WODEN PLANES

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a nice little haul yesterday - a 1/4" bevel edge by W.K.&C. Peace, a 13/16" firmer by Mawhood, both lovely - a pair of Moore & Wright dividers, and a No5 Woden , all for £8. The plane was obviously "pre-loved", it was clean, no rust, and actually ground to a camber - I've not bought one like that before. What I did notice was that there were no markings on the iron, and that the casting was beautifully finished compared to some I've seen, as was the machining on it and the frog, which made me wonder - how did they measure up against Stanley, Record and Marples? There doesn't seem to be much information around about them.

 

[G S Haydon]

Dad has a Woden No5 Jack and it seems just fine.

 

[bugbear]

I had a nice little haul yesterday - a 1/4" bevel edge by W.K.&C. Peace, a 13/16" firmer by Mawhood, both lovely - a pair of Moore & Wright dividers, and a No5 Woden , all for £8. The plane was obviously "pre-loved", it was clean, no rust, and actually ground to a camber - I've not bought one like that before. What I did notice was that there were no markings on the iron, and that the casting was beautifully finished compared to some I've seen, as was the machining on it and the frog, which made me wonder - how did they measure up against Stanley, Record and Marples? There doesn't seem to be much information around about them.

I've seen many Woden planes on dealer's tables over the years, and they've always looked slightly rough in finish compared to Stanley/Record. Yours sounds like an exception - lucky you!

It's possible that someone re-finished it.

BugBear

 

[Vann]

...and a No5 Woden...
What I did notice was that there were no markings on the iron, and that the casting was beautifully finished compared to some I've seen, as was the machining on it and the frog, which made me wonder - how did they measure up against Stanley, Record and Marples?

Woden, who had been around for a while, bought out WS Manufacturing in 1952, and began producing planes, to WS designs. Woden in turn, sold their line of planes to Record in the early 1960s. Record continued to make Woden branded planes for maybe another 10 years.

I don't have any Woden bench planes (only a W78). I have a few WS planes and find the machining on these to be quite rough, especially the frog seats just behind the mouth.

The first Woden planes were identical in profile to WS planes (a very distinct side profile with the side "wings" having parallel portions), while later Woden planes have the standard Stanley, Record (and just about everybody else) look to them. I don't know if this change occurred before or after the Record takover, but I think before.

Just a guess, if your plane's iron is unmarked, I'd say it's possibly a late Record era job, as I'm sure Woden etched/stamped their plane irons

possibly even into the Record era...

But... no photos = it never happened (hammer)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

After my daughter's A levels have finished, I'll get her to sit with me and attain mastery of up loading photo's - til then they'll have to wait, there's to much stress around.

 

[Vann]

...and attain mastery of up loading photo's - til then they'll have to wait, there's to much stress around.

Yup, been there (still go there often). I tried the "photobucket' route. I got so frustrated I wanted to smash the computer....

Cheers, Vann :lol:

 

[Cheshirechappie]

There was a family connection between Record and Woden. The original founders of Record were the brothers Charles and Joseph Hampton, who moved to Sheffield to start C&J Hampton. In doing this, they left the family firm in Wendesbury, Staffordshire; that firm was The Steel Nut and Joseph Hampton, trading as Woden. After about a decade, there was a falling out, and one of the brothers returned to Wendesbury.

All this happened about thirty years before Record entered the plane market.

I've no idea if there were any formal business links between Record and Woden, but there may have been informal family links.

Many years later (1960s) Woden was absorbed by the amalgamated company formed by Record and William Ridgway, Record Ridgway Tools, but by then, Hamptons had ceased to have close family involvement with Record.

All this by googling 'Record Planes', and spending a happy half-hour with what came up.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, likewise. I don't seem to be able to find much on the tool itself, though. I suspect it's quite late - the frog's like the one in Vann's photo, but the lateral adjuster is pressed and folded with no name, and the woodwork is beech. Worth a fiver, though.
Incidentally, the lever cap is marked "Woden" where the normal "Record" or "Stanley" would be.

 

[Vann]

Incidentally, the lever cap is marked "Woden" where the normal "Record" or "Stanley" would be.

Yeah, I don't know what the story is with that one. Every other Woden bench plane lever-cap I've seen has the Woden logo cast into it. But it must be genuine as it has a Woden transfer. #-o

Cheers, Vann.

 

[bugbear]

A totally unscientific survey on eBay shows that the (rather good) Woden W78 rebate plane is far more common than all their bench planes put together.

BugBear