Bootfair Spiers? Infill

[GazPal]

It's either horrible or I'm deeply jealous and my vote goes with the latter. :lol:

Very nice work and craftsmanship on all counts.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Stop bumping this thread... ffs.. I cant stop drooling over jim's find..

 

[GazPal]

Stop bumping this thread... ffs.. I cant stop drooling over jimi43's find..

Fat chance! :lol: It's too drool worthy. :wink:

 

[jimi43]

I make no apologies for resurrecting this thread in the interest of further enlightenment and the results of some extensive research....

Just a reminder...I found this little guy for a few quid at a bootfair...

...which I had thought to be an old Spiers smoother and during the journey that was the first three pages of this thread...we discussed the validity of this...

One Eureka moment came when I up-ended the defaced logo on the lever cap...to magically reveal the logo I was searching for:

....the confusion then being...why was this upside down?

Well...recently I was trolling the web anew...and stumbled upon the excellent website which is Best Things dot com.... - a US based website with a wealth of information about British Infill Planes!

Therein...flicking through the wonderful images of their collection of marvelous infills...I espied this beautiful little baby:

This is labelled.....

BM100555 Spiers, Ayr This is a rare original model Spiers panel plane in very genuine condition. The handle spur is shortened, but a long time ago and it is well blended in. There is a patch on the front but where a stike button has been removed. That is the only evidence of any recent activity. Frankly, I would put a strike button back. The dovetailed body has no pitting and is very nice. The blade is an old replacement that fits fine. The unpolished lever cap is engraved with the original owner's name with some of the nicest engraving that I have ever seen on a tool. A rare and important plane for the advanced collector. Good $1595

....which makes for interesting reading but just look at the closeup of the beautifully engraved lever cap:

AN UPSIDE DOWN LEVER CAP SPIERS LOGO!!!

Couple this with the original lever cap screw....

...and you see this matches mine almost exactly...all be it that they are different models entirely...this proves beyond doubt that my little bootfair find...is indeed....without question now...a genuine old plane from the Spiers of Ayr factory!

I am made up with this news...and am now going to try to retore the long threaded rod on the original screw cap so that I can retain that originality as well....

Really chuffed with this find!

Just goes to show...a little research brings rich rewards!

Cheers guys and gals...hope you enjoyed the new info as much as I did...or am I just the only sad sod on this site!!!!? 8)

Jimi

 

[toolsntat]

Cheers guys and gals...hope you enjoyed the new info as much as I did...or am I just the only sad sod on this site!!!!? 8)

Jimi

I knew it (sorry forget to scan the auction pic ) Well done for finding the proof!!

Only Sad Sod ? Nah, so keep up the hunt and then join us at a show :roll: :wink:
See the early Spiers (not marked :evil: ) panel on the end :?:
Cheers
Andy

 

[yetloh]

You guys are clearly deeply addictedto that most addictive of drugs planus infillia and you have my deepest sympathy. If you have not already stoked your habit by visiting the little tool museum at Leeside Tools in the village of Yapton between Chichester and Arundel, I can recommend it.

Leeside is a secondhand tool shop and in my experience rarely has anything of great interest, but what it does have is a little museum which is absolutely stuffed with a huge variety of old woodworking tools. You can't get in - only look through the windows - it is so stuffed that it would be difficult for two people to get in anyway, but it really is a jaw dropping collection. I think the collection was assembled over many years by the grandfather of the guy who currently runs the business.

Jim

 

[AndyT]

Only Sad Sod ? Nah, so keep up the hunt and then join us at a show :roll: :wink:
See the early Spiers (not marked :evil: ) panel on the end :?:
Cheers
Andy

Andy - is that impressive display yours? If so, I think some of us would like to know where and when you will next be setting it out!

 

[penwithchris]

Not to be too critical about your display but there seems to be a lot of very average stuff present. As for the Spiers infill plane I have seen it deteriorate through the postings from a quite rare early Spiers to something that is almost unrecognisable as an important mid nineteenth century survivor :?

 

[Graham Orm]

More to come and in my blog.....
Jim

Nice find.............I bet you paid more than £2 for that telescope!!!

 

[jimi43]

More to come and in my blog.....
Jim

Nice find.............I bet you paid more than £2 for that telescope!!!

Ha!!! Indeed I did Graham....but far far less than the new price thankfully!

Cheers

Jimi

 

[jimi43]

Actually it's funny you should mention the telescope as it's the main reason I haven't been around on the UKW lately...it's kind of taken up most of my time but following the resurrection of this ancient thread...I had a particularly horrible piece of white wood to smooth today in the final stages of construction of my observatory...you know the sort...grain in both directions...knots every inch...that sort of horrible.

So I thought I would try out the old Spiers on it to try to tame it...

It absolutely conquered it where the other smoothers I had just caused tearout!

I'm sure old Stew would be rather chuffed and a little astounded that his little sideline was still being used in the 21st century in the manner for which it was intended! :wink:

Jimi