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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   The plane facts about vintage tools   List Jim Ross Next   Collector Jim Ross gives us the plane facts   By Jim Ross Whenever the subject is antique tools, one of the first thoughts is of planes, so let's talk about planes.   Planes are highly collectible and the subject of much research and wonderment. I could have entitled this article Planes For Dummies, but if you are a plane enthusiast, you are no Dummy, you are a Rhykenologist. How's that for class? In truth, that's probably the last time you will ever see that word in print.   What I would like to do, though, is give you a very basic understanding of the various planes and the reasons why they are so highly prized by the collector. This will not make you an expert, but you will be way ahead of the average auctioneer.   What is a plane? It is basically a chisel set in a frame of wood or metal, held in a fixed position to control the chisel for an even cut. As you know, a chisel is sharpened on a bevel on one side of the metal and unlike a knife, is sharpened on both sides.   The bevel, or pitch, varies with the job or the wood to be worked but is normally at 45 degrees. At the risk of having your eyes glaze over, I am going to give you a few technical terms. Don't worry, these will not be on the exam to follow.   First of all, there are three basic types of planes viz Bench Planes, which are your standard model of either wood or metal with a wide straight blade used to shape or reduce the size of a piece of wood. There are four basic kinds of these depending on their length, i.e. a Smooth Plane is 7 to 11 inches; a Jack Plane is 14 to 16 inches; a Fore Plane is 16 to 22 inches and a Jointer Plane is 22 to 30 inches.   The blade, sometimes called the "iron" or "cutter," is between 11/2 and 21/2 inches wide. There is a variety of Bench Plane that has a solid wooden bottom and a metal top and it is known as a Transitional Plane. It was devised to bridge the gap between the all-wood plane and the all-metal plane, as the traditionalists liked the sound and feel of wood on wood.   Auctioneers please note - a plane made out of a block of wood is not a Block Plane. A Block Plane is the second type of plane and is normally all metal. It is quite small, with a low angled beveled blade designed to cut the end grain of wood.   The third type is the Special Plane, consisting of everything else, i.e. molding, rabbet, dado, trimming, combination or other special purpose types. They are of infinite variety and the basis of many a collection.   How old are planes? Very old - trust me. The earliest one found dates back to 4000 BC. It's development from stone to metal proceeded through Roman times to the Industrial Revolution, but the refinements and improvements didn't really begin until the early 1800s.   It started with placing a blade on top of the cutting blade to make the shaving curl out. Then came the lever cap to hold the blade in place replacing the old wooden wedge. Then came various designs to vary the depth of the blade to regulate the thickness of the shaving and then a gizmo to vary the lateral position of the blade.   Leonard Bailey is perhaps the best known of the plane improvers and he acquired numerous patents, which were highly prized by the Stanley Rule & Level Co. (more familiarly known as Stanley), who bought him out and started their plane making empire.   A new era dawned in 1884 with the production of the legendary Stanley 45, a combination plane having the functions of seven different planes with 23 different interchangeable blades (cutters). This was followed by the Stanley 55, having over 10 functions and 55 standard blades. Billed as "A Planing Mill Within Itself," it was never as popular as the 45, and guess what, both are superseded by the modern router.   Why do people collect planes? For any number of reasons. Prehistoric planes are a wonder, Middle Ages planes are works of art, Special planes are a study in ingenuity and design, and the more modern planes a marvel of engineering.   The wooden planes were often made from exotic woods, such as walnut,mahogany, rosewood, lignum vitae and ebony, to name a few. Add a touch of ivory here and there and you have a looker. Most planes, however, were made of maple, beech, birch and cherry, but with style and a little patina are nonetheless a prize.   Some collectors specialize in a type of plane, some in country of origin, some by maker and many because they just love planes. There are some enthusiasts who like to trace the history of a plane, its development and modifications over the years and do "type studies" in great detail. That's great, but its more information than I can absorb.   What are we talking about in terms of money? Sometimes big bucks, sometimes little bucks. The record for a single plane now stands at $115,000 - a Plow Plane with ivory tips. You can still go to an auction and buy a plane for under $10 and it may please you, and that's what counts, but it may not be the bargain of a lifetime.   Like all other antiques, condition, age and provenance (the maker) determine the price. Value is often something else again. There were literally thousands of plane makers in the 18th and 19th centuries and each has a relative price range today. For instance, a Jack Plane by one maker can fetch $12 to $22, while one made by another maker can set you back $1,000 to $2,000.   As in every other antique quest, knowledge is all-important. If you are purchasing a plane by description, you might be interested to know that a condition classification standard has been developed by a publication known as The Fine Tool Journal, which has been in use for over 15 years now. There are seven categories ranging from "new" to "poor" and six ratings ranging from "usable" to "surface." Thus, if a tool is advertised as "Good+," I have a pretty good idea of its condition.   Want to know more? A good, all-purpose list of tools in general and prices is contained in the book A Price Guide to Antique Tools, written by Herbert Kean. He also wrote Collecting Antique Tools. Both books were published by Astragal Press.   My take on price guides: use the numbers not as dollars, but as units and set your own benchmark.   Jim Ross is an unrepentant collector. He admits to collecting antique tools of many trades and occupations of yesteryear. He is now past president of a tool collectors' club, the Tool Group of Canada; was president for six years. Also a past member of the legal profession for 40 years. He lives in Toronto for most of the week, then retreats to his country property       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2007 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster