# John Green: 18th Century York Planemaker by Peter Young



## Plumberpete (16 Feb 2015)

A copy of this arrived at my house today. A quick flick through has revealed an in-depth history of this prolific York maker with loads of professional quality colour photos. It's split into two parts, the first part is about York planemakers from the early days of planemakers onwards and the second part is about the planes themselves including changes in style to the bodies, wedges etc.

It is professionally laid out, has 136 pages and is available from www.johngreenbook.co.uk

All in all, a very nice and informative book!


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## toolsntat (16 Feb 2015)

So, I wonder if that is what the postie failed to get through my door today :?: :idea: 

Andy


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## AndyT (16 Feb 2015)

Thanks Pete, I've ordered a copy. 

If only there was a similar book on the planemakers of Bristol! :roll:


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## Plumberpete (16 Feb 2015)

AndyT":2c3ptxdv said:


> Thanks Pete, I've ordered a copy.
> 
> If only there was a similar book on the planemakers of Bristol! :roll:



I know - children, work and finances keep getting in the way....


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## -Matt- (16 Feb 2015)

I shall have to keep an eye out for anything stamped under the name. There's usually lots of wooden bodies planes at the local auction centre who do "Saturday Auction" of all sorts once a month.


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## matthewwh (17 Feb 2015)

AndyT":2u6g3czm said:


> Thanks Pete, I've ordered a copy.
> 
> If only there was a similar book on the planemakers of Bristol! :roll:



Is that you volunteering Andy? Maybe Dodge could do Griffiths of Norwich and we'd be nearing a set?

Sadly no planemakers in Banbury, although I did learn recently that all the crashed allied aircraft were remelted here (along with the milk bottle tops, saucepans etc) and the crashed German ones ended up at nearby Adderbury, where they had a German made furnace installed in 1939 which was capable of dealing with the higher magnesium content of German aluminum. 

Talking with the same old boy, I found out that our warehouse is built adjacent to land that used to be 30 feet higher, but was stripped for very high grade iron ore that was transported to Banbury on a railway built by first world war prisoners before being loaded into trucks and trains and taken to Sheffield. Ironic that we should now be in the process of reversing that journey.

Anyway, I digress, given the recent demise of the Record hand planes site, if anyone has any info about old tools that they would like us to host, for free and indefinitely, and with the agreement that it will be made freely available if we are ever unable to continue hosting it, just give me a call.


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## toolsntat (17 Feb 2015)

matthewwh":gs9k7iuk said:


> Is that you volunteering Andy? Maybe Dodge could do Griffiths of Norwich and we'd be nearing a set?
> 
> .



A certain Mr Shingfield has that one covered :wink: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Norwich-Tool-Ma ... B00B1UB3EA

Andy


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## AndyT (17 Feb 2015)

And Bristol is already bagged as well https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/post945417.html#p945417!


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## Plumberpete (17 Feb 2015)

matthewwh":18q3b0yu said:


> AndyT":18q3b0yu said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Pete, I've ordered a copy.
> ...



Oh yes there was!

“BANBURY
To be Sold, or Lett, and may be Enter’d upon immediately,
All that MESSUAGE, or TENEMENT, called and known by the name of the LEATHER BOTTLE, with the Stables, Buildings, Offices, and Premifes to the fame belonging, fituate and being in the Cow-Market in Banbury, in the County of Oxford, in exceeding good Repair, and in great Part lately re-built; being a good, old accuftomed, and convenient INN, and remarkably well fituated for Bufinefs either as an Inn or any Bufinefs in Trade; together with all or any of the Stock and Furniture, which are almost new, as will be most agreeable, as the present Occupier retires to carry on his Bufinefs only as a Plain Maker : Where all Carpenters, Joiners, and Others, may be immediately furnifhed with all Sorts of Plains, Chefts, and Tools, upon the beft and loweft Terms, on fhort Notice, either in London or in any Part of the Kingdom.
For further Particulars, enquire of Robert Bloxham, the prefent Owner.
N. B. Any Perfon, inclinable to become a Purchaser, may have any of the Purchafe-Money on the Premifes.” Northampton Mercury, Monday 21 June, 1773


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## matthewwh (17 Feb 2015)

Well Bleff my Soul.

You must have dug pretty deep to find him Pete!

More from http://www.planemakers-database.com/135/bloxham-robert/

Listed as a carpenter and “plain maker” in various directories. Bloxham’s planes, which are uncommon, differ greatly from other planes made at the time. This may be explained by the relative isolation of rural Oxfordshire in which he made his planes. The planes themselves usually had arched tops and completely round fronts, which required his maker’s stamp to be placed lower down on the toe than was normal with other makers. Parallels have been drawn with the planes of William Loveage and Thomas Morse. Bloxam’s planes with flat chamfers, round chamfers and with flat chamfers extending in a single sweep up and over a round top plane are also known. Robert Bloxham, “plain maker”, died on 21 August 1778.

They sound really cool!


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## Plumberpete (17 Feb 2015)

Yes, there are parallels between Thomas Morse's planes and those of Robert Bloxham's and there is a reason for that which I can't go into here. Suffice to say, you'll have to wait until British Planemakers from 1700 IV comes out. :wink: 

Here's another Banbury planemaker for you;

Under “DEATHS” – SHILLINGLAW. – June 30, at South Bar Street, Banbury, John Shillinglaw, Carpenters’ plane maker, aged 46 years. Oxford Times, Saturday 07 July, 1866.


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## toolsntat (17 Feb 2015)

toolsntat":3dpubv31 said:


> So, I wonder if that is what the postie failed to get through my door today :?: :idea:
> 
> Andy



As it happens, it was =D> 
Looking forward to a good read 8) 8) 

Andy


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## Plumberpete (18 Feb 2015)

toolsntat":2tp16v93 said:


> toolsntat":2tp16v93 said:
> 
> 
> > So, I wonder if that is what the postie failed to get through my door today :?: :idea:
> ...



The book's got some lovely pictures of a collection of mother planes. I can't think where he found those...


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## AndyT (20 Feb 2015)

Now that I've got a copy too, I can understand Pete and Andy's comments - full credit to them both for their contributions! I do recommend it as being of interest even if you don't have any John Green planes - it's very good on how planemaking was done, and even includes an estimate of the number of planes produced - a good hand being capable of making _850 per year_.


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## -Matt- (21 Mar 2015)

As per my post further up the page, it has indeed happened.
I've come away today with a box of wooden bodied planes, 3 of which are John Green ones (the other ones I am currently researching) and well, I was wondering if anyone fancied helping me work out how old they are?

I see the book mentioned has a section on dating them regarding the body style, and wedge style. I of course have no idea where mine fall into this.
Considering buying the book anyway, I'm from and live in York, so I can picture the streets mentioned in the bits of the articles I can see in the samples.


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## toolsntat (27 Mar 2015)

Book should be on sale at David Stanley sale tomorrow :wink: 8) 

http://www.johngreenbook.co.uk/about.html

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/aucti ... srdav10013

Andy


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## mahking51 (10 Apr 2018)

Funny old world!
We just got back from a long weekend in Normandy hunting up old tools for our business, not great because of the terrible weather.
We decided to pop into a brocante that we normally avoid because of their sky high prices, not much there but then I spotted a pile of old crates full of disgusting wormy old tools.
Had a quick root through and it was all firewood but at the bottom was an old bag full of quite 11 nice moulding planes.
Imagine my surprise when 10 of them were by Iohn Green!
Paid 2 Euros each for them!
Cheers, Martin


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