B B Burley plane

[bugbear]

I just acquired a Bennet B Burley 17" long, close handled panel plane, with only a 2 1/8" wide blade.

Very neat little thing. Googling lead here:

http://www.planemakers-database.com/279/burley-heys/

I don't know if the decorative punching was the owner or the maker.

Planemaker's DB has dates 1912 – 1915

http://www.planemakers-database.com/279/burley-heys/

But this directory:

http://www.mocavo.co.uk/The-Post-Office ... 163982/163

Lists them working much later, in 1931

Burley, Bennet B., manufacturer of planes and
edge tools, importer of American and Con-
tinental tools and hardware, 63 Carlton place C.5.

I don't really need another plane, but this one was very cute,
and only £2.

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

British Plane Makers III does not show anything like that fancy marking. Looking at it closely, there are several places where the lines cross and the whole pattern can be made with one small gouge and a tiny straight chisel, so I guess it's owner's decoration, almost as a doodle, and not made with a single stamp. The square star patterns were available on standard punches for carvers to use, as I'm sure you know. And a bargain to be sure!

 

[Boringgeoff]

Hello, I was recently given this brace, unmistakeably made by my favourite UK manufacturer, J A Chapman of Sheffield. On the chuck shell I could faintly see the Registered Design No 239718, and excitingly the word Glasgow.
On getting it home and taking to it with angle grinder, cold chisel and oxy torch...ha ha I'm lying...
On getting it home and gently scrubbing the chuck with L10* and steel wool the faint initials B B Burley in line with the much stronger Glasgow became apparent.
Another valuable addition to my collection of braces under the heading "Other Brands by Chapman".
This thread and its links are the only connections I can find to the Bennett B Burley company which I had previously never heard of.
Any information, dates, opinions are warmly welcomed.
Cheers,
Geoff.

*L10 is a locally made lubricant /penetrant that I use.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Quite a common UK practice was for the retailer to have their stamp applied to tools. Some did this themselves, so the maker's mark may appear as well, some had the tools marked with their (the retailer's) stamp by the maker. Some makers made tools unmarked for the retailer to decide for themselves. One or two of the larger tool factors insisted on ONLY having their own mark - G.P.Preston of Sheffield crop up quite regularly, as do some of the London retailers such as Tyzack and Buck - confusing in the latter two cases because the names are very similar to those of tool making firms.

In short - the brace may have been sold by Burley, but made by others - Chapman, perhaps?

Edit to add - this could apply to BB's plane, too. I think Ken Hawley once said of plane irons that it was made in Sheffield even if the stamp said it was made somewhere else. It could also be that the dates BB mentioned above are all correct and not contradictory - Burley's may have made planes for a few years (having their irons made, and stamped with their own mark, in Sheffield), then stopped and concentrated on tool retailing. All speculation, that, though!

 

[Boringgeoff]

Thank you, it could well be that the B B Burley mark was put on at a different time and place, by Burley themselves perhaps, which would explain the big difference in depth of stamping between that and the Glasgow imprint.
I was going to include a close up photo of the chuck but the photo I took was hopeless.
Cheers,
Geoff.

 

[D_W]

I'd say we never get planes like that for $3 here, but that's probably not universally true. Just not true as often.

Smart looking plane for that.

My first *good* jack plane / fore (whatever you want to call the closed handle 17 inch planes) was a mathieson of that length, but with a 2 1/2 inch wide iron. Different feel than the closed handle planes since the handle has to be much further back from the iron than a closed handle in order to get enough room for adjustment.

 

[DonMc]

The 1866 Glasgow directory lists a Peter M'Kay as working for A. Mathieson & Son's. The next year, he had his own firm, Peter M'kay & Co., which was making planes and edge tools at the Barrowfield Edge Tool Works, at 76 London Road. By 1870 Bennet B. Burley was associated with Peter Mackay & Co., which is described as making planes, edge tools, as well as bits and augers. Still at the same address.

By 1875, the name of the firm had changed to Mackay, Burley, & Heys, indicating that Burley and Robert Heys had become partners. The firm is listed as making planes and edge tools, at 76 London Road and Preston Street, Bridgeton. By the following year, they are listed as ironmongers, as well as plane and edge tool makers, only at the Preston Street address. That location is listed as Barrowfield Tool Works, 185 Preston Street by 1878. Peter Mackay was no longer associated with the firm by 1879, and the firm's name was changed to Burley & Heys in 1880.

The following year, 1881, the firm's name had changed, again: "Burley, Bennet B., manufacturer of planes, mechanical, engineering, and edge tools, importer of American and Continental tools and hardware, 9 Watson Street, off Gallowgate." By the next year, the listing mentions Barrowfield Tool Works, Glasgow and Lanark, as well as the warehouse at 9 Watson Street, and the mention of mechanical and engineering tools is dropped by 1886. The alphabetical listings for the Bennet B. Burley firm remain essentially the same through 1909. In 1910, 3 South Portland Street is mentioned in addition to the Watson Street location, and became the sole location by 1911. Then in 1912, the firm moved to 13 Carlton Place, where it remained through 1925. By 1929, the firm was located at 63 Carlton Place, where it remained through its final listing in 1936. It continued to be listed as a manufacturer of planes and edge tools throughout its tenure, as well as importers of American and Continental tools and hardware.

So, to recap, the tenure of the Bennet B Burley firm runs from 1881 to 1936. And, in a way, its roots can be traced to the Alex. Mathieson & Sons firm. Hope this has been of some interest.

Don McConnell
Eureka Springs, AR

 

[Boringgeoff]

Thank you for the information Don, very interesting and helpful.
Cheers,
Geoff.