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Davy

Member
Joined
30 Sep 2020
Messages
18
Reaction score
13
Location
Ayrshire
tool.jpg
tool.jpg

I've got a few old woodworking tools I'm looking for advice on... The rest are in the shed, will dig them out on a dry day but keep this one in the house as my late dad said it was valuable and always warned me to put it away safe after I had used it. He said it was worth over £500 years ago, would this be true?
 
Has it got a makers mark on it? Some particular ones are popular with collectors and people pay a lot for them, there are people here who will know better than me, but I’d say that’s worth £10, a nice tool that’ll work well for another century if looked after

Aidan
 
Just looked again as I didn't think it had a makers name but I've now found "J. Howarth Sheffield" stamped on the handle end of the metal blade
 
Forgot to say the wooden part is not original Had to make a new one a few year back
 
The infill or the wedge?
The blade could be from anywhere, it’s very common the replace them or grind down a larger one as needed, so it may not be the original with the plane.
Is your intention to use them or sell them?
Aidan
 
It's not impossible that it could be worth that much provided it was made by a famous and revered maker such as Spiers of Ayr, Norris or Towell and is quite a rare version, otherwise, it won't be worth as much as £500, maybe £20 or so.

James Howarth is quite a well-known edge-tool maker although I don't think they made hand planes themselves but they would've supplied blades for planes.
 
This is an area where other people with bigger budgets know a lot more than I do. But this is what I know.

If I was looking for a slim, infill shoulder plane to use, I'd stalk eBay or other auctions and expect to pay no more than £50. That worked for me and I'm sorted.

However, some makes of planes like that are highly collectible and have a value unrelated to their usefulness. Markings can be present but are not obvious - don't scrub away with sandpaper looking for them or you will destroy the value.

"Good" names include Norris, Spiers and Buck. Values for those can run into the hundreds but a lot will depend on condition. Having a replacement infill is pretty common but probably would reduce the value as a collectible.

Prices of some types of old tool have dropped a lot since the 70s, others have risen. It's the difference between a market place mostly online and one that used to be based in retail premises and mail order catalogues.
 
Looks a quality product.
Definitely of a "dovetailed" construction.

If you remove the iron and look on the wooden slope you may see a batch production number. If there is, have a look on the iron for the same number. It's quite likely original if they match.

On the front end of the infill careful scrutiny may reveal a mark. Some are very hard to see and you often need to look from different angles and lights sources. A good rub/buff with a dirty, oily rag is good for cleaning up the wood and as AndyT says avoid abrasives.

Missing good original wedge knocks the value but as a user many would be pleased to have it.

Cheers Andy
 
Was thinking that myself that the blade could have came from anywhere with the makers name on it Due to a new arrival in the family taking up room in my shed as the wife will not let her live in the house i am now struggling for space will probably end up selling them sometime Where would be the best place to get the best value for them? Must have about 150 tools at a guess It is a classic motocross bike that has cost me my space in the shed in case you are wondering
 
Looks a quality product.
Definitely of a "dovetailed" construction.

If you remove the iron and look on the wooden slope you may see a batch production number. If there is, have a look on the iron for the same number. It's quite likely original if they match.

On the front end of the infill careful scrutiny may reveal a mark. Some are very hard to see and you often need to look from different angles and lights sources. A good rub/buff with a dirty, oily rag is good for cleaning up the wood and as AndyT says avoid abrasives.

Missing good original wedge knocks the value but as a user many would be pleased to have it.

Cheers Andy
Thanks for that The blade has the number 5 stamped on it and the infill has also the number 5 stamped on it It does seem to be a quality product going by how heavy it weighs
 
Thanks for that The blade has the number 5 stamped on it and the infill has also the number 5 stamped on it It does seem to be a quality product going by how heavy it weighs
Bingo!!
Any chance of a close up of the front to see if we can decipher a maker for you.
Mathieson ?
Cheers Andy
 
If it has a number 5 on it,then it could possibly be a blade from a plough plane set of different width blades. Normally found in a canvas roll.

Adidat
 
If it has a number 5 on it,then it could possibly be a blade from a plough plane set of different width blades. Normally found in a canvas roll.

Adidat
I can see your thinking but this blade is flat and a 5 wouldn't be wide enough. Unless there was a decent blacksmith in the area ?😉
 
More and clear photos will be needed to get a better idea of what you have.
I inherited my father's Grandfather clock, he had it insured for £1400, I doubt if selling it, I would get £200. It was more special to him, because he knew it's history, which meant something to him, but I never knew the people he referred to.

Bod.
 
It looks somewhat similar to this shoulder/rebate plane of mine made by Stewart Spiers... This example is in perfect condition and it came with the previous owner's name stamp; it's marked No 6 on the iron and on the infill.

This lovely old plane - bought off of ebay in 2019 - cost me £185 including postage, but had it once belonged to my father I would have sold my very soul, plus all my old vintage tools, married 3 rich widows and taken out a huge bank loan to buy it back... Davy, it's impossible to put a value on your plane because it is priceless!

febtoolsg45.jpg
 
Don't conflate people's perception of value with the actual value as they rarely meet and the former generally exceeds the latter. Once it becomes a sale item, that kind of all becomes moot anyhow.

I'd also add that a family connection is not always the value it's deemed to be either. Don't mean this as a dig against the OP, more that not all family connections have value is all. That's another perception thing, just the other way around.

To the OP, if space as at a premium and you have lots of old tools sat in a shed, I'd advise getting them dry and cleaned much sooner than later. Chances are that there is possibly some gems in the larger collection and being left in a shed will detract from that value, either to you personally or to a potential buyer. Take your time, plenty of resource on the web to determine most of the info you need to work out what stays and what goes.
 
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