Engels plane??

**IanW** · 23rd May 2019, 07:03 PM

Here's a name that's new to me. I was tidying up a box of 'stuph' given to me by a friend - she wasn't sure of the history of the gear, a brace, some very sad auger bits & two similar planes in the "German jack" style, plus sundry nails, screws, dust & dirt. One body was ruined beyond hope, the side having been split off & missing blade & wedge and the sole had a deep groove running down its length, as if it had spent a lifetime planing chanmfers on Ironbark veranda posts.

The other had a decent-sized crack along the back of the body, but the mouth area is ok, apart from someone having opened up the front of the mouth (somewhat roughly) at some point in the distant past. However, the sole was in a terrible shape - great chunks torn out of it, and the rear 3rd seemed soft like Toona (it's European Beech).

Since it's set up as a scrub, I thought it wouldn't matter if the already wide mouth got opened up a bit more so I gave it a good dressing and it cleaned up more quickly than I expected. I sharpened the blade up, not properly because it's been on a very rounded stone & the back needed an awful lot of work to flatten. The steel seems to be top-notch, I got tired of rubbing it by the time I had the centre half properly flat to the tip. Anyway, I stuck it in the body and gave it a run on some rough Camphor I happened to have in the shed. It ate that up like the very hungry caterpillar!

So I poured some Araldite into the body crack, heated it with a hair-dryer to get it to run right in, clamped it up as much as I could & left it to cure.

Today I cleaned it off & gave the body a light sand, then soaked it with BLO: Engels a.jpg

I'd thought it had no brand on it at first, but when I cleaned the thick gunk off a bit, I could see something faintly punched into the front. I rubbed a bit of French chalk into it & it became quite legible, but a name I've not come across before: Engels b.jpg

"FR. EDUARD ENGELS & Co." I couldn't make out the logo properly, but it looked a bit like,

a bit like.... Engels c.jpg

Darth Vader!

I looked for any info on the maker online, but came up with nothing at all. Anyone know anything about this maker? I'd say the plane in question is early to mid 20th C, but perhaps it's older?

Cheers,

**taz01** · 23rd May 2019, 07:18 PM

Here is a us patent filed by eduard engels for a tool. Maybe it's the same person?

If so you have an approx date range.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US378830A/en

**IanW** · 23rd May 2019, 07:39 PM

Ta, Taz. I don't know if it's the same mob- this one comes up associated with spanners and calipers & metalworking tools, but maybe they had a branch making woodworking tools... ??

Cheers,

**taz01** · 23rd May 2019, 08:33 PM

2nd attempt. This one references the company itself.

https://patents.google.com/patent/DE1057539B/zh-TW

Search using the word "hobel" which seems to be German for "plane"

**taz01** · 23rd May 2019, 08:37 PM

Duplicate post

**IanW** · 23rd May 2019, 08:48 PM

Yeah, I tried putting 'hobel' in the search terms originally, it did eliminate the Boeings & Messerschmitts, but didn't find any woodworking craft...

I think you're onto the company, we just haven't found their woodworking tool division, yet....

Cheers,

**taz01** · 23rd May 2019, 08:57 PM

This small tool museum in Germany might be able to help. Google translate lists a few mentions of the manufacturer.

https://www.holzwerken.de/museum/her...r/marken.phtml

**Bushmiller** · 23rd May 2019, 11:29 PM

There are references to Fr Eduard Engels. They seemed to make spirit levels:

Spirit level eduard engels.jpg

pliers

2019-05-23 22_11_36-ANTIQUE FR EDUARD ENGELS GERMAMY 4.75_ JEWELLERS WATCHMAKERS COMBINATION PLI.jpg

and a range of punches and boring tools (from 1909)

2019-05-23 22_12_25-REMSCHEID-VIERINGHAUSEN, Anzeige 1909, Fr. Eduard Engels Bohrer-Werkzeug-Fab.jpg

I think the hand writing says "please do not copy."

In my defense it is free advertising for a current listing:

But nothing on hand planes

Regards
Paul

**Boringgeoff** · 24th May 2019, 10:06 AM

Hi Ian,
My 1937 McPhersons catalogue has an advert for Eduard Engels brace and bits on a card titled "The Australian Eleven". I couldn't resist adding a photo of an Engels brace, they're fairly common in WA as are Engels bits.
The advertising adds "R875- The 'Australian Eleven' Set. The 'Australian Eleven' set is made expressly for Australian use. Bits are specially tempered for Australian hardwoods, and are of the highest grade tool steel. Ball-bearing Ratchet Braces are of the same high standard. The bits are: 4 Auger Bits, 3/8 - 3/4", 5 Gimlet bits, 1 Rose Countersink, 1 Screw Driver Bit. The set is neatly carded, as illustrated. Price 23/-."
There are five pages of planes listed in the catalogue, Mathieson, Stanley and Record, no Engels though and I might add this is the first time I've looked at those pages.
Cheers,
Geoff.

**IanW** · 25th May 2019, 06:20 PM

Thanks Geoff. Looks like Mr. Engels was rather coy about his woodworking tools, but I reckon we're putting the blame on the right crowd. It's quite possible Engels never sold any planes in Aus., & like so many other 'orphan' tools floating around out there, this particular piece of gear came here in the toolbox of a hopeful immigrant.....

Cheers,

**swk** · 25th May 2019, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by IanW

Thanks Geoff. Looks like Mr. Engels was rather coy about his woodworking tools, but I reckon we're putting the blame on the right crowd. It's quite possible Engels never sold any planes in Aus., & like so many other 'orphan' tools floating around out there, this particular piece of gear came here in the toolbox of a hopeful immigrant.....

Cheers,

Definitely the same mob, the logo on the WA advert and the plane are the same, and from the link to the german wood work museum:

"Frauenkopf mit Tuch vor dem Gesicht, die Augen freigelassen = Fr. Eduard Engels & Co., Remscheid "
translates roughly as "Ladies head with cloth (scarf) in front of the face, the eyes not covered"

Its an "arabic" ladies face (with egyptian style eyes!)

Remscheid appears to have been a major tool making centre back in the day. Engels probably had access to lots of other different tool makers.

SWK

**planemaker** · 26th May 2019, 10:57 AM

Fr. Eduard Engels & Co., Remscheid " https://www.holzwerken.de/museum/her...kensuche.phtml

"Ladies head with cloth (scarf) in front of the face, the eyes not covered"

Fr. Ed. Engels

**IanW** · 26th May 2019, 07:07 PM

With the pics Stewie posted, it's obvious what it is meant to be, now, but the partly worn pic on my plane blade is much more Vader-ish than mystic Eastern lady...

Pity, a Darth Vader blade seems much more exciting - it should really cleave wood!

Cheers,

**taz01** · 26th May 2019, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by IanW

With the pics Stewie posted, it's obvious what it is meant to be, now, but the partly worn pic on my plane blade is much more Vader-ish than mystic Eastern lady...

Pity, a Darth Vader blade seems much more exciting - it should really cleave wood!

Cheers,

Maybe you should adopt the Darth symbol for your own hand planes (just don't tell Disney)

**IanW** · 27th May 2019, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by taz01

Maybe you should adopt the Darth symbol for your own hand planes (just don't tell Disney)

Nah, let's keep it local; I think I'd prefer a wallaby with an axe.....

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