sumu
15th January 2010, 05:10 AM
Hello,
Some time ago I found an interesting plane iron. It was made by Billnäs Bruk (http://billnas.fi/en/index.html) in Finland. So far, it is the only specimen of it's kind I've seen.
After some searching, I found a patent document (http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=FI&NR=13022A&KC=A&FT=D&date=19300822&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP) from Esp@cenet archives. (In the case link does not work, the patent number is FI 13022, and the Date of publication is 22. Aug. 1930.)
There is basically three parts, and a nut and a bolt keeping parts together. The blade bed is machined (looks like it). The chipbreaker is punched from a steel sheet and then bent and grinded into shape. Both of these seem to be made of usual low carbon steel alloy.
The blade is really interesting. It is reversible, having two edges with bevels on the same side of the blade. This blade is clearly made of something else than carbon steel. My best guess is that it is some special high carbon tungsten-vanadium-chromium alloy of the era, one of those fancy early tool steels there was around during '30's. Might be even tool steel made by Poldi. Anyway, one could say it's a real tool-yuppie steel of it's age.
The chipbreaker has a grip to the blade bed in the upper end of the package. This system is ment to operate so that by loosening the screw and moving it, blade slides in between the chipbreaker and blade bed. That is how the distance between blade edge and chipbreaker edge is adjusted. Otherwise it works as a common wooden plane iron.
To be honest, it seems to be not that convenient or practical to use. I am truly wondering what went through the minds of Billnäs/Fiskars factorymen when they invested in the production of such a piece. For a plane iron, it has surely been quite complicated to manufacture, and that tool steel blade has been expensive stuff.
Perhaps it was something like that Fiskars wanted to see what's Billnäs good for, and therefore tested out all possible fields of markets and manufacturing methods for everyday tools. Could be there was a certain room for more peculiar inventions, too.
But as a piece of history of hand tools, I think it really has a rightful place there.
At least I would say there is even more delightful mousetraps around, too. Like Stanley 55. :)
Kippis,
Sumu
Some time ago I found an interesting plane iron. It was made by Billnäs Bruk (http://billnas.fi/en/index.html) in Finland. So far, it is the only specimen of it's kind I've seen.
After some searching, I found a patent document (http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=FI&NR=13022A&KC=A&FT=D&date=19300822&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP) from Esp@cenet archives. (In the case link does not work, the patent number is FI 13022, and the Date of publication is 22. Aug. 1930.)
There is basically three parts, and a nut and a bolt keeping parts together. The blade bed is machined (looks like it). The chipbreaker is punched from a steel sheet and then bent and grinded into shape. Both of these seem to be made of usual low carbon steel alloy.
The blade is really interesting. It is reversible, having two edges with bevels on the same side of the blade. This blade is clearly made of something else than carbon steel. My best guess is that it is some special high carbon tungsten-vanadium-chromium alloy of the era, one of those fancy early tool steels there was around during '30's. Might be even tool steel made by Poldi. Anyway, one could say it's a real tool-yuppie steel of it's age.
The chipbreaker has a grip to the blade bed in the upper end of the package. This system is ment to operate so that by loosening the screw and moving it, blade slides in between the chipbreaker and blade bed. That is how the distance between blade edge and chipbreaker edge is adjusted. Otherwise it works as a common wooden plane iron.
To be honest, it seems to be not that convenient or practical to use. I am truly wondering what went through the minds of Billnäs/Fiskars factorymen when they invested in the production of such a piece. For a plane iron, it has surely been quite complicated to manufacture, and that tool steel blade has been expensive stuff.
Perhaps it was something like that Fiskars wanted to see what's Billnäs good for, and therefore tested out all possible fields of markets and manufacturing methods for everyday tools. Could be there was a certain room for more peculiar inventions, too.
But as a piece of history of hand tools, I think it really has a rightful place there.
At least I would say there is even more delightful mousetraps around, too. Like Stanley 55. :)
Kippis,
Sumu