Help identifying wood in plough plane

[Jerry Olexa]

Recently acquired a few handplanes from a friend...The plough plane features a wood I cannot identify..I'll post a few pics,,Can you guys help me determine the wood?? Understand many of these early planes used boxwood for strength. Thanks,


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[Allan Speers]

Looks like 1/4 sawn Sycamore to me.

[Frank Drew]

Sycamore's not a bad thought. Do you know where the plane is from, Jerry? The flecks are so strong it also reminds me of Lacewood, from Australia (also called Silky Oak, I think).

[Jerry Olexa]

The man I bought it from did not know its history..But I love this plane but am puzzled by this wood.....Thanks

[lowell holmes]

I think you are really gloating about the plane.

Well. I would be!:)

[Ron Bontz]

Does the wood feel dense in weight? Some of it reminds me of quarter cut sycamore, but I think not. It also reminds me of quarter cut/ rift cut white oak. I have both in my shop and the white oak is the first thing that came to mind. Is there an area under a bolt that is not aged/ discolored?

[Jerry Olexa]

Lowell, you are right..I've grown fond of that old plow plane...:)

[Jerry Olexa]

Ron, I'll see if I can find a sheltered area of the plane..thanks

[Jerry Olexa]

I removed half of the protective plate to show unexposed wood...Ron, does that help? Thanks.


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[Brian Ashton]

Ya, looks like she-oak. He-oak still has the nuts

[Ron Bontz]

Nope. Not white oak.

[don wilwol]

I recently bough what looks like the same plane. I picked it up in central NY. I thought it was craftsman made, but now seeing another, I'm not sure. I assumed it was some kind of foriegn oak since it was with several planes from Germany.





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Here is the rest of the score.


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[Jerry Olexa]

Don, looks like the same plane...,Wood looks same except in one portion....you did well....i do like this plow plane but the wood mystery remains..thanks,
Jerry

[Jerry Olexa]

Several different thoughts on the wood ranging from sycamore,lacewood to white oak. and Don, you have one that I think is identical to mine (slight difference in wood in one portion)..In any case, I like this plow plane and consider it a "keeper"..Thanks guys..any further guidance/thoughts would be appreciated...

[Brian Ashton]

Several different thoughts on the wood ranging from sycamore,lacewood to white oak. and Don, you have one that I think is identical to mine (slight difference in wood in one portion)..In any case, I like this plow plane and consider it a "keeper"..Thanks guys..any further guidance/thoughts would be appreciated...

Nope, nope and definietly nope. Have a look at the pics below. First is sheoak, second is lacewood and third sycamore. Pay attention to the pattern of darker and lighter woods in the sheoak and the lacewood. They're reversed, the sheoak is more like your plane in how the light and dark wood is arranged. The sycamore isn't even close.

[don wilwol]

Several more pictures of mine posted here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1410047249324398/

[Kees Heiden]

These being German planes, could it be hornbeam? i can't find pictures, but I remember that hornbeam has a striking ray fleck pattern on the radial face, just like oak. And hornbeam was used a lot in german planes.

[don wilwol]

Isn't hornbeam light like hickory? And what makes it a German plane. The wing nuts are marked 1/2" so I think they are American made.

[Kees Heiden]

The shape of the fence and the position of the screws is very German. And they used inches back in the day in Europe too. Some things in my country are still measured in "thumbs". And yes, Hornbeam has a very light color, but becomes darker though the ages, just like beech.

[Kees Heiden]

BTW, i hadn't looked at the pics on you facebook page. i would still say, that massive tall fence is German.

[Kees Heiden]

Here is a typical hornbeam german plane. And you can see some rayflecks on the fence:

http://www.holzwerken.de/museum/nuthobel/nut12m.jpg

[george wilson]

That sycamore in the picture some posts above above is not quarter sawn,or it would show the heavy medullar ray flecking that sycamore has. To me the plane looks mostly like lacewood,though I doubt it would have been a good choice for making a plane. Sycamore would have been more available locally,unless the plane is Australian.

The color of the wood is also much like lacewood,possibly old lacewood,unless it has been stained. I'd have to see it in person. I don't know what color real old lacewood might assume. But,sycamore is a light color,of course.

The plane doesn't look stained to me. I think that's the natural color. Lacewood comes apart rather easily around the heavy flecking. I used it to make my wife's jewelry box and table.

Anyway,I LOVE the wing nuts on that plane!! Very artistic.

[don wilwol]

It could be German. One in the group I found has a makers Mark "Hansen & Co" with what I believe is German writing after it.

[Kees Heiden]

Hansen could be Danish, or another Scandinavian name? Especially Denmark made planes according to German style.

[Jerry Olexa]

Wow!!! A wealth of knowledge displayed here.....I'm still absorbing your inputs...Great plane but made with a mysterious wood....:confused::confused:

[don wilwol]

sheoak look pretty close to me.

[Frank Drew]

Flat-sawn beech has tiny flecks; I don't know that I've ever seen quartered beech, does it have dramatically larger flecks?

[Kees Heiden]

Oh yes, beech can be pretty spectacular! It's very critical though, it needs to be absolutely quartered. I don't know ho critical hornbeam is.

I would say that she oak would be very unrealistic if this was a German plane. But of course I can't say for sure.

[Frank Drew]

Thanks, Kees.

[Jerry Olexa]

In any case, I like the plane and it will be a "keeper"...Thanks to all for your valuable inputs...
Jerry

[Derek Cohen]

The wood has a look of a casaurina, which is the family from which Sheoak comes.

Here is wide-ish piece ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Lapdesk_html_5c6989bb.jpg

And a smaller chunk (and, no, as George wrote, it is not a good choice for a plane) ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BridlePloughBuild_html_m4eb20c71.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ron Bontz]

Beautiful plane there, Derek. My compliments. Still looks like Sheoak to me though. So the mystery continues. :) Best wishes.