Goldenberg Smoother.

[Corneel]

That's interesting. The japanes still make double iron planes without a screw. It is build a little diferent though, the capiron is inserted separately from the cutting iron and has its own crossbar.

BTW, I thought the oldest reference to the double iron plane was the advertiesent from Samuel Caruther's in the Pennsylvania chronicle from 1767.

I am not sure if that Jennion trade card shows double iron planes or if these are round topped wedges. Do you know how old that card is? I thought it was much older.

 

[Racers]

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

Simple, the V's are cut at a slight angle to the sole so when they come out at the side it forms ripples.
If you get the angle right you can see them as Vs.

Pete

 

[AndyT]

That's interesting. The japanes still make double iron planes without a screw. It is build a little diferent though, the capiron is inserted separately from the cutting iron and has its own crossbar.

BTW, I thought the oldest reference to the double iron plane was the advertiesent from Samuel Caruther's in the Pennsylvania chronicle from 1767.

I am not sure if that Jennion trade card shows double iron planes or if these are round topped wedges. Do you know how old that card is? I thought it was much older.

Thanks again - you're right about that advert - I was summarising the 1996 article and could not remember the ad you mean, but I know I have read somewhere that it gave a new earliest date.

The article dates the Jennion trade card as 1732-57, though I notice that Richard's image (which was the first hit when I searched for a clear copy) has been annotated "c 1730" in the corner, presumably by the British Museum dept of Prints and Drawings. As for whether they are irons or wedges... I guess it's open to discussion, and proves that it's hard to draw something properly if you don't really understand it!

 

[AndyT]

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

Simple, the V's are cut at a slight angle to the sole so when they come out at the side it forms ripples.
If you get the angle right you can see them as Vs.

Pete

I'm sure you're right Pete, but even if I stare very hard at it I find it impossible to visualise how the big gentle ripples get so sharp!

 

[Corneel]

Thanks again - you're right about that advert - I was summarising the 1996 article and could not remember the ad you mean, but I know I have read somewhere that it gave a new earliest date.

The article dates the Jennion trade card as 1732-57, though I notice that Richard's image (which was the first hit when I searched for a clear copy) has been annotated "c 1730" in the corner, presumably by the British Museum dept of Prints and Drawings. As for whether they are irons or wedges... I guess it's open to discussion, and proves that it's hard to draw something properly if you don't really understand it!

If that Jennion card shows a double iron plane, it would be a lot earlier then we have knowledge now. I had also looked at that drawing before and thought that it looks a lot like a double iron plane. But it also looks like the round top wedges, like they were in vogue back then, for example this Dutch plane from 1773:

http://www.openluchtmuseum.nl/ontde...n/bossingschaaf-met-snijwerkversiering-1773-/

Someone on this forum once showed a reproduction of these Jennion planes, and he interpreted the feature as a round topped wedge. But I can't find the thread anymore, nor do I know who it was.

 

[AndyT]

Someone on this forum once showed a reproduction of these Jennion planes, and he interpreted the feature as a round topped wedge. But I can't find the thread anymore, nor do I know who it was.

I think it was Richard Arnold in this thread

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/tool-history-left-handed-tools-t68673.html

but the key image is missing.

Paging Richard! Are you there?

 

[Corneel]

Yes that was the thread! About lefthandedness indeed.
I would very much like to see the picture of the planes again. I remember them to be very special.

 

[richarnold]

Hi chaps.
I'm so sorry I am late to this one. I missed it completely.
I'm sure the planes in the jennion trade card are of the single iron variety, and what we are seeing is the early form of wedge.
The sign was probably used by at least three generations of plane makers starting with Thomas Grandford, then Robert Wooding , followed by John Jennion . This means we are looking at a style of plane that was possibly in use sometime before 1700. This form of early wedge is extremely rare on British planes, and I can only recall seeing two examples. One is in my own collection, and is a panel raiser by Robert Wooding, and the other was by the London maker John Anderson.

As Andy T has rightly pointed out, British bench planes from the 18th century are extremely rare, and non existent from the first quarter.
This is what inspired me to make these reproductions.

This is an early reference in the old Baily transcripts that mention a double iron.
453. THOMAS BROWN was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 26th of May last, one double iron plane, value 2 s. the property of Josiah Osborne 4th June 1783

 

[Corneel]

Thanks Rich for posting the picture. You did a marvelous job on that one.

One of the earliest references about doube iron planes in The Netherlands is also a police report. Someone stole some tools and a bunch of chickens in a small village. That was about 1840.very late. I tried to trace the double iron plane further back. The oldest I can find is from the bills from Peter Duesing who started to make planes for the Dutch market in Germany in 1830. Somehow we completely missed the boat.