18th Century smoothing plane?

[Zach Dillinger]

Friends,

In my travels, I bought what I believe is an 18th century smoothing plane. It exhibits all the proper characteristics, including a round top single iron, stamped I Smith. I don't see that maker in Goodman's book, does anyone have any idea?

18th century iron small.jpg18th century plane small.jpg

Also found a bunch of other really cool stuff. More pics are here: http://bit.ly/p5sYH

Zach

[george wilson]

It has the round top iron and the large bevels typical of the period.

[Zach Dillinger]

Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Those characteristics are what made me buy it. I'm not in the habit of spending $20 on a coffin smoother (I have way too many already), but I figured it was something special.

[Jack Curtis]

$20 isn't bad. I've bought several boxwood coffins that went for double or triple, and I'm glad to have them.

Jack

[Zach Dillinger]

Jack,

I have way too many planes already, especially coffin woodies, so I'm incredibly picky about what I spend money on. $20 would be more than I would ordinarily spend on a smoother, unless it is special, like this one or your boxwood planes. I'm spoiled, I guess, since I find a ton of great tools and the prices aren't too bad in my area.

Z

[David Keller NC]

Zach - If your smoother really does turn out to be 18th century, it's worth a heck of a lot more than $20. 18th century molding planes aren't all that rare (especially British ones), but any bench plane from that time period is - like saws, they simply got used up.

What's interesting (to me, anyways) is that the wood that the plane is constructed out of does not appear to be beech. In 18th century America, the wood of choice for planes seemed to be yellow birch. It's a very hard wood that was inexpensive at the time compared to the woods of choice for furniture work or house building. Problem is that it's quite slow growing, and large yellow birches weren't common in the mature forest of colonial times. So there's a transition in American plane making - planes in the 2nd half of the 18th century may be birch (a reasonably reliable age feature), but may be beech. By the early 19th century, wooden planes were almost exclusively beech, at least from professional manufacturers.

The trouble in determining the age of your plane is that it isn't signed. So even if you find the working dates of the ironmonger that made the iron, the plane itself may be newer (irons before about 1830 or so were very expensive, so a plane that split or was otherwise damaged would've been re-made with the older iron). But - if you can somehow determine that the iron is American and 18th century, just the iron would be worth a couple of hundred dollars.

[Zach Dillinger]

I took some more detailed pics of the plane this morning. They are here: http://bit.ly/p5sYH

If only this little guy had a stamp...

Zach

[george wilson]

What is stamped on the front of the plane? I can't make it out.

This plane seems quite old,but I am not sure it was professionally made. It looks more like a user made plane.

[Zach Dillinger]

There is no stamp at the toe. The only mark I can find is the I Smith on the iron. I agree with you that it was likely user made, as the grain is oriented incorrectly and it just doesn't have a professional look. I know that's going to make it tough to date, but it is what it is.

I've had some suggestion that it is probably British made and 18th Century, given the style and the fact that it is made of beech and not yellow birch.

[Gordon Eyre]

Going back about 34 years ago my wife and I were at an antique show in a small town in New Jersey. I came across a coffin smoother plane that looked to be very old. The thing that made it unique was the fact that it had my last name EYRE carved in the back of the plane. They wanted $20.00 for it but I was poor at the time with lots of mouths to feed at home so I didn't buy it. I have kicked myself ever since. My ancestors came across the ocean in the 1800's on a ship called the Belle Wood. They were only in the east for a short time and then migrated across the plains and settled in Utah. They were craftsmen and sheepherders for the most part.

I am glad that you bought the plane so that you don't have to look back and kick yourself for not plunking down the $20.00.

[Jack Curtis]

...I'm spoiled, I guess, since I find a ton of great tools and the prices aren't too bad in my area.

I have my limits, too; but I'm just sayin' that $20 isn't much for collectible tools, which is how I treat all the boxwood miniatures and smalls that I try to collect. And a nice bonus is that so far I've been able to spiff up the blades enough to actually use these small tools. They're not needed often, but often enough.

Jack

[Zach Dillinger]

I have my limits, too; but I'm just sayin' that $20 isn't much for collectible tools, which is how I treat all the boxwood miniatures and smalls that I try to collect. And a nice bonus is that so far I've been able to spiff up the blades enough to actually use these small tools. They're not needed often, but often enough.

Jack

Agreed 100%. Most of the stuff I buy gets tuned up and used in my shop. Occasionally, I find something worth holding on to and not using, like this plane. And I'm thrilled to only have paid $20 for it.

[Zach Dillinger]

Just found what appears to be an 18th century Pennsylvania plow plane. Won it on eBay. Pics are here: http://bit.ly/p5sYH

Does anyone have any information about the makers mark ZW?

[David Keller NC]

Just found what appears to be an 18th century Pennsylvania plow plane. Won it on eBay. Pics are here: http://bit.ly/p5sYH

Does anyone have any information about the makers mark ZW?

I'm kind of doubting that's an 18th century American plane, but it might well be an 18th century British plane. American ploughs of the period generally looked quite different than the British designs. They're usually called "Yankee Plows", and their design is distinctive.

But it's not impossible that a late 18th century American maker copied the typical British wedge-arm design. Also possible is that you have a very early British plane that was purchased in Pennsylvania and carries the typical side-grain branding that one finds on Penn. planes.