Submitted Article

Good things usually come in threes

The saying 'Good things usually come in threes', although an old superstition, they seldom do. On this occasion, however, three annealed iron planes came my way.

I had the good fortune to meet a retired gentleman whose grandfather, a cabinet maker, immigrated to Australia from England in 1905, bringing with him his tools of trade. All three planes have been stamped with the family name and have always been together-luck I suppose.

The planes possibly were made at the latter end of the nineteenth century, although there is no maker's mark on any of the planes, they were obviously the product of a competent plane maker.

The planes had been stored for many years and were covered with the usual surface rust and grime.

The sixteen inch rosewood in-filled panel plane was the first to undergo scrutiny. A full seven pounds in weight, comfortable handle and knob and the overall 'feel' of the plane, conveyed a reassurance that it would perform well-and it did.

The plane's fine mouth allowed a very clean cut, leaving a surface equal to that of any correctly tuned plane.

The plane came with a two and three eights inch wide and three sixteenths inch thick parallel Marples iron fitted with a Marsden Brothers back iron.

One interesting feature is the brass tapered frog plate which supports the blade at 47 degrees to the sole and when removed, allows the blade to drop back to 40 degrees.

Another point of interest is the screw cap. Instead of the screw cap being a permanent fixture with the majority of in-fills, this one is removable due to its unique design. This would have been necessary to allow access to the screws securing the brass frog plate.

The second plane to lobby for my attention was the one and an eighth inch wide rebate plane. It has a seven and three quarter inch sole and, as can be seen from the photo, very pleasing lines with modest embellishment on the mahogany in-fill and wedge.

The unique feature on this plane is the depth adjustment, surprisingly, the engagement slots in the blade are roughly formed giving the impression that it may be a replacement.

Another feature that I hadn't seen before (that is not surprising as I don't get around much) is the brass slide plate under the wedge allowing smooth adjustment. The low blade angle of 150 to the sole makes this a very efficient tool although the wide mouth tends to be counter-productive. All considered this is a very special little plane.

Lastly, the coffin shaped smoothing plane.

The in-fill is secured with screws which have been dressed flush. The brass screw cap is secured by two screws which allow it to hinge. It is fitted with a two inch by one eighth inch thick James Howarth blade, and it performs exceptionally well.

Although the unhandled smoothers may look clumsy, they do fit the hand and run over timber nicely, and don't deserve the avoidance that many collectors practice.

All these planes belong together and give credit to the cabinet maker who originally selected them.

Not being in their shoes, I find it hard to understand how people can part with family heirlooms, however when it happens it gives us an opportunity to preserve them for the next generation, and while doing so, give us just another glimpse into the past.