JohnPW":3lact82b said:
That site seems nothing more than a click-through site for Ebay.
Hrem. This is my site and I did state that it's a work in progress. I've been writing a book on I. Sorby/Turner, Naylor & Co. for almost three years. Most of the information - if not all - will also be available on the site once the book is published.
johnPW":3lact82b said:
To quote from the 1938 catalogue itself:
"NORTHERN" Brand BEECHWOOD PLANES.
Modern methods of manufacture render it possible for us to offer this high-class range of Beechwood Planes at popular prices.
The Blocks are made from seasoned close-grained timber, carefully selected for its hard wearing qualities.
The Irons are faced with refined crucible cast Tool Steel, specially hardened and tempered to retain a keen cutting edge without constant resharpening.
Moving Grooving Planes
With Adjustable Fence and set of
3 Irons, 1⁄8, 3⁄16, 1⁄4 ins. ... 5/6 each
Yes, these were planes made at the Northern Tool Works from the 1920's to when the when the plant closed (see below). They may have been available earlier than the 1920's but I have no actual proof of that at this stage.
JohnPW":3lact82b said:
Link for Turner Naylor history on wkfinetools
says they closed in the early 1960s.
1963 to be precise. That's when the company - which was run as a separate company even though it was owned by Marples - was finally wound up and the buildings sold and demolished.
JohnPW":3lact82b said:
I've never heard of the "Northern" brand until now and I thought why would they use it when they've already got the long established "I Sorby" brand. My guess is the "Northern" brand is a cheaper line, hence the "popular prices". Similar to Marples' cheaper "BB" brand, Marples owned Turner, Naylor & Co at that time so the Northern and BB planes could have been made at the same place.
They used the two trademarks interchangeably, depending on the products. The "I. SORBY" mark was registered on February 15, 1859 after already being in use for almost 50 years. Contrary to popular belief, "I. SORBY" does not stand for Isaac Sorby, But John Sorby. This is a different John Sorby than the more famous one residing at Spital Hill. He was the nephew of John Sorby of "JOHN SORBY & SONS" (with its ‘I. & H. SORBY’ mark).
I should add that Geoffrey Tweedale has been working with me on much of the background work, sourcing documents etc. and sending scans to me. I'm indebted to him for this work as much of it has been quite revelatory. Geoffrey also wrote a short history which can be seen by doing a search at the wkfinetools website (unfortunately it appears I can't post links yet so I can't give the actual URL)
Mr_P":3lact82b said:
I have a S77 bullnose rabbet plane in a very similar box to Matthews which I believe to be 1930's
My no.4 I.Sorby came in a very similar box but is unbranded.
Yes, these were made from around 1932 to 1939/1940. If you put them up against Marples planes of the same era you will see that they're almost exactly alike (apart from the branding). The reason for this is because all of the early "M" Series Marples planes were made by Turner, Naylor & Co. at the Northern Tool Works. After the war all of the jigs, moulds etc. were moved to Marples own Hibernia Works and the planes continued to be made there. As far as metal planes were concerned the I. SORBY brand was dropped during the early stages of the war. Both the Sorby and Marples planes were finished in the same red enamel, with some parts (such as frogs) often finished in black.
