Help with plane ID

[johnnyrsa]

Anyone know what plane this is? Or whats left of it..
I don't have any other info about them except for the 2 photos below the seller sent me. Could it be a Spiers or Preston?

[TobyC]

"Peter McBride, you're needed at the front desk"

[Vann]

Wow, just a light rub with linseed oil, a quick hone of the iron, and you're away....

But seriously, I suppose that's one way to pick up a cheap infill. I don't think I'd have the skills to do that justice.

Cheers, Vann.

[IanW]

Wow, just a light rub with linseed oil, a quick hone of the iron, and you're away....

Yairs, that's about all it will take. After the 6 weeks of painstaking restoration.

It always grieves me that tools can get into this state - you'd think someone with a bit of respect for hardware would have recued the poor thing before it got this far - we need an RSPCT!

Anways, getting serious, as long as you can move that lever cap screw, you've got a start on an infill, whoever built it originally. Is the body gunmetal or steel? Doesn't look very corroded, which is why I ask. I'm intrigued by the rear rivet, which appears to have been crudely peined, & not smoothed off, while all the other rivets are perfect. P'raps someone had a go at fixing a loose or busted tote and botched it, then just gave up on the whole thing? I also wonder how the woodwork came to disappear - did it rot out, or was it in a fire? If the latter, let's hope the sole isn't warped...

Quite a bit of work to bring her back to life, but a great challenge for someone with the skills & time on their hands. Lots of time.......

Cheers,

[hiroller]

I guess you have 2 options.
You could cut slots in the infill and slide them in over the pins.
Or cut the pins and fit new ones through the infill.
Sounds like a nice project!

[lightwood]

Anyone know what plane this is? Or whats left of it..
I don't have any other info about them except for the 2 photos below the seller sent me. Could it be a Spiers or Preston?

Jonny,
It doesn't have the kind of "fingerprints" expected from any commercial maker I know...but I did see an infill plane last night with a stamp of a maker I've seen before...(Trade**** tools, Glasgow)...Very unusual plane style it was...However, unless you see a Spiers or a Preston mark on that lever cap, it isn't one I've ever seen by one of those makers.

What happened between "This plane isn't working any more....and what is in those pictures is a long, long way.
IanW might have the answer, a fire...black deposits on the brass???...but it looks to me like a restoration that got too difficult and was abandoned.

Planes in that kind of condition have very little monetary value, too few people have the interest or skill to get it up and going, so there isn't much competition in the market place, at least in the Melbourne, Australia market place.
Not too long ago I paid about $50.00 for a cast panel plane, with a really nice side profile, with a blade set there still, and still with some wood in it.

Since that one is a parallel sided plane, the infill is far easier to do than a coffin shaped plane. A few critical dimensions will need to be right for the blade set, throat opening and lever to work well. But there are solutions to those issues if you need them anyhow.

I know with me, the experience I had with the first couple of planes I restored took lots of time, and provided plenty of interest, and lots of entertainment as I did them....Cost effective??...hell, no...and... hell, YES.
You won't know a plane better than the one you struggle to restore and tune up yourself!
I would encourage you, if you are interested, to purchase a plane like that, and restore it. You will learn more about infill planes by doing that, than you can by reading all the books, looking at web-pages, and listening to people who know all about planes. It will be your own experience, and you will get a taste of what infill plane making was more than a couple of generations ago. (for me, that is great value in the time I spend restoring and making tools)

If you need a helping hand, this forum is the place where help will be readily given. The pitfalls to avoid, the key dimensions and angles are pretty much known by a few here who have done it.

In short, if it is good value to YOU...go for it.
If you are thinking it's a path to making a bit of cash on the side...forget it,
All those years ago doing my first infill restoration was a VERY exiting time for me, and I can readily recommend it to you!

Regards,
Peter
Plane making and restoring

[IanW]

Yep, :whs

If you've got the time & the skills (or prepared to learn them), this could be the start of something big (a big addiction to planes! ), and a lot of pleasant hours, plus the odd expletive.

Peter is the go-to source of advice (so always take his before mine ), but I think the only way to replace the infill satisfactorily will be to have those remaining rivets out. You almost certainly won't be able to re-use the existing rivets, but keep the sleeves, which act as spacers & prevent pinching of the sides when peining in new ones.

Go for it!
Cheers,

[johnnyrsa]

Thanks guys, I'm going to try and go see the guy today and find out how much he wants for it. Hopefully not a ridiculous amount. I think it would make a nice restoration project for me, hopefully he still has the blade somewhere.. Will report back later.

[johnnyrsa]

ok I went and bought it for almost nothing, it's marked "Preston & Sons" on the lever cap.

[scrounger]

now that's what I call a project , please keep us updated on the restoration.

[planemaker]

ok I went and bought it for almost nothing, it's marked "Preston & Sons" on the lever cap.

Could be 1 of these infil planes.

Edward Preston & Sons 1901 Catalog | Handplane Central

Stewie;

[hiroller]

Nice find.
Could be one of theses:

[planemaker]

Nice find.
Could be one of theses:

Me thinks that's the one.

[johnnyrsa]

Interesting.. wonder how rare it is. I've been on the road the whole day so I haven't had time to check it out properly, make me sad to see a nice plane like this neglected so much. It's pretty bad but not entirely unrestorable, gonna take me quite a while and I'll need a lot of advice from you guys.

[lightwood]

Me thinks that's the one.

There are a few other differences that I wouldn't expect to see on a Preston.
Stating at the rear, the side profile appears to go straight then drops down before rising up to the lever pivot hump.
That screw hole up through the iron base at the back is another thing that commercial makers didn't do. (on a couple of later cast iron Norris planes, there is a screw through a tab that angled up and supported the bottom of the handle)
Given the condition of the plane, they might be modifications done during an attempt at renovation....one top front corner is square and the other rounded!

On Page 93 of the 1909 Preston catalogue there are plane levers for sale. I've seen those in user made planes, but the ones I've seen that I know where Preston had the EP logo on the back only.
There are some Preston planes that were unmarked also. It seems Preston, like many makers, subcontracted the plane making out.
In that Catalogue on line, the "London Pattern" planes are Norris, or made perhaps by the person who made them for Norris...more questions than answers.
It is quite possible Jonny's is a Preston, but it isn't like one in any catalogue I've seen, but that isn't the final say anyhow.
Jonny, does yours have this stamped on the lever-cap??



Preston also made a real odd ball cast iron smoother #1354 (cast brass ones have been seen like it also)


Regards,
Peter