Marples plane.

[whiskywill]

What have I bought? No photographs yet as I picked it up at a car boot sale on my way to work this morning.

It has no number on it, just Marples in front and Sheffield behind the front knob. It has a 2 3/8" wide body which matches the Stanley
4 1/2 but the Marples catalogue suggests that their 4 1/2 has a 2 3/8" wide cutter.

I am confused.

 

[lurcher]

you have an original marples no 4.1/2 most of the marples planes are un numbered but you have got yourself a well made tool from 1 of the worlds best tool makers enjoy it

 

[whiskywill]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it has a bit missing off the right cheek which I didn't notice as I handed over £4 for the plane and a Sorby iron and chipbreaker.

 

[Mr_P]

Sorby iron and chipbreaker worth a few quid so you scored regardless.

All my Sorby's have no numbers (owned by Marples and made at the same place) and none of them have original irons or chipbreakers

 

[Vann]

It has a 2 3/8" wide body...

2⅜" = ~60mm which is the width of a No.4 plane (not a No.4½ which would be ~70 to 74mm wide). So yours is most likely a No.M4.

...the Marples catalogue suggests that their 4 1/2 has a 2 3/8" wide cutter.

Yup, that would be correct. The No.5½ originally came out with a 2¼" wide iron - but was changed to 2⅜" after 1938 to match the No. 4½, No.6 and No.7. The No.4½ always had a 2⅜" iron from the start of production.

This applies to Marples, Record and Stanley. Record widened their No.05½ within a year of printing of their 1938 catalogue. Blood and Gore claims Stanley USA widened their No.5½ from 1939 - but I have yet to hear of a UK Stanley No.5½ with the narrower iron, even though Stanley UK started up in December 1936 (maybe they didn't get around to making any No.5½s in Britain until during or after the war). Marples 1938 catalogue shows their M5½ as having a 2¼" iron - I can only assume the change came very shortly after that - but it's possible they lasted into the 1940s.

Cheers, Vann.