Car Boot Infill

[mahking51]

Bit of a red letter day!
Found this old infill 20" long , mahogany stuffed with a Ward iron. Not sure whether it is a try or jointer. Weighs a hefty 9 3/4 pounds. It was absolutely minging, filthy dirty but 20 mins with a little wax amd 0000 steel wool very gently applied got it up quite well. As always, any comments or info is very welcome.
Has a couple of small cracks at each side but very old ones; also a few pits on the sole and sides some of which have been nicely repaired in the past.
The previous owner worked for Westlands and used it on stock for wooden propellers, and he got it second hand! The steel is incredibly thick all round. and the iron is just under 3/16" thick, (but not A2!)
There is no makers mark so any thoughts welcome.
Not saying what I paid this time as Alf would probably have apoplexy!

Got very lucky as I was able to pounce as the owner was unoading before anyone else could get near, you gotta be quick!
Best Regards
Martin

 

[Scrit]

Cool tool, dude! I think we should now call you SuperGloat!

Scrit

 

[mahking51]

Scrit
Ah, but I trained at the feet of the master - His Serene Gloatworthiness, Philly of the LeusNielsoniae!
Martin

 

[Waka]

Martin

Very good find.

Ah, but I trained at the feet of the master - His Serene Gloatworthiness, Philly of the LeusNielsoniae!

You will soon joining him on the pedestal the way you are going.

We'll be ableto get his autograph next week.

 

[Adam]

Lucky lucky fella. :x

Adam

 

[MikeW]

Oh, Martin...the words normally applied seem way to weak.

What a find for an obviously good price! So nice.

Take care, Mike

 

[Philly]

Martin! Bravo!! =D>
What can I say-my eyes are filling with tears.... :lol:
Nice haul, Mate
Philly [/i]

 

[Chris Knight]

Martin Oh Bootmeister - I am humbled by this unparalleled display of rust hunting - you truly are the greatest!

 

[Wiley Horne]

This jointer has a wonderful look about it--ocean waves rolling in, or somesuch. But Martin, you forgot to mention the mouth gap, which looks to be under 10 thousandths This is about as good as it gets. You did a most professional job of restoring it, without making it look overbright.

Wiley ....... had to call in on this one, even from 8,000 miles away

 

[Alf]

I'm unmoved. I mean c'mon chaps, it's just a wooden jointer with metal boots on. :roll:

Cheers, Alf

Who had to wait until the foaming at the mouth died down before being able to type coherently...
](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

 

[bugbear]

Looks like a craftsman made job - possibly a patternmaker, for his own use?

BugBear

 

[Mittlefehldt]

I can't believe you got that from a car boot sale, the best I have ever found, or more properly my wife ever found was not bad but pales in comparison, of course over here in Canada infills are a bit thin on the ground anyway. SIGH.

Good find, but I am dieing to know what that cost, you could PM me, maybe hmm, hint hint. I know curiosity killed the cat.

 

[mahking51]

Just popped over to Waka to use the Tormek on the iron for this and it came up really well, back was pretty flat and the bevel was just a little out of square.
Tried it on some AWO and after a bit of fiddling got some lovely thin shavings. When I tried some more blade projection it really zipped off uniform thick curls with almost no effort, I guess 'cos it is so heavy.
Sad to say this one goes on the 'Bay towards the Excalibur TS fund (getting close! just needs a little for the divorce contingency fund!).
Regards
Martin

 

[Scrit]

Why not keep the plane and buy a Wadkin AGS or Startrite TA/SP275? :lol:

Scrit

 

[Alf]

Pish. Forget the tablesaw; keep the plane and get some more... :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

Martin;
can you tell wether the body is bent/forged metal (i.e. 'U' channel), a casting, or dovetailed plates?

BugBear

 

[mahking51]

BB
Very hard to tell. I cannot see any joins anywhere or any 'ghost' marks of dt's or pins. There is a very nice piece of metalworking at the throat just in front of the wedge where the steel is over 1/2" thick and shaped to a lovely curve to assist shaving exit (I guess?), also beads against the wedge. Very sharp crisp corners between sole/sides, does not look as if it could have been bent.

Couple more detail pics that might help.
Regards
martin

 

[bugbear]

Very sharp crisp corners between sole/sides, does not look as if it could have been bent.

My thoughts were of either a (rolled) forging or casting as the initial "stock".

Subsequent machining or filing would create crisp corners.

Given the the sole does not project beyond the body, and the way the ends wrap around the infill, I do not think this is made from "plates".

I think we can use Holtey as an Examplar of Noriss style design:

http://www.holteyplanes.com/a1.htm (not the sole projections)

And here's a pseudo Spiers:
http://www.shepherdtool.com/Jpinter%20s ... ge%201.htm

BugBear

 

[Scrit]

My thoughts were of either a (rolled) forging or casting as the initial "stock".

I feel that the fact that the inside of the "metalwork" doesn't appear to have a pronounced curved fillet corner tends to indicate cast sides as do the "ears" which hold the wedge in place (in the absence of any sign of them being riveted). Post WWII Norris panel planes had soles projecting beyond the body and were made from RSJ (rolled steel joist, not forged). However, the same type of projection was also visible on the pre-war Norris #13 annealed cast-iron infill panel plane (15-1/2in size only) and for that matter on Stuart Spiers' improved-pattern mitre planes. Both the post WWII RSJ Norrises and their cheaper Footprint "clones" (also made from steel RSJ) have a radius (fillet) between the sole and sides on the inside, as does the #13 mentioned, although that fillet is much less pronounced. This fillet is necessary as it is all but impossible to roll steel without a slight radius on the roll(er) (it reduces friction and wear). For both rolling and casting the fillet is necessary to stop/reduce stress cracks propogating out from the corner (remember the DH Comet?). For the same reason you probably wouldn't want to machine a sharp corner into a casting - to do so cuts into the "skin" of the casting and makes the propagation of cracks much more likely

Personally I favour casting as the explanation - remember, at one time almost every small town in the UK with any manufacturing industry at all would have had an iron founder, even if they were only making drain covers and fire grates. Rolling mills are altogether more specialised and expensive - and the width/depth of RSJ required for planes is not a standard size (too deep relative to width for building/construction work) making me wonder if the post-war Norris/Footprint tools were being made from "left-over" WWII production.

A full front photograph might well confirm my suspicions.

Scrit

 

[bugbear]

at one time almost every small town in the UK with any manufacturing industry at all would have had an iron founder

My VILLAGE had a foundry.

BugBear