Silchester plane

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JIJ

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I thought some of you may be interested to see a pic of this plane that's in Reading Museum. It's the earliest known plane in Britain, from the fourth century. I'm sure plenty of you could bring it back to life :)



James
 
It's brilliant isn't it? All the sophistication of a current model by LN or Veritas, thousands of years ago.

Put back the missing wooden parts and you could pick it up and use it. I visited when I was last in Reading, with an hour or so between trains.

The Romans had moulding planes too - there's a Roman period Egyptian door in the Bristol museum with stuck mouldings round it which would pass for Victorian.
 
It's amazing just what the Romans (and concurrent civilisations) had and achieved. Obvious they didn't have power such as steam, gas, electricity etc. (they had oxen, horses and slaves instead), but their life was in many ways very similar to ours now.

I've just been reading about their marriage, divorce and women's rights laws. It could have been today not 20 centuries ago!
 
Living in Hampshire it's a bit annoying that the plane is residing in Reading (Berkshire) as Silchester is a Hampshire village.
But I know that Reading University did most of the excavating. I suppose finders keepers. The land was owned by the Duke of Wellington's estate.

Rod
 
RogerP":k35qc71h said:
Obvious they didn't have power such as steam, gas, electricity etc. (they had oxen, horses and slaves instead), but their life was in many ways very similar to ours now.

Well, I would say life during that time was very different, but it just shows that a plane is basically a very simple tool that has existed for a long time, much like a hammer, knife, plough etc.
 
Some nice box infills and a quick wipe over with citric acid and that would be ready to rock and roll..

I wonder if anyone is interested in doing a repro?

Any takers?

Jimi
 
jimi43":sns9z36g said:
Some nice box infills and a quick wipe over with citric acid and that would be ready to rock and roll..

I wonder if anyone is interested in doing a repro?

Any takers?

Jimi
My first thought was why hadn't the museum had a repro made. It would surely be of interest to have an "as new" model standing next to the original.
 
I'm sure I've seen pictures of a copy, possibly in an old Woodworker magazine, but can't remember where or find it easily. I agree that a complete copy would help make the exhibit more intelligible to non-woodworkers.

I'm not offering, mind!
 
AndyT":1kwan00m said:
I'm sure I've seen pictures of a copy, possibly in an old Woodworker magazine, but can't remember where or find it easily. I agree that a complete copy would help make the exhibit more intelligible to non-woodworkers.

I'm not offering, mind!

Ok...I can see the seeds of a fun project here....

Can we see if we can get some drawings and if a copy was made...I'm sure you can find it Prof!!! 8)

Jimi
 
jimi43":2mp0exvt said:
AndyT":2mp0exvt said:
I'm sure I've seen pictures of a copy, possibly in an old Woodworker magazine, but can't remember where or find it easily. I agree that a complete copy would help make the exhibit more intelligible to non-woodworkers.

I'm not offering, mind!

Ok...I can see the seeds of a fun project here....

Can we see if we can get some drawings and if a copy was made...I'm sure you can find it Prof!!! 8)

Jimi

Ok, here's a little bit more information, easy to find.

This link http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/ArchCant/Vol.073 - 1959/11/196-201.htm leads to an article by Bill Goodman (a well-known name in the world of planes!) and G Dunning, which describes an Anglo-Saxon plane found at Sarre, in Kent and compares it to other ancient planes, including the Silchester one.

The reproduction I was thinking of is probably this one, which is shown alongside the Sarre plane, in the museum at Maidstone, handily placed for any woodworkers based in the "Garden of England!"

Picture_of_Anglo-Saxon_plane_from_Sarre.JPG


The article does also include this line drawing of the Silchester plane as it might have been when complete, which also appears in Goodman's book on the History of Woodworking Tools:

Reconstruction_-_Silchester_Plane.JPG


I can't find dimensions on line, but in his book, Goodman argues that the Silchester plane would have only had one hand grip, at the rear, noting that the space between the rear rivets is 3 3/8" whereas at the front there is too small a gap, of only 2 3/4".

He helpfully suggests how the plane could have been made:

"The wooden block is first prepared to size, the mouth cut out, and drilled to take the vertical rivets. This is fixed to the iron sole, and finally the side plates are riveted in position, the handle slotted out, and the whole filed and smoothed to shape."

I expect the Reading museum could provide measurements if they were offered a reproduction to put on display, but I don't think they would have the budget to commission one.

PS - JimB - the Dartmouth link you found is a drawing of another Roman plane found at St Albans, which is of simpler construction without iron side plates, and with room for a hand grip at the front.
 


The museum also had a tiny display set up showing a model of the plane in use. You have to look through a peephole to view so was difficult to photograph but it may have some clues for you. It was the bench that surprised me. It is similar to one Roy Underhill made, I think it was French, had splayed legs.

James
 


There was also this pottery plate in the same collection. I don't know if it's from the same period.

James
 
So, James, the Reading Museum already has a replica!

That's one project I can strike off my to do list... not that I was every going to put it on there. :wink:
 
Ok!

Here are the dimensions for anyone wanting to have a go:

Silchester (Calleva), plane, iron sole, four rivets, side plates, Reading Museum, inv. 07490. 34 cm long by 5.8 cm wide by 6 cm high; iron 3.8 cm wide, rake 65 degrees.
 

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