Old wooden jointer plane

[StarGazer]

Just picked up an old wooden jointer plane, looks like a beech body, plane iron is a Thomas Ibbotson Warranted Cast Steel and has a simple chip breaker attached through a slot in the same manner as a more modern plane blade. Iron is nearly 4mm thick and has plenty of length remaining.

Other than the chip breaker the plane is perfectly normal, very well fitting beech wedge, strike button, carved tote.

The plane has been slightly abused in the past (top edge of wedge damaged with metal hammer and some minor splits) but should clean up to become a useful user plane. Sole is flat and true, mouth is not worn. A very heavy plane!

Last night I quickly stripped it down, cleaned up the worst of the cobwebs and separated and cleaned the iron and chip breaker, a brief sharpen and the plane took nice thin shavings off the edge of a knotty oak plank.

The blade was very hard to sharpen (compared to my stanleys and records), I really need to spend more time on the blade but the quick look has convinced me that the plane is a user.

The verbal history of the plane puts it at least 80 years old, although it may have been second hand even to that user judging by the name stamps.
Anyone know much about Thos. Ibbotson ?

 

[Philly]

Star
I have two entries for Thomas Ibbotson from British Planemakers - first Liverpool 1841-1849 and the other 1823-1909, Sheffield. Edge tool makers. In 1905 the company firm was taken over by Wm Marples and Sons but continued to advertise tools with the Ibbotson name and trademark (said to be for the Irish trade)
Any chance of a picture of the plane?
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[jonbikebod]

Star,
The reason you plane is so heavy could be that it has been soaked in linseed oil with the exact intent of making the plane heavier. The trick was to remove the blade and wedge, block the mouth with putty and then fill hole with raw linseed oil. This would then soak into the end grain in both directions making it heavier. The pool of oil needed to be repeatedly topped up and the process could take months.
If you are used to metal planes, the wooden ‘equivalent’ would normally be lighter.
Jon.

 

[StarGazer]

OK, took a little while but here they are: (attempts to post photos)

As it arrived

First look at iron and chipbreaker

Makers mark

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The plane is approx 22inches long, dark coloured as seen in photos but sole is a light coloured beech as though it has not been coated like all the upper surfaces.

 

[Digit]

What's the name on the iron?

 

[woodbloke]

That looks in quite good condition for a woodie...not too much of a mangled iron and plenty of meat left on the blade. Body of the plane looks to be in good order as well...looks like a runner - Rob

 

[StarGazer]

Digit.....see first post! Thos. Ibbotson

Woodbloke, blade and body are in very good nick, top of wedge has been bashed a bit as has the striker button.

Must get back to the garage to finish cleaning up and sharpening the blade. Time to get used to only having a rear tote to hang onto.

 

[Digit]

Ooops! Late on the scene that's me.

Roy.

 

[bugbear]

OK, took a little while but here they are: (attempts to post photos)

That's a "gauged" or parallel iron; premium item in its day.

BugBear

 

[StarGazer]

That's a "gauged" or parallel iron; premium item in its day.

BugBear

Yes, the iron is parallel, a quick google mentions this wrt infill planes but not wooden planes. The tip of the blade was in very good condition, looks like amost 2" of useful blade left below the slot. Annoyingly the width of the blade seems to taper (reduce in width away from the business end) slightly so no using the side as a reference and also it will not fit in the tormek jig as it is too wide.

Not seen a chip breaker on a woody before, yes is seems to be original....has the slots in the body and wedge to clear the nut and bolt. These do not look like later additions.

 

[bugbear]

That's a "gauged" or parallel iron; premium item in its day.

BugBear

Yes, the iron is parallel, a quick google mentions this wrt infill planes but not wooden planes. The tip of the blade was in very good condition, looks like amost 2" of useful blade left below the slot. Annoyingly the width of the blade seems to taper (reduce in width away from the business end) slightly so no using the side as a reference and also it will not fit in the tormek jig as it is too wide.

Tapered in width blades are usual; it allows more lateral adjustement. To establishg a proper square edge, you can use a bevel gauge; simply adjuste it from BOTH sides until a scribe line is the same from both references. HOWEVER, be aware that if the bedding and/or sole are not truly perpendicular to each other, a square edge may not result in a parallel protrusion of the blade from the sole...

Not seen a chip breaker on a woody before, yes is seems to be original....has the slots in the body and wedge to clear the nut and bolt. These do not look like later additions.

Vastly commoner with than without IME.

BugBear

 

[StarGazer]

BB,

I will bow to those with more experience and keep my eyes open for chip breakers on wooden planes, I have or use 5-6 different woodies and this is the first with a chipbreaker.

Meanwhile will give the rest of the plane a good clean and spend some time on the blade because I need to use this to joint some oak planks for some window shutters.

Ian

 

[StarGazer]

On cleaning up the main body a little, two stamped names become visible. R. Powell stamped rather roughly (owners mark?) and G Gardner (Late Holbrook) Bristol. The latter in a very fine stamp in an oval shape (maker?)

I gave the names to my wife who does lots of family history, it seems that George E Gardner was the son of a plane maker and himself a plane maker (working for his father?) in the 1881, 1891 census and a foreman plane maker in the 1901 census in Bedminster Bristol. He then seems to have taken over another firm (Holbrook?) and started making planes in his own name but using blades from specialist manufacturers, the blade stamp and manfacturers stamp meaning that this plane was made sometime between 1901 and 1909.

It's nice to have a little history for the plane and a glimpse of the past seeing a craft passed down the family.