A particularly special plane

[Jelly]

I was lucky enough to be given this Marples plane (amongst other items) tonight... apart from a small chip in one corner and some resin built up on the sole, it's in near perfect condition; better yet the iron and cap iron are not only rust free, but still have the original surface sheen and an edge more than sharp enough to nick my unwary fingertip.

That however is not what makes it special; It used to be my great-grandfathers, (as I presume did the box made from an old tomato crate)... It was pretty touching when my grandfather decided to offer me his and his fathers tools, it's going to be quite the job to sort, catalogue and in some cases repair them all; but I've been entrusted with them so that they can be put to good use once again, an offer that simply can't be turned down.

In a related note, I need more storage space; The whole collection used to occupy an ornate cabinet of his own construction about 8' by 6' by 2', explaining the excellent condition. Unfortunately, that went to my great aunt, meaning that the whole lot is packed haphazardly into cases, boxes and bags which have been dry stored with my grandfathers engineering tools.

So apart from a wonderful tool, I've also aquired a sense of familial connection to woodwork; even moreso when my grandfather pointed out that some of the very delicate tools are in fact my great-great-grandfathers, used by him for making fiddles and northumbrian pipes, then by my great grandfather for fine detail carving.

 

[jimi43]

Beautiful plane and super condition...the history...priceless.

Perhaps it is this type of experience which will lead you down the road of collecting many more...I hope so. These old tools need to be preserved by someone who appreciates them as you clearly do.

Cheers mate

Jimi

 

[Jelly]

Perhaps it is this type of experience which will lead you down the road of collecting many more...I hope so. These old tools need to be preserved by someone who appreciates them as you clearly do.

Heh, after that thread from the other day I've come to realise that in one respect I already am a collector; only I've held off buying things I won't use (for now?)... Certainly I'm a raving convert to wooden planes.

I'm actually quite impatient to get back from work tomorrow now; a dash turpentine on a soft cloth and a little beeswax should see it in good order to help me finish my current project.

 

[AndyT]

Brilliant! I specially like the nice clear command inside the box. Conserve these tools!

(And may I be the first to nudge you towards making a nice cabinet to put them in - about 8' by 6' by 2' should do it - have a search for Waka's plane cabinet to see the sort of thing you need!)

 

[xy mosian]

Wonderful.
Please, I gather your grandfather is still around, document everything you can. The evenings are about to get longer so perhaps less workshop time. Grill your grandfather to find all he knows about his father and grandfather, then his own use of these tools. If you can find images of some of the pieces produced even better. An image of the tool cabinet, if possible, would be a good start. I regret not taking more interest in my own ancestors woodworking, nothing grand, while they were still around to give me a clip around the ear for being cheeky.
xy

 

[jimi43]

Brilliant! I specially like the nice clear command inside the box. Conserve these tools!

(And may I be the first to nudge you towards making a nice cabinet to put them in - about 8' by 6' by 2' should do it - have a search for Waka's plane cabinet to see the sort of thing you need!)

As a number of my comrades on the UKW have said on many previous occasions...the cabinet would need to be expandable!

So far this year since I started seriously collecting woodies...mostly Gabriels....I found that I exceeded the space in no less than three cabinets!

I think I will just go for a wall of shelves!

Jim

 

[Cheshirechappie]

There's something a bit special about using tools inherited from the family. Not sure what it is; could be that it is usually good ones that survive, or the feeling that you need to do the work justice to honour those gone before, or the feeling of knowing a tool's stories as you use it. I've a number of tools from my grandfathers, some were old when they obtained them. They are among my favourites, without question.

 

[Jelly]

Wonderful.
Please, I gather your grandfather is still around, document everything you can. The evenings are about to get longer so perhaps less workshop time. Grill your grandfather to find all he knows about his father and grandfather, then his own use of these tools. If you can find images of some of the pieces produced even better. An image of the tool cabinet, if possible, would be a good start. I regret not taking more interest in my own ancestors woodworking, nothing grand, while they were still around to give me a clip around the ear for being cheeky.
xy

As far as I know there are no images; however, several pieces are still in the family and local to me. My grandfather has a small side table which is the last piece he made (when he was 98 no less), There's a frame and panel fire-guard in our front room and my Uncle had/has a dressing table with mirror... So as I get a chance, I'll photograph and examine them.

In terms of the history I'm a bit scant, but here's what I do know already:
However I do know that both my great-great grandfather and great-grandfather were coal miners by trade and persued instrument making and cabinetry respectively as hobbies. My grandfather was an engineer, and has extensive metalworking and electrical knowlege, but confined woodwork to the basic carpentry and joinery required to modernise their house without bringing in trademen; there is another woodworking connection though (if a stretched one) as he would have been responsible for refining and building the prototypes, then developing production tooling for many of the motors used by Wadkin during the Wadkin-Bursgreen era, at least if the examples of Wadkin machinery we have at work are anything to go by. In terms of the next generation, the woodworking connection married in, my uncle is the foreman of a small sawmill/timber yard as part of a builders merchants, and my own father is a "Timber Technologist" and has varying duties with the TTF, BWF and The Wood Society (formerly the Institute of Wood Science, now part of the Institute of Mining, Minerals and Materials). Finally reaching myself, I went to work in a sawmill when I was 17 and just out of sixthform, and have been variously employed in both sawmilling and later as a joiner for the last 5 years, initially full time and later around my university studies (Synthetic Chemistry, so not at all related).

 

[xy mosian]

Sounds as if wood is in-grained in your family Jelly. OOO sorry. Great story. I particularly like the idea of miners, presumably chunky fellows, turning their hands to making instruments etc..
xy

 

[Jelly]

I have more information!

I was browsing on old-tools when I saw this it's practically identical to the one I've been given, so I measured mine and had a closer look at the makers stamp on mine and whilst it's partially obscured the first ⅔rds or so of the word "Hibernia" is visible above the "Wm. Marples & Sons", and the sizes are about the same

So it was probably not offered as a a jack plane, but a fore plane... That said with the flat rather than radiused iron and a relatively tight (for a roughing plane) mouth, it's been performing adequately as a jack for 3 generations now and given my own size, I feel it's about the right size (18" long) for jack-plane anyway!

 

[GazPal]

I was out of sorts when you first opened this thread, so belated congratulations on your inheritance. I also inherited a number of tools that passed down the family from several generations back and - if my own feelings are anything to go by - bet your imagination runs away with you as you think about your family link and the person who originally used the tools you now have.

The world's your oyster in terms of display options, but a good shelving and drawer combination could be just the ticket and - like you say - it's not what others say it is that counts, but more a case of how you decide to use it.

 

[Jelly]

The world's your oyster in terms of display options, but a good shelving and drawer combination could be just the ticket and - like you say - it's not what others say it is that counts, but more a case of how you decide to use it.

I solved the storage problem by moving into my own house and no longer having to share a workshop with a load of other people's junk!

I'm currently contending with the issue of moisture movement and wooden planes instead... So for the moment I guess it is on display as they're all sat on the back of my desk in the office as nearly all of the wedges had swollen fast (I live on the edge of the Carneddu range and less than a mile from the sea, the result is big swings in temperature and humidity depending on the wind direction!), that's an issue mainly because my primary bench planes are all woodies, as are my moulding planes and most of my joinery planes!

In terms of inspiration, it's actually the odds and sods that have done that; not least because on the pieces by my great grandad I've seen, It's obvious that certain tools have been used for certain jobs (especially the small gouges on some of the carved decorative work) I'm slowly learning those skills, but it doesn't always come naturally...