Planer or Jointer?

[Yojevol]

I came across this picture in Campbeltown Museum on the Kintyre peninsular in Scotland:-

Campbeltown is a centre for whisky distilling and the museum featured a cooper's workshop. Here the cooper is preparing the edges of barrel staves - curved and at an angle. Quite a skill and all done by eye.
What caught my eye was the term 'jointer' knowing how often the term has been discussed here on the forum in the past.
The term here is obviously correct; it's a tool for the preparation of joints in the barrel staves.
Nowadays the term is mostly used in the US and we usually use 'plane' for this type of tool, although the longer ones (7's and 8's) are referred to as Jointer Planes.
So I suspect the term jointer originated here in the UK and was exported to the US. We have largely dropped the term but our American friends have carried on using it.
One thing to note in the picture is that he is pushing the stave. If I were doing it I'd be wanting to pull it.
A google search for 'coopers jointer' has thrown up this metal version:-

The search reveals that these monsters are also known as jointer planes.
Brian

 

[Bingy man]

I came across this picture in Campbeltown Museum on the Kintyre peninsular in Scotland:-

View attachment 145415

Campbeltown is a centre for whisky distilling an the museum featured a coopers workshop. Here the cooper is preparing the edges of barrel staves - curved and at an angle. Quite a skill and all done by eye.
What caught my eye was the term 'jointer' knowing how often the term has been discussed here on the forum in the past.
The term here is obviously correct; it's a tool for the preparation of joints in the barrel staves.
Nowadays the term is mostly used in the US and we usually use 'plane' for this type of tool, although the longer ones (7's and 8's) are referred to as Jointer Planes.
So I suspect the term jointer originated here in the UK and was exported to the US. We have largely dropped the term but our American friends have carried on using it.
One thing to note in the picture is that he is pushing the stave. If I were doing it I'd be wanting to pull it.
A google search for 'coopers jointer' has thrown up this metal version:-

View attachment 145416

The search reveals that these monsters are also known as jointer planes.
Brian

I’d have problems lifting that beast let alone pushing or pulling it

 

[Peter Sefton]

If referring to powered planers we used to call long bedded Surface Planers as "Jointers", wide bedded Surface Planers as "Surfacers" or either type as "Surface Planers".

Thickness Planers as "Thicknessers" or wide versions as "Panel Planers"

Combined Surface and Thickness Planers as "Under/Overs" or "Planer/Thicknessers" and a few more variations between!

Cheers

Peter

 

[Peter Sefton]

For a No 7 hand bench plane we would normally call them a "Jointer" or "Trying Plane" for jointing long timbers or Try/Testing the long straight edge.

 

[Jameshow]

Neither I think they would be referred to as Cooper's planes used almost exclusively by Cooper's for barrel making.

Knew a cooper - could tell a few stories!!

 

[Yojevol]

If referring to powered planers we used to call long bedded Surface Planers as "Jointers", wide bedded Surface Planers as "Surfacers" or either type as "Surface Planers".

Thickness Planers as "Thicknessers" or wide versions as "Panel Planers"

Combined Surface and Thickness Planers as "Under/Overs" or "Planer/Thicknessers" and a few more variations between!

Cheers

Peter

And in the States a Planer is a Thicknesser.
2 nations divided by a common language