Plane gloat

[Derby Matthews]

OK, Now that I've begun selling some tools - in part to begin paying for this baby - I feel I can post a pic as the proud owner. I would've gone out and mowed lawns to put this one in my tool chest. I'm not a collector (umm...the lie detector just went off the map), and couldn't justify the high cost of owning one of these until a big project came along that I was going to do 100% Neander. I'm building a dining room extension table with drop in leaves (exactly to SWMBO's specs), out of 150 year old, pit sawn 5/4 ", 22" wide matched solid African mahogany boards. All the work will be by hand, most of it done with this plane. Knew the wedding ring and mortgage precluded a Holtey or Brese panel plane in my immediate future. No longer pining for one of those with this one to play with

Anyone have any information on this make and model (Spiers 18"- pre WWII), like where to buy an appropriate second blade that I can convex grind? Would also like to know if this plane has any apologies to make (not super important - it's a user), apart from the obvious barking up of the tote and front handle. Any input would help a lot. Thanks all. Sorry if this gloat seems excessive, but if it's inadequate I'll post more pics

[jerry nazard]

Derby,

She is a beauty! Absolutely gloat-worthy!!

-Jerry

[Tony Shea]

I have no information on this plane but agree that this is def gloat worthy. Not sure what you paid for this plane but sure looks to be a beauty. I'm sure it could clean up to be an impressive looking tool as well as being very functional. How flat is the sole of this plane and what kind of condition is it's sole? I do think more pics are in order, maybe even taken apart with peices laying about.

[Derby Matthews]

OK - here goes:

[john brenton]

She "sure has a purdy mouth."

[Joe McMahon]

Derby, I sent you a PM that may help.

Joe

[Derby Matthews]

The wealth of quality info freely given on these pages. Thanks guys and keep it coming. Now that I've taken the infill plunge I can't seem to absorb enough!

[Jim Koepke]

Some day I hope to own one like that.

jim

[David Weaver]

That's the plane my shepherd kit is based on. You'll like it - it's nice to use and it hits with authority.

I would probably avoid using an iron with significant camber on it - I think you'll find it to be the plane you use to follow such a plane, and unless you're working with nasty swirly stuff, it'll leave the finish of a smoother behind - flatten and smooth all in one shot.

I was hoping to find a "real" one like yours before I put the kit together, but never really came across one that I liked and that was in my price range.

[george wilson]

I have a never used,but shop worn Norris very much like that plane,David. It is a late,cast iron body with what was once a heavy piano finish over the infill. If I had more energy,I could spend a lot of time filling in the many nicks and scratches in the heavy lacquer finish.

Its adjuster is the late type,not the earlier one with the screw within a screw. Actually,the earlier type is very delicate. It also makes no sense because the left and right handed screws cause a coarser advance to the blade. I prefer the later type. Heavier screw,and no double advance per turn.

[David Weaver]

I have a never used,but shop worn Norris very much like that plane,David. It is a late,cast iron body with what was once a heavy piano finish over the infill. If I had more energy,I could spend a lot of time filling in the many nicks and scratches in the heavy lacquer finish.

George - exactly why I never put shellac or lacquer on my infill parts. I know it's traditional to do it, but it's so hard to keep it nice. I can't imagine most people buying a plane of the price of an infill would be happy to find oil and wax, though - life's a lot easier when you only build your own tools (or more like assemble in the case of this plane), and none for other people.

I think this plane has the single adjuster like you mentioned, but I'm not sure I'd trust my memory on a bet even though I took that picture last night. It's coarse, but it works. I thought about not installing it at first, but since there is a bedding block on the plane, the fact that it (the adjuster) sits a little proud of the bed makes it easier to get the iron bedded well at the mouth of the plane. On the ones I scratch built so far, I always just use a thicker bottom instead and no bedding block - it's easier to keep the last contact with the iron farther down when there is less thickness of metal to file.

I hope to get a look at one of holtey's planes sometime to see what the adjuster is like, to see how it's supposed to be and how it's supposed to feel.

How does one get an unused infill and never have the urge to use it?

[Tony Shea]

I would love to have the oportunity to handle on of these infil planes, or any infill for that matter. They are very beautiful if nothing else. I'm curious though as to what the advantage of an infil plane is over a standard Stanley Bedrock style bench plane such as the offereings from LN and LV? One small potential advantage I see is the front knob. I like the infill style as there seems to be a bit more control compared to an average bench plane front knob.

[george wilson]

The infills are more massive than modern style planes. David,the lacquer on my Norris must be 1/16" thick. The British seemed to like to put these huge finishes on some things such as the wooden dashboards of fancy cars. Williamsburg got someone over there to make a coat of arms for the Governor's Palace. It was oval,and convex,and as shiny as if it had been dipped in heavy varnish and instantly frozen!

[David Weaver]

Different feel, and more weight. I can't speak to what the advantages are of vintages, but with new ones, when you're making or assembling them, you can really control how tight the mouth is, how well the iron is bedded (and keeping it from contacting/bedding where you don't want it to), and how well the lever cap fits the iron.

Tight mouth, lots of weight, a lever cap that grips evenly all the way across, and a good proper bedding of the iron way down close to the bevel and they give you a sinful feeling.

So far, the difference vs. a bench plane for the panel plane is that I can run a thicker shaving through it and have it still be working comfortably. If you get a bench plane set right, you should have very little tearout, and since a lot of the panel planes seem to be common pitch or close, the tearout shouldn't be that different. If it is, then the bench plane making worse tearout should probably be fiddled with.

I don't know if I'd say that they are any better than a LN 6, though. More novelty, heavier, but work much better in average day to day work? Maybe if you only worked hard maple for hours, and by hand.

I wouldn't stick my neck out and say that because I don't know that I could prove it preparing stock. An LN 6 makes an awfully nice panel plane, and the iron in it will last with or outlast anything that isn't a nastier alloy.

[Derby Matthews]

This is fascinating... Any ideas on wheter I should get a second (period or modern replacement) blade and grind it on a convex?