I am fortunate that I come from a family of woodworkers dating at least as far back as my G-G-G Grandfather James Draper Anderson who came to this country in the early 1840s as an Irish Scot and settled in East Cambridge Mass where he was a shipwright. The 2 planes in the accompanying photos were the original property of his son James Jr, also a shipwright in Cambridgeport. These along with the contents of 2 tool chests were a gift from my father (turns 89 tomorrow) who no longer works wood. They have been passed down through the generations from James Jr to Robert, on to John Draper, John Draper Jr, Raymond (my dad) and now to me. Both tools are users and neither as far as I can tell was ever blemished by rust. As a kid growing up I was allowed to use everything in the shop provided it was put back where it belonged sharp, clean, and oiled. The penalty for non-compliance was banishment for anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the severity of the offense. There was no court of appeal.
The #15 block plane is 1879-80 vintage according to Walter, and as you can see at some point was dropped and repaired. Scots are if anything thrifty. The #3 smoother is 1876 according to Walter.
I am only the custodian until they get passed to my son or grandson. These tools have plenty more life in them.
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