Weird Aluminium Nosing Plane?

[mahking51]

One for Scrit or BB perhaps, got this somewhat roughly made alloy nosing plane and have no idea of the what and where etc.
No marks save a barely legible "CO****ET", could be EST on top of body.

 

[Alf]

He's already asked me - I was a hollow vessel.

 

[Scrit]

Never seen anything like that in a catalogue. Does it look sand cast?

Scrit

 

[mahking51]

Scrit,
I wouldsay that it is sand cast and not very well fettled; a one off?
Would you use this for, say, the edge of a table? Iron looks very well made at 1 3/8".
Martin

 

[bugbear]

One for Scrit or BB perhaps, got this somewhat roughly made alloy nosing plane and have no idea of the what and where etc.
No marks save a barely legible "CO****ET", could be EST on top of body.

Is it roughly made or badly corroded? (Alu WILL corrode - ask any cyclist)

The only brand I can think of is "Comet" (a brand of some company who's name escapes me).

It looks quite a nice design - the pivoting lever cap is very neat.

BugBear

 

[Scrit]

I wouldsay that it is sand cast and not very well fettled; a one off?

Hi Martin

I think it might well be a one off, but then I'd never heard of BBs Comet brand . Who were they, BB? Do you know how well the handle size compares to say a #78? If it is smaller it might indicate a casting made using a broken tool as the basis. It looks very similar to a Stanley, Union or Sargent rebate plane (all imported into the UK), one of the shorter ones without the bullnose such as a #180 rebate plane (as shown in Patrick's Blood & Gore.....) although the lower "horn" on the handle is reminiscent of the very early #78s (a similar design) (see P B&G here and look at the first picture of an early #78 ).

Would you use this for, say, the edge of a table? Iron looks very well made at 1 3/8".

As to purpose, my guess is that it was quite possibly a joiner's stair nosing plane - used to plane the bullnose on the fronts of stair treads. Well, that's one guess, anyway, especially if the width of the material is in the vicinity of 1-1/4in or so. Anyone else care to hazard a guess?

Scrit

 

[Alf]

Comet was one of the brands of the Anglo-Scottish Tool Co Ltd of Gateshead iirc. Better known for Rapier planes. In fact that's why I dismissed it as a possibility, 'cos the planes always seemed to be Rapier and the boring devices were blue Comet.

If it is a plane put together by a patternmaker or whatever, he was a loss to the tool designing world - it looks really rather good.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Scrit]

......Better known for Rapier planes.....

Ah, hence the sand cast aluminium? Anyone ever seen printed literature by this firm? I have to admit to only having come across the spokeshaves and plough planes by Rapier

Alf, when did Anglo-Scottish trade?

Scrit

 

[mahking51]

The name on top is too long to be Comet; it is some sort of trade/makers mark enclosed in an oval border with the lettering in double inverted commas. I am tempted to lightly rub off the paint to see if it becomes more legible.

BB, the casting is fairly rough with some small amount of porosity here and there, common enogh with small scale aluminium jobs as the heat soak is very rapid. The overall design is very robust with plenty of I section webbing in the weaker areas. The important area of the sole has been well finished but now has the typical whitish corrosion of Aluminium although not too bad. I would think that Scrit is on the money re stair nosings.

Regards,
Martin

 

[Alf]

Only stuff I've seen about Anglo-Scottish is adverts in The Woodworker (I'll see if I can dig them out) and the brief entry in BPMs:

Anglo-Scottish Tool Co. Ltd., Team Valley, Gateshead. Makers of "Rapier" metal planes during 1950s and 1960s.

I wondered vaguely to Martin if the name could be "Conquest" - not that that means anything to me either, but might it ring any bells with anyone else?

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

Comet was one of the brands of the Anglo-Scottish Tool Co Ltd of Gateshead iirc.

"Someone" is closer to reference material than I am at work

BugBear

 

[Alf]

Yep. This close:


(September 1950)

Not got any of the Comet ones on disc at the mo', but I'll see if I can scan some in. I'm sort of making a bit of an assumption that Comet and Rapier were from the same stable based on the ads, but looking again at that ad I see it's just the wholesaler, so I could be way, way off the mark.

Cheers, Alf

P.S. Found this one for you too, BB, from February 1954:

 

[Alf]

I've stuck up all the stuff I have in this thread, plus some other stuff that took my fancy. I'm becoming less and less convinced of the link between Comet and Rapier - was Comet printed like CoMeT for decorative effect, or did CMT stand for something I wonder? :-k

Cheers, Alf