Couple of mystery items

[Flartybarty]

Hi all. Got a couple more mystery items that I could use a little help with. (Sorry about the length of this post!)
The first is a pair of planes which look something like bog-standard smoothers except they have a skewed and slanted iron to cut a rebate on one side à la badger. Although I say they're a pair, only in so much as they are left and right handed, so not truly a match pair. The left hand one is by R Routledge (23 Bull Street, Birmingham) and the right hand one is by Atkins & Sons. This puts them both in the mid to late 19th C. Question is, what are they ?? I've only ever seem a picture (actually a drawing) of a pair of these once - on the web, and I stupidly didn't bookmark the site. Been looking for it ever since ! :-( I thought they might be simply smooth versions of badgers but if memory serves me from said website, they have a specific purpose and name. Can anyone enlighten me ?
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202972_zpskc7xdnrf.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202973_zpsed06hd7r.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202974_zpslzdiz5vc.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202972_zpskc7xdnrf.jpg

The second mystery is what looks at first glance to be a Mathieson No 18 combi sash fillister/moving fillister but isn't. That is to say, it has no makers name on the toe and the sole isn't boxed, whereas the Mathieson planes had full dovetail boxing. The depth stops are also shorter than the Scottish plane. So what I'd really like to know is, who else made these combi planes almost exactly like Mathieson did? I've seen a photo of another type without a grip but the stops were staggered. Incidentally, when I bought it, the poor thing had been sanded back to bare wood and then waxed. There was a tiny piece of the original lacquer remaing inside the grip but otherwise it was naked. Pretty well valueless from a collectors point of view. Oddly, whoever did that didn't touch the brass (verdigree city!) or the wedge. I make no apologies for giving it a little more credibility. I'd still like to know who made it and exactly when ?
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202971_zpsqdefiv0l.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202970_zpshxqgro86.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202976_zps5kbjcc5d.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s56/23904505/Planes/SV202969_zps5xddrgho.jpg

Any input gratefully received!
P.s. sorry if this is a double post - I have a flaky connection today !

 

[AndyT]

Very interesting. I have one plane which is similar to the left handed one of your pair. It's unmarked and only about 5 inches long. I did try to find a special purpose for it but drew a blank. (Sorry, no pics for a while, I'm on my hols.)

I think I got as far as finding something to acknowledge that smoother style skew rebate planes exist, maybe in Whelan's big book.

As for a specific purpose, it's only guesswork but handrailing is the classic case where left and right working planes are useful, since you can have to work both sides of the stock, regardless of grain direction.

I'm no more use on your fancy fillister. I do sympathise with the treatment it's had (I've a few old C18 planes that have been similarly sanded and polyurethaned.)

Just a wild guess, but Greenslades of Bristol did make some of the wilder variants - Plumber Pete would know more, if he's got time to be reading this.

 

[Flartybarty]

Thanks for your input. For some reason the phrase "counter check plane" keeps revolving around my head - I do have Whelans book and they are mentioned but no pic, sadly. And his description is of little help.

P.s. Just seen in a Moseley catalogue - "Rebate Smoother 4/2d"
But no indication of left or right.