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Rob,

Welcome to the Creek.

Looking at your plane it all seems backwards. Or if it was meant to be used like a normal plane it is left handed.

It does look like it could a master plane used to make hollow soled planes. It would be stationary and the individual blanks would be shaped by being run over the master's blades.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will come along and know its purpose.

My other thought is it could be a kind of snipe bill plane. Those usually have a single blade and the straight part isn't as deep.

jtk

[Kim Malmberg]

Hi Rob,
If you look closely the stamp is Wimmeskaftet, not Wimmelskeftet. The difference is that Wimmelskaftet is the old spelling of Vimmelskaftet, which happens to be a small street in Strøget in Copenhagen. Amundin does sound Danish, so I'd say the stamp is the name of the owner or maker followed by the address. The word Vimmelskaft also happens to translate to bit brace, which is quite fitting in out context.

The place looks like this nowadays: http://goo.gl/maps/RHVPg

Sorry to say I have no clue about the purpose of this plane.


Kim

[Jim Matthews]

I'm guessing that the metal sole faces down, and the cutter is advanced in the conformation shown by the first picture -
with the blade extended "sideways" into the workpiece.

I think this is for molding in a production environment.

[phil harold]

plane for a rule joint?
need the matching half...

[george wilson]

Someone put considerable effort and ingenuity into that plane. You should send pictures to an expert. Take good care of it. That cove cutter looks like it would work wonderfully. Too shallow an angle on the cove to be a rule joint plane,I think. I have seen nothing like it. Perhaps someone's invention? Very artistic curves on the handle. Something about it is hinting window work to me. But,that's just an impression.

[Zach Dillinger]

It could be a particularly nice sill drip edge plane for sashmaking. EDIT: Never mind, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense now that I think about it a little more.

I'd guess some sort of air-tight case joinery plane.

[Jack Curtis]

It could be a particularly nice sill drip edge plane for sashmaking....

A cill plane was my first thought, too, although I don't know about "for sashmaking." I read the other day that they were used for siding as well as windows.

[Zach Dillinger]

A cill plane was my first thought, too, although I don't know about "for sashmaking." I read the other day that they were used for siding as well as windows.

Interesting. Never heard of a sill plane being used for siding.

[Rob Kukta]

Thank you all! It is nice to be part of such a knowledgeable and generous community.


All of you had interesting and enlightening ideas. After a little trail, it seems that Jim Matthews was dead-on regarding how to use the plane...the metal sole should be face down...worked like a charm and felt right to use it that way. I've attach a few picture of the trial. Kim's knowlegde of the Danish origin of the make was very helpful. Originally I thought the N.25 was the maker's model number of the plane...perhaps "Wimmelskeftet N.25" is the street and house number. My original thought was that the purpose of the plane was to cut a rule joint (e.g. for a drop-leaf table), but I don't know enough about those to decide. Perhaps the picture of the profile will draw further suggestions.


Thanks again,
Rob

[Jim Matthews]

Thank you all! It is nice to be part of such a knowledgeable and generous community.


All of you had interesting and enlightening ideas. After a little trail, it seems that Jim Matthews was dead-on regarding how to use the plane...the metal sole should be face down...worked like a charm and felt right to use it that way. I've attach a few picture of the trial.
Thanks again,
Rob

I have thereby satisfied my contractual obligation to guess correctly, once every calendar year.
I now return to my usual assortment of SWAGs, misconceptions and baseless conjecture...

This looks a great deal like the "stair saw" I have that was purpose built by the maker
to trim the bottom of stair risers to fit the treads.

I think it's just a cut off piece of banister railing used on your plane and my saw as handles.

[Rob Kukta]

I have thereby satisfied my contractual obligation to guess correctly, once every calendar year.


Well done Jim! ...and only 1 week into February. I strive to become so good some day.

[Eric Brown]

If you take a square or rectangular board and put this profile on three or four faces it would make a nice looking trophy stand. Its a very attractive shape. I also like the fact that your bench top acts as a shooting board. No fence needed. Overall I think its a great design. Thank you for not only sharing pictures, but also trying it out. Some collectors would be afraid of scratching the patina. Its a tool and should be used, carefully of course.

[Wolfgang Jordan]

Hello Rob,

this is a sash coping plane, used for coping sash molding. Its use is explained for example in "The Handplane Book":
http://books.google.de/books?id=lSVMWpzqfNgC&pg=PA223

I've never seen one like yours, but I have found a drawing copied from a 1910 catalog in a German book about cabinetmaker tools ("Das Werkzeug des Schreiners und Drechslers" by Guenther Heine).

http://www.holzwerken.de/pics/kontrahobel.jpg

Shown here are the sash coping plane ("Kontrahobel" in German) on the left and the plane making the matching profile on the right.

Nice find, Rob, and quite rare in my opinion.

Wolfgang

[george wilson]

Do I get brownie points?

[Don Orr]

This forum is AMAZING! So much knowledge freely given.

[Jeff Heath]

What a beautiful plane! I would not want to be the guy that has to profile that iron, though.....no fun at all. Nice find.

[Don McManus]

This just a wild guess, but the test piece looks a bit like a raised panel.

[Rob Kukta]

Hello Rob,

this is a sash coping plane, used for coping sash molding. Its use is explained for example in "The Handplane Book":
http://books.google.de/books?id=lSVMWpzqfNgC&pg=PA223

I've never seen one like yours, but I have found a drawing copied from a 1910 catalog in a German book about cabinetmaker tools ("Das Werkzeug des Schreiners und Drechslers" by Guenther Heine).

http://www.holzwerken.de/pics/kontrahobel.jpg

Shown here are the sash coping plane ("Kontrahobel" in German) on the left and the plane making the matching profile on the right.

Nice find, Rob, and quite rare in my opinion.

Wolfgang



You are my hero, Wolfgang! Thank you so much for finding the plane.

Regards,
Rob

[Rob Kukta]

Thank you for not only sharing pictures, but also trying it out. Some collectors would be afraid of scratching the patina. Its a tool and should be used, carefully of course.

Thanks Eric...tools are the only type of collection that you can use...that's why I do it. Using them is a way it become immersed in the history they represent. (I suppose one could collect and use post stamps or coins too, but such a collection wouldn't last very long). Also, if I don't use them, my wife will never believe me when I tell her that I need them.

[Jim Koepke]

(I suppose one could collect and use post stamps or coins too, but such a collection wouldn't last very long)

I know a funny story about this. I used to be a coin collector. Many years ago stores in the business were often "Stamp & Coin" dealers.

One of these wanted to get out of the stamp side of the business. This was before the internet.

He figured he would get stamp collectors mad at him by running an ad saying he would pay half of face value for uncanceled stamps. Non-collectors from all over brought in all kinds of postage stamps that had been tucked away in drawers or boxes. He even tried convincing people the stamps were still usable.

With his reputation on the line he ended up buying a lot of postage at half price. He used them to mail out his news letters.

And that is how my (excited) stamp collecting neighbor, at the time, got a canceled block of Civil War Veterans 50th anniversary commemorative stamps.

jtk