Family mystery: Can you help date this coffin smoother?

[p2peditor]

This is a family mystery, and my mum and I would really appreciate any help. For my birthday, she gave me an old coffin smoother plane that she has had as a keepsake for many years. However, she doesn't know whether it was acquired by her father, grandfather, or perhaps great-grandfather. We would both very much like to know which of our ancestors brought this tool into the family.

I've been told it is a British plane, of mid-19th century make. That's helpful, but if possible I would like to report more detailed information back to my mother.

I've also been told you chaps in this forum are the ones to ask when it comes to British planes. Can you help us pin down a range of dates for when this smoother was likely made and sold?

The iron is marked "I. SORBY WARRANTED CAST STEEL." The toe is marked "TUCKER LONDON", with sort of an eight-pointed star between the words, and "WARRANTED" on the line below that.

I have a photo gallery of the plane and all its identifying marks, which evidently I don't have permission to link to directly. So, apologies for the intentionally broken link, but you know what to do with it:

imgur (dot) com/a/2z89a

Cheers!

 

[Lawrence Hill]

Hi

Tucker stamps with a star should be after about 1878 Sun Street, Finsbury, London (according to 'British Planemakers')

Previous to that in Bishopsgate Street without the star

WF would be the owners initials as it was usual for craftsmen to stamp their tools and if owner of the shop then sometimes the work too.

Hope that helps

Regards

Lawrence

 

[AndyT]

Hi, I will offer what little help I can, to confirm that you have a mid to late C19 plane!

The standard reference book on British Planemakers by WL Goodman, revised Rees and Rees has an entry which shows Joseph Vincent Tucker in business as a plane, lathe and tool maker from 1833 to 1853. The firm continued trading as Tucker & Co until about 1880. Their address was in Sun Street so maybe the eight pointed star is meant to be the sun.

The other names and initials would be of previous owners.

The iron was made in Sheffield and the picture is of Mr Punch (as in Punch and Judy).

Your plane looks well used but was worth enough to one owner to have patched the wear at the mouth which used to be a standard repair.

 

[Graham Orm]

I can't find your picture with an 8 pointed star. Does it look like this?

This is a photo that Andy added to a very similar thread I started a few weeks back. can-anyone-tell-me-what-this-makers-mark-is-t74237.html By weird coincidence it's a very similar story, except I inhereted the plane from my dad.

 

[p2peditor]

Thank you both very much, Andy and Lawrence! Color me impressed.

So, it sounds like 1878 to 1880 is the likely date of manufacture. Excellent work.

You are making me wonder whether the original purchaser bought it in London and brought it to the U.S. himself, or whether the plane might have been made for export the the States. Is there any way of knowing that?

In answer to Grayorm, no. The star doesn't look like that. Also, the star is on the plane body, not the iron. It looks like one square rotated 45 degrees atop another. Here is the picture in question:

i (dot) imgur (dot) com/puiMVcjh.jpg

 

[Lawrence Hill]

I reckon the American plane making industry was well underway by 1878 and with a preference for Mr Stanley's products too I suspect so my best bet would be someone brought his kit of tools across the pond with him.

There is a slim chance the plane might have come from a ships carpenter I suppose. The big tool merchants did export but mainly to the colonies on the other continents - I think the USA would have been self supporting by then and home products likely cheaper than an import.

Have you tried fettling the iron and using it? Sorby irons are usually very good steel.

Best regards

Lawrence

 

[CHJ]

From:- http://imgur.com/a/2z89a

 

[p2peditor]

Lawrence Hill: Thanks for the additional details. I have not done any cleaning on this piece yet, although I do intend to get the rust off the blade, sharpen it, and get the whole plane back into basic working order. Life is busy, and I only have so-much free time, but if I could use the plane on even one project--perhaps a gift of some kind for Mum?--that would please me greatly.

CHJ: Thanks for posting the pics.