Infill plane???

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Jameshow

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Can anyone recognise this infill plane that I've had in my garage for years.

Marking are inconclusive possibly a Spiers??

Any ideas?

Cheers James
 

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I'd start with slater cast coffin smoother as a google search to see if you can find something close. The lever cap screw is unusual.
 
I have a twin to the wedged smoother you show there. Nice plane to use, actually.
 
A few more pics after a quick clean up....

Cheers James
 

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That looks like a very early infill. If the iron is an original iron, it's an early ward. The buttons sticking out from the lever cap are unusual, and the screw looks earlier (more labor intensive than later ones).
 
Very nice -especially after a good cleanup. Aside from the usual well-known brands like Norris, Mathieson, Spiers, Moseley, etc, there were a host who also made infill planes but never bothered to stamp them because, for the most part, they didn't export or send to other parts of the country. So if you bought a plane from your corner shop, it might be unnamed because, well, that plane maker was just down the road and national advertising was noit seen as important. I have about 10 of these planes and only two are named (one very indistinctly - so check the woodwork very closely). If you have to replace some of the woodwork, it's not the end of the world because plane makers also sold bare castings for the owner to make up himself. One of my planes is such - with woodwork but without any sign of a cap itorn of any description - not even the corresponding screw holes. These planes work very well so I do hope you enjoy your new plane!
 
Unless you'd want to put a handle on that one, I'd do minimal clean up. It's only original once.

The only thing I've done with my wedge slater is flatten the sole and sharpen it, but the wood is a bit loose in it and I'll address that eventually (it's rosewood, so I don't want to do anything with it other than secure it tight - it jiggles a little in use).
 
Same I'll just use and enjoy.

Apparently they are good at dealing with difficult grain?

When else might I reach for it?

Cheers James
 
Same I'll just use and enjoy.

Apparently they are good at dealing with difficult grain?

When else might I reach for it?

Cheers James

if you learn to use the cap iron, they are. Weigh the plane and let me know how much it weighs along with the width of the iron and I'll tell you what it's good for.

The blog posts about one type of plane being good for difficult grain and another type not being that is kind of modern myth. I'll go find something absurd for you and plane it with the wooden plane that I just set up.

A stanley 4 will plane anything you'd ever want to plane, but sometimes in really hard wood, an extra pound or two is nice. It's usually just more effort, though, which is why stanley planes eliminated infill planes as far as smoothers go. They both get optimized the same way.

If you want to turn that plane into a gentleman's pleasure to use, it may take flattening the sole. It may not, but in my experience, few of my infill smoothers have come ready to do very fine smoothing work (Either due to movement or wear on the metal). Since it's cast, you can likely lap it, but steel dovetails are rubbery on a lap and usually need a filing and a lap.

I'll be glad to help you (by comment, illustration) do whatever you need to do to think that plane is the most pleasant plane you have to use in your shop.
 
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