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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Jun 19 2007, 11:49 AM EDT (current) | kjacobso | |
| Jun 19 2007, 11:48 AM EDT | kjacobso | 439 words added |
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Once bought only by craftsmen who intended to use them, wooden tools are now highly collectible. Among the most popular items are molding planes, the short wood planes used by woodworkers in the 18th and 19th centuries to apply moldings and cut joints. (Molding planes discharge their shavings from the side. Bench planes, a group of larger, handled planes, eject shavings through an open throat on top.)
During the Georgian era (1720-1780), American craftsmen made thousands of molding planes and used them to produce millions of feet of hand-planed moldings. Learning to make and use wood planes was part of learning the trade. As a result, most planes made in America prior to 1800 were produced by the men who used them.
There was, however, a small group of woodworkers, primarily in southeastern Massachusetts, who specialized in making planes for others. In the 18th century, there was as much difference between planes as between the men who made them. Most planes were about 10 inches long, with wide, flat chamfers between 5/16 and 1/2 inch. In New England, most were made of birch, but apple wood, maple, and beech were also used. Each maker personalized his planes with a distinctive wedge finial. If planes were marked at all, they usually bore the owner’s initials as a brand on the side or as an embossed stamp, almost always on the toe.
From the late 18th century to 1830, as plane production moved from the craftsman’s bench to the planemaker’s shop, the length became standardized at about 9 1/2 inches and beech became the material of choice. Chamfers were flat at first, but reduced to 1/4 inch or less. By the end of the period, most planes had rounded chamfers, an adaptation probably made to keep them from causing calluses. Wedges were less dramatic. Planemakers signed their work with both embossed and incuse stamps. Embossed stamps are usually rectangular in shape, with a depressed background and letters that appear raised. Quite often, the edges of the stamp were filed to create a decorative border. In an incuse stamp, the letters are filed to cut into the surface of the material being marked, leaving no background.
From 1830 to 1900, beech was still preferred, and the length remained standard at 9 1/2 inches. The distinctive wedge gave way to a characterless elliptical form, so most planes made in this period look very much alike. The cut profiles were so standardized that several makers could use the same woodblock engravings to print their catalogs. Middle- to late-18th-century planes will most often be marked with a maker’s name and location stamped on the toe.
During the Georgian era (1720-1780), American craftsmen made thousands of molding planes and used them to produce millions of feet of hand-planed moldings. Learning to make and use wood planes was part of learning the trade. As a result, most planes made in America prior to 1800 were produced by the men who used them.
There was, however, a small group of woodworkers, primarily in southeastern Massachusetts, who specialized in making planes for others. In the 18th century, there was as much difference between planes as between the men who made them. Most planes were about 10 inches long, with wide, flat chamfers between 5/16 and 1/2 inch. In New England, most were made of birch, but apple wood, maple, and beech were also used. Each maker personalized his planes with a distinctive wedge finial. If planes were marked at all, they usually bore the owner’s initials as a brand on the side or as an embossed stamp, almost always on the toe.
From the late 18th century to 1830, as plane production moved from the craftsman’s bench to the planemaker’s shop, the length became standardized at about 9 1/2 inches and beech became the material of choice. Chamfers were flat at first, but reduced to 1/4 inch or less. By the end of the period, most planes had rounded chamfers, an adaptation probably made to keep them from causing calluses. Wedges were less dramatic. Planemakers signed their work with both embossed and incuse stamps. Embossed stamps are usually rectangular in shape, with a depressed background and letters that appear raised. Quite often, the edges of the stamp were filed to create a decorative border. In an incuse stamp, the letters are filed to cut into the surface of the material being marked, leaving no background.
From 1830 to 1900, beech was still preferred, and the length remained standard at 9 1/2 inches. The distinctive wedge gave way to a characterless elliptical form, so most planes made in this period look very much alike. The cut profiles were so standardized that several makers could use the same woodblock engravings to print their catalogs. Middle- to late-18th-century planes will most often be marked with a maker’s name and location stamped on the toe.
