Review By: I.Ball
Category: Old Wooden Planes
Manufacturer: Various
Tool Type: Wooden Planes
Plane Type: Complex Moulding
The old British wooden complex moulding planes had a hardwood body,
a steel plane cutter and a hardwood wedge.
The planes were nearly always made from beech as this was the hardwood
that was commonly available in Britain.
The term 'wooden complex moulder planes' refers to pretty much every
moulding plane which doesn't fit into one of the common types of moulding
planes (e.g. ogee, bead, scotia).
The wooden complex moulding planes were made in a variety of widths.
A wooden complex moulding plane cutter would have a cutting edge profile
which mirrored the sole of the plane.
The plane has a window to one side of the cutter and above the cutter
to allow the shavings to escape as the wood is planed.
There have been hundreds of different wooden plane manufacturers of
wooden complex planes since 1700. Below is a list of just a few
of the wooden plane manufacturers:
Ames
Buck
Eastwood
Green
Greenslade
Griffiths
Higgs
Madox
Mathieson
Moseley
Moon
Nurse
Preston (Edward)
Routledge
Stokoe
Turner
Varvill
..many others
The manufacturer's mark (if present) can virtually always be found on the front nose
of the plane. If the plane is quite mucky or you hadn't realised, this is the place
to look to identify who made it.
Most planes also have an owner's name or many owner's
names stamped into the front of the plane; these can often be easily spotted as
they have been stamped more than once on the plane.
If you wish to delve deeper there are a few books out there to help identify the
age of the plane(s).
The authority of these books (at the time of writing this) has to be Jane Rees 'British Planemakers - 4th Edition'.
The 'British Planemakers fom 1700 - Third Edition' is also good if you come across
a secondhand copy.
<1700 - 1900>
Arden - I have a molding plane stamped by MOON 4 Little Queen Street, Lincoln's-Innfields.
I am wondering what it is worth. Thank you.
------------
FindMyTool - there isn't a set price so it is very hard to say, ultimately it comes
down to what someone will pay for it, if you find
someone who really wants it they will pay more. The condition, size and complexity
of the moulding can also affect the value along with if you find someone who is
collecting Moon planes / tools. The price of old wooden planes in most cases doesn't
reflect what is expected for tools which are often 100-250+ years old, the reason
simply being because of supply and demand. It is however great to keep the heritage
of these old planes alive for future generations to enjoy.
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