Antique Wooden Planes at The Best Things

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Wooden Planes

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for British, Canadian, & European Wooden Planes

American Wooden Planes

WP1305108 T. Tileston, Boston, Front St A massive and superb handled rabbet plane, cut from a single piece of beech, with lovely original patina and surface. The sole is 2 1/2" wide. That is a big rabbet plane! The closed tote has a crack in the front, which is the result not of damage, but of stress in the wood. I have owned this plane for years and the crack expands and contracts with the seasons. It is stable and won't cause any problems. It has probably been there since early in the planes life. Full nicker irons on both sides. Interestingly, the maker's mark was struck out of order, so that Boston is above Front St. Tileston planes always have that little something extra about them that makes them special, and this plane is no exception. Highly recommended. G++ $195

120413 Sandusky Tool Co A #132 handled rosewood plow plane with the shaped right handed tote. This plane recently came out of a tool chest in Indiana, and it is in very nice original condition, with one very interesting period repair. The original arms were rosewood, as were the nuts. This plane has the original nuts, and one original arm. Rosewood arms were much more prone to thread damage than boxwood arms. One of the arms on this plane was cast from an original arm, in aluminum. It was very neatly done by somebody who knew what they were doing, and wanted to keep using the plane. The plane has one original iron, and also includes a matched set of 8 Hildick irons irons that fit the plane well. This is a lovely plane and the repair is so novel that it really doesn't bother me. The plane alone, without the repair, would be worth twice as much, and then the blades are just icing on top of that. G++ $365

WP130532 Bodman & Hussey, Pawtucket, RI A large moving fillester by a very scarce Rhode Island maker. Speaking of the maker, if you look closely, the RI part of the mark was struck twice, in two separate spots. It's like they made a msitake, because it is in the wrong spot once, so they did it again. I didn't realize until now that this was a separate mark. This plane is made a bit differently than most fillesters, in that the mouth is cut all the way across the plane, and the escapement is open on both sides of the plane. It will cut just over 1 1/4" wide with the fence, and about 2" without the fence. It is a large plane. The working corner is boxed with a single dovetail. There is a shrinkage check on the front of the body and very light deformation on the bottom of the finial, keeping it from getting our coveted fine rating. A very nice example. G++ $135

WP12107 Unmarked A classic New England made coffin smoother in an exotic wood that I can't really identify with any kind of certainty. It is a hard, dense, tropical wood, which most people would generically call rosewood. The wedge is apple, which is normal because really hard woods to not make good wedges. This is a professionally made plane, but it is not marked, which may be beause super hard wood like this doesn't mark easilty. It has some paint rubbed on the sole from trimming a door. The left cheek is split from shrinking onto the blade. The blade is still too tight, but I am going to go downstairs right now and fix that. The blade is an only moderately used 2" wide Butcher. The plane is 8 inches long. Nice untouched surface. I bought it out of an antiques shop in Mass., from a dealer who didn't deal in tools. It is fresh to the tool market. G+ Sold

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British, Canadian, & European Wooden Planes

WP130390 Craftsman Made This plane is clearly the masterpiece creation of a long gone craftsman. I have never seen anything similar to compare it to, but the iron is French and the plane most resembles Art Nouveau style, so I have no trouble believing that it is probably French. It is made from fruitwood, probably pear but maybe apple, and has a wonderful patina. It measures 12 1/2" long and the blade is 1 1/2" wide. I am not sure what type of plane it was meant to be, but that is hardly the point. This is a work of art. There are 4 small period repairs executed with small steel screws. Two of them are in the wedge and there is a screw on each side of the body holding together splits at the escapement. None of these repairs are obvious and were probably done by the original maker, as they are carefully executed to blend in. Provenance: This plane was sold many years ago in a David Stanley tool auction and since then has been in an important English collection. For the connoisseur. G++ Sold

WP121029 D. Malloch, Perth The term New Old Stock is so overuseed that it makes me sick, but this sash fillester plane is truly just that. I bought it about 20 years ago. It sat for since new in the tool store of Fred Murray, the owner of Murray's tool shop in Edinburgh. This is a family business that has been in business for generations. Why this plane was never sold I don't know, but Fred Murray decided that he would be the one to end that, and so I ended up owning it. The plane has the classic side, corner, and top dovetailed boxing that represents a true tour de force of wooden planemaking. How they fit 4 dovetails, with three different orientations onto one piece of boxing is beyond me. This is a once in a lifetime chance to own a NOS Scottish sash fillester that has remained pristine for many generations. I would not recommend this plane to a user. In 30 years I have not seen anything else like it and this plane should remain unused. Fine+ $995

100420 Early Carved Plane An beautiful carved European smoothing plane, presumably 18th or possibly early 19th Century. These types of craftsperson made planes are notoriously hard to date, and while I don't think that it would be later, I could believe that it was earlier. This plane has a North Wind figure blowing up at the user as he planes. The plane has a horn in the front, that is carved with a scroll. The plane is hornbeam, the horn is beech, and there is an applied sole that was probably added to compensate for wear, and is maple. This plane has a wonderful patina, and has always been well cared for, but well used. The blade is all but worn out. The wedge is clearly period, but I have no way to tell for sure if is original or not. I would guess that this plane is either German, Swiss, or Austrian, but again this is just an educated guess. Formerly in the Dermot and Cynthia Roche collection, as sold by David Stanley some years ago, this is a museum quality tool. Measures 10 inches overall. G+ $1795