Old infill plane

[Florin]

Hello everyone ,

I recently bought this infill plane on ebay. I like it a lot and I have the intention to restore it for display purpose. However I could not find any information . Does any one of you kind people, know anything about the plane? The stamped name is G. Tissington , London.

Many thanks

 

[Adam W.]

Never heard of him, but there was an earlier one for sale. Google this and you'll get there, I'd be interested if you find out more.

G. Tissington - 26 Cleveland St, London - 1855-1856

I see you're from South Ockendon just up the hill from where I come from. The other one was for sale from there too.

 

[D_W]

no clue on the maker, but an attractive design for an early infill.

 

[Florin]

Never heard of him, but there was an earlier one for sale. Google this and you'll get there, I'd be interested if you find out more.

G. Tissington - 26 Cleveland St, London - 1855-1856

I see you're from South Ockendon just up the hill from where I come from. The other one was for sale from there too.

I saw the one ebay and I presume was bought on the-saleroom . However, that is the only thing Google brings up, unfortunately.

 

[Florin]

no clue on the maker, but an attractive design for an early infill.

Any rough idea of the age , please?
Thanks

 

[Adam W.]

I saw the one ebay and I presume was bought on the-saleroom . However, that is the only thing Google brings up, unfortunately.

I think they may have a listing in "British Plane Makers", but I don't think I have my copy here. I'll have a look in the morning and let you know.

 

[Nigel Burden]

Whether the date of 1855-6 refers to the plane on ebay or the period that G Tissington was in business is not clear. It could be that the plane in question was only manufactured between those dates, but it could be that G Tissington was only in business for a very short time, or was absorbed by another maker.

Sorry, not much help, but I can't find anything either.

Nigel.

 

[D_W]

Any rough idea of the age , please?
Thanks

wedged type generally mid to mid-late 1800s, but that's just a guess.

 

[IWW]

That's a grand old thing. It has a most unusual bridge, the likes of which I've not seen before, so I saved a pic of it for future reference (though I've sworn black & blue I'm not making any more planes!). If Mr. Tissington made any more planes like that they would be easily recognised.

The rear handle is pretty standard for a British infill, but the front bun is unique in my experience, and along with that bridge makes it a really interesting find.

The side profile is similar to one used by several makers. Was Spiers the first to use it? The earliest plane I've seen with that side profile was a Spiers, but I have no idea if he was the originator. The screws retaining the stuffing is also a sign of early manufacture, along with the wedge as already pointed out.

I assume sides are dovetailed to the sole? I blew the side pic up as much as I could but can't see any clear evidence of dovetails. I have seen faint lines on a few oldies, but on most of those old planes the quality of the dovetailing is beyond reproach.

A bit of cleaning should give it back some dignity....

Ian

Edit: It looks like that bridge design was his trademark, alright. The smoother in this case looks like it has a cast body, so maybe the panel plane above is cast too? Cast bodies were used right through the infill era (Spiers very first infill had a cast body, in fact), so it doesn't help with ageing...

 

[pe2dave]

Anyone know where the name 'infill' comes from please? @IWW perhaps?

 

[IWW]

No mystery, dave, the body of the plane is filled or "infilled" with wood, also commonly referred to as "stuffing". When the wood comes over the tops of the sides & made flush with the outside, it's called "over-stuffing".
Cheers,
Ian

 

[Argus]

According to 'British Planemakers', (page 583,) G Tissington were basically sellers, an 'edge-tool warehouse' with the dates 1846 - 1855, working from 20 Cleveland St, London.
There is an indistinct name-plate rubbing as part of the entry, but nothing else to indicate who made it.

 

[Florin]

That's a grand old thing. It has a most unusual bridge, the likes of which I've not seen before, so I saved a pic of it for future reference (though I've sworn black & blue I'm not making any more planes!). If Mr. Tissington made any more planes like that they would be easily recognised.

The rear handle is pretty standard for a British infill, but the front bun is unique in my experience, and along with that bridge makes it a really interesting find.

The side profile is similar to one used by several makers. Was Spiers the first to use it? The earliest plane I've seen with that side profile was a Spiers, but I have no idea if he was the originator. The screws retaining the stuffing is also a sign of early manufacture, along with the wedge as already pointed out.

I assume sides are dovetailed to the sole? I blew the side pic up as much as I could but can't see any clear evidence of dovetails. I have seen faint lines on a few oldies, but on most of those old planes the quality of the dovetailing is beyond reproach.

A bit of cleaning should give it back some dignity....

Ian

Edit: It looks like that bridge design was his trademark, alright. The smoother in this case looks like it has a cast body, so maybe the panel plane above is cast too? Cast bodies were used right through the infill era (Spiers very first infill had a cast body, in fact), so it doesn't help with ageing...

Hi Ian,
Thank you for the input. I can say that the body is cast . Also the bridge I believe is made of bronze. Does not look like gun metal. Maybe I`m wrong. I don`t know much about planes. I`m only doing woodworking as a hobby and necessity but I very much love the old and rusty stuff. Got plenty in my garage. The person who sold it got it long time ago from a retired carpenter .

 

[Florin]

According to 'British Planemakers', (page 583,) G Tissington were basically sellers, an 'edge-tool warehouse' with the dates 1846 - 1855, working from 20 Cleveland St, London.
There is an indistinct name-plate rubbing as part of the entry, but nothing else to indicate who made it.

Thanks for the valuable information. The plane on ebay have the same bridge. So I suppose some toolmaker build the planes for Mr Tissington with that specific detail.

 

[Argus]

..........................The plane on ebay have the same bridge. So I suppose some toolmaker build the planes for Mr Tissington with that specific detail.

It's not certain what exact business model the Tissington company may have had, but as they were a 'warehouse' as opposed to a seller or retailer, also with the inclination to establish their own provenance with a name stamp, it is likely that they were were factors of a sort who sourced bodies from a foundry, blades from someone who operated a forge, assembled the lot with an infill section from someone else and sold the whole thing on as a branded item. it's likely that a lot of this stuff may have been sold on, unbranded, to other retailers to add their name or reserved for the export trade which was picking up post Crimea-War.

I would expect that local archives from London in the 1850s that may still exist, trade directories etc. may shed more light on the company and what happened to them after 1856...... In any case, that plane would have been an expensive piece of kit when it was new. Most workers still used wooden fore-planes and the like, as they did for many decades to come.

This random search revealed that Dickens lived there as a small child and later in the 1820s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Street,_London
Again, it was notorious later that century as the site a of a male brothel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Street_scandal
Cleveland Street hasn't always been as 'up-market' as it is nowadays!

 

[D_W]

Edit: It looks like that bridge design was his trademark, alright. The smoother in this case looks like it has a cast body, so maybe the panel plane above is cast too? Cast bodies were used right through the infill era (Spiers very first infill had a cast body, in fact), so it doesn't help with ageing...

It looks cast to me, too. I only have ...wait, no, I have probably half a dozen cast infills. I have only one really old cast one with a wedge though, and then a later slater with a wedge (kept in case there's an urge to copy the design in dovetails).

Point I'm getting to is all of the really old ones I've seen seem to be cast (not a tool historian, so just observation). my oldest has no mark on it and is fairly crude, but flattened and fitted, it performs well, and it's actually relatively light (about 6 pounds for a panel plane). My heaviest plane is also a cast plane - a 15 inch norris A13 (uncommon plane). Super thick sole, just under 9 pounds and impractical to use for long.

Other side point is that the OP is looking to snazz this plane up for display, but it does definitely have great use potential.

 

[Florin]

I checked the britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk and only relevant article seems to date June 1885 that says about a reciving order of bankrupcy from George Tissington toolmaker, Caledonian Road.

I shall leave it like that.

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I have enough information to satisfy my curiosity.
All the best
Florin

 

[Argus]

I'm sure that his work being still in use is a fitting legacy.