What is my joiner plane made of?
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JobandKnock
Amateur curmudgeon
Far more likely to be beech, if only because it was so common in this sort of product. Can you actually get pear that big? After all pear is generally quite a small tree. Can you see ray fleck anywhere?
I cannot see ray flacks as they are on oak. I cannot see those brown small flecks, that are common on beech like in the picture below anywhere and I have cleared the finish on the plane on all 4 sides. That is why it puzzles me if it is beech or not.
thetyreman
Established Member
you can get pear that big but not easy to find, I found a place that have it up to 3 inches thick, I don't think this is pear though! it's very simlar to cherry but a bit more orange and very tight grained and a bit harder.
the wedge is definitely beech! honestly not sure what the body is made out of, it looks a bit light in colour to be beech, it reminds me a little bit of meranti, how hard is it?
also I would definitely put an insert in this plane to tighten up the mouth a bit.
the wedge is definitely beech! honestly not sure what the body is made out of, it looks a bit light in colour to be beech, it reminds me a little bit of meranti, how hard is it?
also I would definitely put an insert in this plane to tighten up the mouth a bit.
Thank you. I will try to make an insert, this was my plan too. I have a lot of beech and cherry wood at home right now, so I can compare. It is more pale than cherry and also it is not beech as well. It is relatively hard, but it planes very well (like cherry). Wedge is beech, I know that.
Maybe birch 
Planes arent like today and could be made by the joiner/cabinetmaker and I think it was more a consumable item than something designed to last decades. So they would be looking for a hard, stable timber in ready supply.
Planes arent like today and could be made by the joiner/cabinetmaker and I think it was more a consumable item than something designed to last decades. So they would be looking for a hard, stable timber in ready supply.
Birch is a good candidate. Looks simillar.Maybe birch
Planes arent like today and could be made by the joiner/cabinetmaker and I think it was more a consumable item than something designed to last decades. So they would be looking for a hard, stable timber in ready supply.
JobandKnock
Amateur curmudgeon
Sorry, that's what I meant....
I don't know if birch would be that good, either. It's a timber which in the UK rarely gets to be a substantial size and which is relatively soft, and light these days
In the absence of maple in the UK I did wonder if it might be our equivalent - sycamore (also known as field maple). This has a similar density to beech and it is relatively hard (hard enough to make a plane body) as well as being readily available in larger sections. Cheap too, as it was often used for mundane stuff like draining boards, butcher's blocks and pit props
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thetyreman
Established Member
it does look a lot like birch actually, that's a good call.
Feeling smug
You could weigh it and get an idea of what its density is. If it was cherry, it would've been a caramel color at that age (or darker with filth).
I'm guessing some kind of birch, but no clue what's common overseas. Yellow birch here makes a decent plane and looks a little bit closer to beech in color (guessing beech was more plentiful in the US - it's not as common now as it's an old growth forest tree and our forests have all generally been stripped at least once - except for very little).
I'm guessing some kind of birch, but no clue what's common overseas. Yellow birch here makes a decent plane and looks a little bit closer to beech in color (guessing beech was more plentiful in the US - it's not as common now as it's an old growth forest tree and our forests have all generally been stripped at least once - except for very little).
I have seen a very lovely jointer made from pear.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
Slow grown birch is as hard as you like.
When I was an apprentice in the late 70's our building firm employed two Vietnamese boat builders who came into the UK at that time. I remember being amazed at seeing one of them rummaging through the stack of old window sills, selecting a piece and making a jointer plane.Maybe birch
Planes arent like today and could be made by the joiner/cabinetmaker and I think it was more a consumable item than something designed to last decades. So they would be looking for a hard, stable timber in ready supply.
I was also amazed watching them eat Friday pie & chips with chop sticks
Beech or Birch are what are used in things like settees. Much of it,even the more pricy ones are constructed from pine and cardboard, but you usually find bits like the bottom rails, that are tacked into are one of those two timbers because they hold the tacks and staples very well.
Long wide and tall planes made of dense wood make for a tired user and tired handle forearm. Even the 28" beech jointers aren't so great in heavy work (they're nose heavy and only offer real improvement on really long edge jointing)
Not uncommon to see older oak planes here, but for some reason, the couple that I've come across were continental types (I'm guessing built here by someone who came to the US from a thrifty area and wasn't going to get "conned" into buying a store bought plane made of beech or metal).
Woody2Shoes
Impressive Member
Pear tends to end up darker (browny/orangey not unlike cherry/plum) than that (and have less visible grain) IME.
I wonder if it could be sycamore.
That's a good guess - one I hadn't thought of. If it was "plane wood", it would be light like that, and smooth, and about the right density to make a good plane.
heimlaga
Established Member
Birch is pretty much the standard wood in locally made planes around here. Not quite as hard wearing as beech so therefore those fortunate few who could get hold of some imported beech glued a beech sole under the birch body of their most used bench planes.
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