Jointer Plane ?

[Chris Walls]

Has anyone ever seen or used a jointer plane ( I guess thats what you would call it ) like this. It is about 6 or 7 feet long, it has a pair of legs on one end , raised to a height of about your waist, the other end rests on the ground. The beam is about 5 inch square and cutter blade comes up from the bottom about 1/3 of the way down from the top.
Many years ago I saw one in action at Upper Canada Village , in Ontario, they were making barrel staves with it. He would hold onto the wood and pass it over the cutter. I also seem to recall a photo of a chair maker in England using one in a outdoor setting, green wood no doubt.
I thought it might make for an interesting item to try and make.
Thanks everyone. Chris

[rick fulton]

Chris,
I'd be interested in seeing how one is built also.
There is a photo of one in use in Garrett Hack's "The Handplane Book".
Here is a hand drawing from "Colonial Craftsmen" By Edwin Tunis

[Chuck Hamman]

I remember seeing the cooper at Williamsburg using a similar type plane. It was a fast way of setting the angle on the staves.

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[Tim Nylander]

I also remember the cooper at Strawbery Banke in NH used one of those to plane edges.
You might want to contact a living history museum near you and see if they have one that you could make drawings from.

[Don Orr]

I remember seeing what is likely a smaller version on the DIY show "Handmade Music" where they were building violins. The woman instructor was using a plane to joint the edges of the Spruce blanks to be glued together for the front of the violin. She passed the wood over the fixed plane instead of the usual method of moving the plane over the secured wood. She made a beautiful sprung joint which she said was best for her needs. Lots of great hand tool work on that show.

[Jim Becker]

The concept makes sense to me...it's really no different than using a tailed jointer outside of a generally much thinner "cut". The motions would remain the same. I wouldn't want to do it for something really long, but for average workpiece components...it could work very nicely and provide a much better edge than a powered tool. (No scalloping)

[Mike K Wenzloff]

One can actually take a good, fairly thick shaving--just nothing quite like a motor-powered version.

But, it does fit hand methods really well. It also would fit right in with bandsawing to a line and cleaning up with a stave jointer like this.

I've wanted to build one. Jr. Strassil has one he uses. So go for it, Chris! Really, it is just a long, upside-down jointer plane.

Take care, Mike

[Steve Wargo]

I use planes upside down in my front vise all the time. It works excellent for putting a keen edge on inlay stringing and smaller pieces like that. Pretty much any time that the piece of wood is too small to hold in the vice I use a plane upside down like this. I think it makes great sense to build one... if this is a need you have. Good luck and please post pics if you build one.

[Chris Walls]

Just a note to say thanks everyone for the comments and idea's. If I do make one I'll be sure to let you know how well it works.


Thanks Chris

[Pam Niedermayer]

The concept makes sense to me...it's really no different than using a tailed jointer ...

Actually, the powered jointer infeed and outfeed tables are at different heights; whereas the normal plane has a flat sole. Something to think about if you plan to make/use one.

Pam