Block plane, for planing blocks?

[neilyweely]

Ok, I'm not sure if anyone is interested, or knows anything about this, but the mystery has been solved, a bit at least. This is a United Shoe Machinery Company block plane. I guess that means it was for planing some sort of wooden shoe part?

There was an auction some time ago by Tony Murland (?), in 2007, and I got hold of one of his catalogues for this sale. Amongst all the treasure is a plane that is almost identical to mine, but not sure if it has the fence.

It would be nice to know how they were manufactured (in house or by another company) and whether or not I can SELL IT!!!!

Any help appreciated!!

Neil

 

[Racers]

Hi, Chaps

I think the blocks it refers to are lead printing blocks and its used for trimming them so they are all the same height.

Pete

 

[FatFreddysCat]

Ok, I'm not sure if anyone is interested, or knows anything about this, but the mystery has been solved, a bit at least. This is a United Shoe Machinery Company block plane. I guess that means it was for planing some sort of wooden shoe part?

There was once a very large company in Leicester called the British United Shoe Machinery Co (or "The BU" as older locals call them) who were a major employer. I've had a look and they existed until quite recently as United Shoe Machinery, although their main factory site is now derelict. If they still exist maybe they have an archivist or somebody you could ask, or failing that perhaps Leicester City Council have someone in their museums section who could help. In this valley we still have some shoe component manufacturers left, though not many, and I've seen BU machines in a few places. Wooden components are still used in shoe making, e.g. for built-up heels, as well as for all sorts of formers to allow components to be held whilst they are processed, but what about the possibility that the item in question was used to cut leather?

Edit: Just found this article in Wikipedia which explains the history of BUSM and its American counterpart (the United Shoe Machinery Company of Boston). BUSM went bust in 2000 having allegedly had their pension fund milked by their venture capitalist owners. Must have been a big factory to be able to build 1600 new homnes on the site

 

[neilyweely]

FFF - nice one mate. But TTYTT I still wouldn't know where to ask what in Gawds name it is. I guess I will do as you suggest and get in touch with the most recent incarnation of the company I can come across.

I am a buffoon, because I really am not a collector (I have NO Norris planes!!) and yet I bought this on a bit of a whim (who am I kidding - it was cheap!!) and now have little use for it. I should have looked at it and realised it was a skew blade, and I wouldn't have bought it.

Thanks for your help mate, and thanks to Pete too - do you mean it was used in a printers outfit, or did this have a use in said company?

Cheers again

Neil

 

[AndyT]

I know it's a long time since this question arose, and that neilyweely isn't posting on the forum any more, but in case anyone else reads this thread looking for information on big heavy planes marked USMC and 'Block Plane' I thought I'd add some information here.

The trade in question was shoemaking, where end grain boards were used, with shaped knives cutting out leather at a single click.

This is from the patent, US 138625, filed May 6 1873:

" In using dies for punching or cutting shoe soles and uppers, and other stock, it is customary to use blocks of wood with the end of the grain uppermost, the top surface being faced off for smoothness. As such a block becomes too much worn for practical use, it is cut down with an adze to a plane below the lowest depression worn by the dies, and is then surfaced off with a smoothing-plane. This method of surfacing a block is very slow and laborious, and does not result in procuring a uniform face.

My invention has reference to a method of surfacing such a block by means of a plane alone."

You can read the rest of the patent here (Datamp.org)
or here (Google Patents)

The patent shows a drawing of neilweely's plane, and lists the United Shoe Machinery Corp as the patent assignee.

[Edited to correct company name.]

 

[Jacob]

Interesting - but did it take off, and was it ever called a "block" plane?
I'm happy with
"According to Patrick's Stanley Blood and Gore, Stanley marketing materials describe the origin of the name of this tool as follows: "A Block Plane was first made to meet the demand for a Plane which could be easily held in one hand while planing across the grain, particularly the ends of boards, etc. This latter work many Carpenters call 'Blocking in', hence the name 'Block' Plane."

which agrees with my (controversial :roll: ) idea that the term "blocking, blocking in" is common amongst various crafts with a roughly similar meaning - along the lines of "knocking into shape" i.e. finishing visually e.g. straightening arrises, tidying board ends etc. which you'd do to a finished item - something you might not want to hold in a vice, but which could be tackled with a one hand plane.
That's certainly my main use of one since I bought my first about 40 years ago.

PS it's OK to talk about block planes isn't it - or is it against the rules? I couldn't see anything in the rules myself. Are any other tools banned?

 

[AndyT]

Interesting - but did it take off, and was it ever called a "block" plane?

In the opening words of the original post,

"It says on the plane - block plane no 1"

Obviously, it's not a small one-handed plane for general use, it's a specialised, patented tool for one particular trade - that's why it was hard to recognise and got asked about.

 

[Jacob]

OK