Goldenberg Smoother.

[swagman]

A few years ago I purchased a traditional smoothing plane made by Goldenberg. A well respected French tool making company that started as far back to 1835. Its model number 44 is stamped on the front end of the plane. Also stamped is the type of wood the hand plane is made from. Cormier. A tree that produces an extremely hard timber, within certain regions of France.

Since then. I have fitted a bone infill to tighten up the mouth clearance in front of the iron; as well as installing a steel striking bolt at the rear of the plane body.

As you will see from the following photo's the 2 piece iron has a unique cap iron adjustment within its design. A design that works extremely well. This plane continues to be a pleasure to handle and use, producing very fine shaving when required.

Enough said. On to the photo's.

Stewie.











Front of the 2 piece blade exposed.

Back of the 2 piece blade exposed.



Sweet looking wood shavings.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

To save anyone's googling - cormier is a service tree.

 

[MIGNAL]

What an unusual mechanism. I don't think I've ever seen that type on a wooden plane, although I've had the two wooden ECE planes with adjusters.
I also have a Goldenberg that I bought from a member here. I suspect that it's quite a bit later in date than yours.

 

[boggy]

Nice looking plane, I also have one though not as pretty as yours. I was speaking recently to a man who has a wood containing several cormier trees. He said that to saw them you need a chainsaw with a tungsten carbide chain and sparks are seen while sawing. It makes you wonder how the planes were made in the days of hand tools.

 

[GLFaria]

Beautiful plane and a very nice wood. The cap-iron adjustment system is very interesting.

What does "a service tree" mean (sorry, my English is not up to such subtleties)?

 

[jimi43]

How strange...I was just talking to Toby (tobytools) about an iron he has that has a very similar mechanism and is mentioned in BPM III....

(photo from BPM III J&M Rees)

The description can be read at the foot of the page.

(photo from BPM III J&M Rees)


About 1820s I think...the Iohn Green Fleur de Lys mark is shown.

I think the one Toby has uses just the screw fitted cap iron though.

Jimi

 

[swagman]

What an unusual mechanism. I don't think I've ever seen that type on a wooden plane, although I've had the two wooden ECE planes with adjusters.
I also have a Goldenberg that I bought from a member here. I suspect that it's quite a bit later in date than yours.

Hi Mignal. Goldenberg were certainly well advanced in their thinking on how best to marry & adjust the chip breaker to the plane iron. The chip breaker has side tabs built installed that create a pressure fit. The threaded rod is then wound up or down via a pin or nail inserted within one of the top holes provided. Once the chip breaker has been set to the correct clearance, the round knurled nut is then wound up tight locking everything into place. Brilliantly design.

Stewie;

 

[swagman]

Nice looking plane, I also have one though not as pretty as yours. I was speaking recently to a man who has a wood containing several cormier trees. He said that to saw them you need a chainsaw with a tungsten carbide chain and sparks are seen while sawing. It makes you wonder how the planes were made in the days of hand tools.

It certainly does make you wonder how they managed to do so back then.

Stewie;

 

[swagman]

How strange...I was just talking to Toby (tobytools) about an iron he has that has a very similar mechanism and is mentioned in BPM III....

(photo from BPM III J&M Rees)

The description can be read at the foot of the page.

(photo from BPM III J&M Rees)


About 1820s I think...the Iohn Green Fleur de Lys mark is shown.

I think the one Toby has uses just the screw fitted cap iron though.

Jimi

Very interesting Jimi.

Stewie;

 

[Corneel]

Thanks a lot for the pictures! And that's a very interesting adjustable chipbreaker indeed. I've seen drawings of it before but never in real life. Your pictures is the closest yet i've yet been to the real thing. In Australia :lol: (Well we seem to be close friends at the moment with all the sorrow around the crashed MH17 plane).

The plane looks very blocky. I think I'll prefer the coffin shape or a plane with handles. How do you like it in use? I love the wood, very classy.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Beautiful plane and a very nice wood. The cap-iron adjustment system is very interesting.

What does "a service tree" mean (sorry, my English is not up to such subtleties)?

"Service Tree" is the actual name of the type of tree.

 

[boggy]

Cormier (Fr) = service tree (UK)= Sorbus domesticus (Lat). Produces small apple or pear- like fruits. Resembles the Rowan or Mountain Ash ( Sorbus aucaparia).

 

[GLFaria]

Beautiful plane and a very nice wood. The cap-iron adjustment system is very interesting.

What does "a service tree" mean (sorry, my English is not up to such subtleties)?

"Service Tree" is the actual name of the type of tree.

Thank you. Funny name for a tree; the etymology as described in Wikipedia does not relate it to any meaning of "service", but to the Latin name.

 

[swagman]

Attachment is the English translation to the history of the Goldenberg tool making company. Author: Wolfgang Jordan.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.a ... berg.phtml

regards; Stewie.

 

[AndyT]

Stewie, thanks for sharing that - it's always nice to see some of the rarer designs up close and working.
Jim - thanks for reminding me where I had seen a picture of something similar.

I did see one with this mechanism at a David Stanley sale once - but didn't buy it or take any photos. It probably was a French plane.

 

[swagman]

Stewie, thanks for sharing that - it's always nice to see some of the rarer designs up close and working.
Jim - thanks for reminding me where I had seen a picture of something similar.

I did see one with this mechanism at a David Stanley sale once - but didn't buy it or take any photos. It probably was a French plane.

Your welcome Andy. if you missed it I have just included an attachment on the history of this French tool making company.

Stewie;

 

[Racers]

I have a Goldenberg jointer it has a separate cap iron and blade, makes adjusting it tricky.





Pete

 

[Corneel]

Pete, do you mean they are not attached with a screw to each other?

 

[AndyT]

A few more historical notes on double irons without a screw to join the two parts, from an article by Chris Green in the TATHS Journal no 9, 1996.

The earliest dated references to double irons are in a letter of 1787 quoted by Goodman in his "History of Woodworking Tools" and in the trade card of John Jennion at the "Three Plains" (just borrowing the image from one of Richard Arnold's posts):

The article describes a rare C18th smoothing plane, found in excavations at Cutler Street in London and now on display in the Museum of London. It has a double iron, probably made by Hildick, with no screw to join the two parts.

The author comments that this arrangement survived for much longer in France than in England. I can offer further evidence of that, with this little plane I bought for €3 at a vide grenier on holiday:

The iron is just marked "Acier Fondu" (ie Cast Steel) and the cap iron is marked 42 (the width in mm).

With its challenging adjustment, it's not the plane I reach for first!

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I've always liked that kind of rippling joint between the sole and the rest of the body - how do they do that ?