Info on plane maker

[Bill Webber]

I bought a nice set of hollows and rounds. They are in great shape and seem relatively newly made. So far I haven't found any information for this maker. Marked R. A. Vaughan S. C., also known as Ashley Vaughan. Anyone know anything about this maker?2003-001.jpg2003-002.jpg2003-005.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

It is a deep rabbit hole one can fall into looking for information of past & present tool makers.

One site came up > https://workingbyhand.wordpress.com/tool-makers/ < There is also a page on vintage tool makers.

Did you ask Jim Bode if he had any information on their provenance?

jtk

[Bill Webber]

Did you ask Jim Bode if he had any information on their provenance?

jtk[/QUOTE]

Yes, I asked Jim. His answer was cryptic, evasive, I don't believe he knows anything more than the rest of us. I wouldn't be so bent on pursuing this but for the fact that these are high quality planes. High quality meaning comparable to Old Street or Bickford. A little shelf wear, but high quality never the less. You don't produce this quality in a one-off environment. This person made planes, more than one, in some environment, either for sale or for his/her own enjoyment. Having made multiple copies to improve the skills needed, I find it hard to believe no one knows of this person. I don't believe these are very old. When was S.C. the abbreviation for South Carolina? Or, heaven forbid, maybe it means Southern China. :-)

[Pete Taran]

You don’t have to look too far to learn about who made these planes:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ows-amp-rounds

I agree with you, they aren’t terribly old, like maybe less than 5 years!

[Stewie Simpson]

Bill; you could try contacting Caleb James for info on that plane maker.

https://calebjamesmaker.com/contact

[Bill Webber]

You don’t have to look too far to learn about who made these planes:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ows-amp-rounds

I agree with you, they aren’t terribly old, like maybe less than 5 years!

Thanks, Pete, but, yes and no. He posted here, but only once and no other information about him. The referenced post confirms my guess at a date but nothing else. I feel I've just gotten a glimpse of the lone ranger :-)

[Bill Webber]

Thanks. I did that.

[Pete Taran]

Bill,

If you dig deep and spend the $6 to become a contributor, you'll have the ability to send him an email. Perhaps it still works and perhaps he will answer.

[Bill Webber]

Bill,

If you dig deep and spend the $6 to become a contributor, you'll have the ability to send him an email. Perhaps it still works and perhaps he will answer.

Well, that eats up my lunch money for the week but I gave it a try. Thanks, Pete. Plus I can see my own pictures... who knew! Guess I ought to visit here more often.

[Pete Taran]

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully the Rona didn’t get him. Hard to believe that someone making full sets of hollows and rounds with that degree of quality is out there working in obscurity.

[Bill Webber]

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully the Rona didn’t get him. Hard to believe that someone making full sets of hollows and rounds with that degree of quality is out there working in obscurity.

I will. And how did Jim Bode get the set? Directly from the maker or a second party? If directly from the maker, why was this talented plane make selling to Bode.

[Pete Taran]

I can answer that question. It almost always goes something like this. Uncle Jack gets old and falls or otherwise has to go into the nursing home, or perhaps even passes away. His Children or Grandchildren start to get rid of his stuff however they can. They see a bunch of old tools and know nothing about them and google hand planes or old tools and websites like Bode's come up. Jim gets them for as little as possible and sells them for as much as possible. The kids think they are getting a deal and Jim makes a good buck. It's how it goes in the old tool world.

There could have been a few owners in between. They could have had a yard sale and a discerning buyer could have scooped them up and then sold them to Jim. I'd seriously doubt that the maker sold them to Jim direct. At $1750 that is less than $100 a plane. No way the guy who made them sold them that cheap, and that would mean the sale price was even less than that as Jim would have not bought them and sold them at cost.

[Jim Koepke]

I will. And how did Jim Bode get the set? Directly from the maker or a second party? If directly from the maker, why was this talented plane make selling to Bode.

Marketing is a skill which eludes many a talented artisan. Having such a fine set of hollows and rounds would make me proud. Like so many others, affording such a set is out of my range.

Maybe Jim Bode is doing the marketing for R. A. Vaughan until more of a reputation helps to sell their wares.

Mr. Bode offering a "cryptic answer" may actually be the answer.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

It's odd. I'm usually decent at finding companies on the web. I cant find any reference to this man at all, other than on Bode's site. Maybe he only sold by word of mouth. Can anyone else find him?

Doggone shame. Looks like nice work.

[Eric Rathhaus]

Assuming SC is South Carolina, I would try contacting some of the woodworking clubs in the south as well as the Woodwrights school and the MWTCA.