How old might this Mathieson try plane be?

[Gene Davis]

I bought it on eBay and it arrived today.

3-5/16 wide x 3-1/4 tall x 22 long, double iron, body and cutting iron marked Mathieson. It is in great shape, and will be a good user. Someone named W. MacLachan put his name on it, as can be seen.

I am thinking of putting a strike button into the fore end. Would that ruin it?

[Steve Voigt]

Gene,

It is probably second half of the 19th century, hard to pinpoint more than that. The moon and star logo was not used before about 1850, from what I have read.

Mathieson planes are often top-notch, and that one looks nice. Congrats!

It would be a shame to disfigure such a nice old plane by adding a new strike button, in my opinion. I keep a dead blow mallet on the bench for removing the irons from my woodies I of course use a smaller plane hammer for adjustments). Nobody else has modified that plane in the last 150 years or so, so why start now?

Have fun with it; it's a beauty.

[Kees Heiden]

Very nice plane! And I agree with Steve, don't change it! You can use a wooden mallet on the back to release the wedge or to raise the blade a little. It seems inconvenient to use two hammers to set the plane, but in real life it's not that bad.

[Reinis Kanders]

Grace has nice brass mallets where one head is tipped with delrin. Also to loosen the wedge one can just tap the plane's end on the workbench.
http://www.amazon.com/Grace-USA-Gunsmithing-Gunsmith-Accessories/dp/B00V9U6VVC

[Jeff Heath]

That's a beautiful plane. I wish I could find one like it from Mathieson. Instead of making a change to that one, you should consider making a copy of it yourself, and making any modifications you'd like to have to the copy. Keeping that one just the way she is would be high on my priority list.