Panel raiser or badger?

[jonbikebod]

I got this well worn plane from a car boot sale a while ago.
I have never been clear on what distinguishes a panel raising plane to a badger plane.

The plane is the size of a wooden jack, has the blade bedded at standard pitch with a 12º skew.

There is no nicker and no fence, the wear from a guiding baton is clear on the side. Presumably for cross gain work a knife run along the baton would do the job.
It obviously has done a lot of work in the past, the blade (Ward) is so worn the wedge has been cut down so it could still be adjusted. The handle has the horn broken off and has broken at the base as well.
What would you call it?

Jon.

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[Digit]

Firewood? :lol:

Roy.

 

[Philly]

Jon
It is indeed a Badger plane. They were usually skewed (as is yours) and were used for making rebates. A panel raiser would of had a fence and possibly a nicker iron - also a profiled sole of some kind.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[jonbikebod]

Thanks Philly, I had a feeling you would know. So, I have a badger plane (of firewood quality; thanks Digit ;¬P LoL).
A panel raiser then is more like a large moulding plane, with integral fence and preassembly sprung to raise a panel in one hit. Whether it has a nicker or not would I guess be down to the profile as much as anything.
Still a bit confused though. I get that a badger plane is more of a rebate plane but there are many variations of rebate planes as well as fillisters etc.. Compared to other rebate planes this could cut a wide rebate (2¼”) and it has a skewed blade that suggests to me it is intended to be used across the grain. This could have several uses but the one that strikes me would be raising a panel with plane bevelled lands. This would obviously be done in two hits; first cutting the rebate and then tilting the plane to cut the bevel. This simple raised panel seems to be very common in trust houses and the like, so although a panel raiser and a badger plane are different beasts, it seems a badger would or could have been used to raise simple panels?
Jon.

 

[Digit]

As I understand it a 'Badger' plane is a panel raiser, developed by one Charles Badger, plane maker of old London Town.

Roy.

 

[Philly]

Jon
You're right - a Badger can be used to make panels. The difference with a panel raiser is it cuts the bevel AND a tongue. This gives a panel which doesn't rattle when it shrinks. The nicker iron is needed as the plane is designed to cut a profile around all four edges of a panel, two of which will be cross grain.
And Roy, the Charles Badger story is one that is hotly debated. Planes with skewed irons were referred to as "badgered" or "badger-eyed" so I assume the name came from this.
Best regards
Philly

 

[bugbear]

Jon
You're right - a Badger can be used to make panels. The difference with a panel raiser is it cuts the bevel AND a tongue.

And in some cases the "field" is not a simple flat.

BugBear

 

[jonbikebod]

‘Field’, that was the word I was looking for, not ’land’. Thanks BB.
Philly, do you know if all badgers were nickerless – so to speak?
I was mostly impressed that this old plane had seen so much use. Some types of plane – old wooden compass planes for example, seldom show much use.
This badger was made in Maidstone which was only a few miles away from where I bought it. It has two owners’ stamps, both with the same surname suggesting father and son.
I have a theory they may have been undertakers – coffin making being a significant woodworking trade up to the middle of the last century. This isn’t well documented and we don’t see their work lying around but in many small towns the undertakers yard was where people went to buy wood from. Simple fielded panels were often featured on coffins so it could explain the heavy use this one has seen.
I might research it properly one day but undertakers tend not to have web sites….
Jon.

 

[Philly]

Jon
As far as I know most badgers were nicker-less. Of Course, that now means we will be inundated with pictures of them complete with nickers..... :wink: :lol:
If you have to clamp a fence to the workpiece to guide the plane it is a piece of cake to run a knife along the fence first to score the fibers.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[Saintsman]

So presumably, once the coffins were made, the funerals would be conducted by nickerless parsons ?

I'll get my coat.......

Paul

 

[Digit]

I haven't heard the term 'Badger Eyed' in 50 yrs!
That brings back some memories, like nipping into the local coffin makers and asking if they had any empty boxes!
Another trip down memory lane!

Roy.

 

[jonbikebod]

Thanks Philly, I can see that not having a nicker isn’t much of a disadvantage. It would actually be in the way if the plane was then used to chamfer the fielded area.
BTW Have you ever made a ‘Phillyster’?
Jon.

 

[Philly]

Jon
Just finishing off a Phillyster as we speak - lots of metalwork involved. I'll get some pics for you when shes done.
Cheers
Philly

 

[mr]

I have a theory they may have been undertakers – coffin making being a significant woodworking trade up to the middle of the last century. This isn’t well documented and we don’t see their work lying around but in many small towns the undertakers yard was where people went to buy wood from.

A little off topic but didn't Yandles evolve from a coffin making business?

Cheers Mike

 

[Philly]

Mike
Still are, as far as I know. Sure they told me they are the UK's largest maker of animal caskets. They use a lot of Elm - burns away to nothing.
Cheers
MorbidPhilly

 

[Argus]

I seem to have its twin. Here it is in a photo.

Mine is stamped:

“Moseley & Son, New St, Covent Garden, London”, with an iron by Ward.

I’ve had it for many years and it was in good nick when I bought it in an old tool shop and still is in excellent condition.
It has two owner’s stamps, plus mine and I use it to clean large rebates. If the iron is carefully honed to the correct angle (and this is essential with these planes) it gets right into the angle and is easy to control.

There are no knickers. Going across the grain I make a score as needed with a marking knife. It looks as if yours has been used for panelling - this would explain the fence marks.

In all mine's a very good plane and if yours is in reasonable condition it is worth restoring. Ward’s iron is particularly good when well honed and compared to the cheese you have to buy today.

You may be lucky enough to locate a replacement iron, even if it needs some work to make it fit.

The mouth can be tricky on these Badgers if it's a bit worn, as a displaced wedge and deformed iron can make it choke.


.

 

[jonbikebod]

Argus,
The Ward blade still has enough cast steel on it that I will never wear it all out. Like every other old plane I have bought the bevel is very rounded (dunno, never counted, wouldn’t dare!).
I like the idea of using the badger for cleaning rebates. I have previously used a L-N 130 but this wasn’t one of Stanley’s finest designs and not one of Tom’s best either.
I don’t think it would need too much work to be usable, someone has used it to plane a telegraph pole or similar during its retirement leaving tar or pitch treaks across the sole but I am sue some solvent will shift that. If the mouth is too wide (and I am guessing it probably isn’t that critical on a plane of this sort) it wont be any more difficult to insert than any other plane.
I have a fillister made by Moseley and son, Covent Garden (King St. & Bedford St.), which I happened to buy in Covent Garden; probably a few hundred yards and 150 years from where it was made. The brass has been over-polished but it will mellow again soon enough.

The wood has such a strong patina I get a shiver down my spine when I use it placing my hands exactly where at least three craftsmen have previously

It still works really well and I am more likely to pick it up to use than the #78.#778 or Woden.
Jon.