Thread: Marples Tools Resource?

Hi Sean,

This family tree was published in "Some 19th Century Woodworking Tools by Kenneth D Roberts"



Complicated succession of mergers take-overs, somewhat typical of the period.

Regards
Ray

Ahh, the two different Marples, not to be confused... .

I bought a William Marples cutting gauge last month from Tilgear in UK (can't afford Clenton). Nice except for the bright yellow plastic screw. Also the cutter was very blunt and couldn't be used straight out of the box. But I digress...

I've recently acquired a box of seven planes on Trademe (I was after three Record planes). Included is a very nice Marples (William Marples) plane, almost new, never been sharpened, and only the lightest surface rust on the business end of the iron. 2 1/4" iron x 17" long. Beech. No borer. Paper label still on the side. Marred only by some hammer marks on the leading end.

I don't know anything about W. Marples either. Does anyone know what the 'BB' on the label means? I'm assuming it's their economy range or something similar.

Cheers, Vann.

Does anyone know what the 'BB' on the label means?

Judging from the 'family tree' (thanks RayG ), how about Blatantly Byzantine?

I think the BB Marples planes are from the 60's......I've got no real evidence of that, it's just a hunch based on how old the blades look when I get them.

One day a catalogue will fall from the sky (Trademe, garage sale or secondhand store are a chance too) and all will be revealed.

Originally Posted by seanz

Judging from the 'family tree' (thanks RayG ), how about Blatantly Byzantine?

I think the BB Marples planes are from the 60's......I've got no real evidence of that, it's just a hunch based on how old the blades look when I get them.

One day a catalogue will fall from the sky (Trademe, garage sale or secondhand store are a chance too) and all will be revealed.

seanz,
BB = Best Beech, pretty sure it is on the label...
Here is a copy of a copy of the first page in the Marples Catalog, from about the 1950's I think.
Regards,
Peter

1) There are William Marples catalogues around. The 1909 was reprinted by M-WTCA / EAIA in 1979, 270+ pages of the products they made and also merchanted. This is available pretty often from second hand booksellers. There are a couple on http://www.abebooks.com at present for a lot more than I paid. There is also an original 1938 catalogue. Earlier catalogues are probably rather rare, and there were a few after WW2.

2. In 1962 Marples was sold 50:50 to C & J Hampton Ltd (Record brand) and Ridgway & Sons Ltd; approaching 1979 those two companies merged to become Record Ridgway Tools and Marples disappeared as a separate organisation.

3. BB is the 'economy line' in the 1960s at the fag end of wooden plane production. I have a 3 iron drawer bottom grooving plane from this period. Marples planes sell pretty cheaply and are probably good buying as users.


Cheers
Peter

Thanks Peter....seems I've got a few to go before I've got the full set.

Originally Posted by seanz

Thanks Peter....seems I've got a few to go before I've got the full set.

seanz,
there is another page of them
Here is a plough, was on my FS page for a about a year, no takes for it back then....
Regards,
Peter

Originally Posted by Vann

Ahh, the two different Marples, not to be confused... .

I bought a William Marples cutting gauge last month from Tilgear in UK (can't afford Clenton). Nice except for the bright yellow plastic screw. Also the cutter was very blunt and couldn't be used straight out of the box. But I digress...

Cheers, Vann.

Umm... I'm confused, the gauge I would have thought would have to be Joseph Marples, not William Marples, did it have the clover leaf logo?

As far as I know, Joseph Marples is still kicking along selling marking gauges and such....

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by lightwood

seanz,
BB = Best Beech, pretty sure it is on the label...
Here is a copy of a copy of the first page in the Marples Catalog, from about the 1950's I think.
Regards,
Peter

Yes, Best Beech....and also, on another BB label, British Beech......for when it wasn't their best beech but at least it was British.

That's a lovely lot of tools you have on your site......wish I'd found it last year.

Originally Posted by Heavansabove

1) There are William Marples catalogues around. The 1909 was reprinted by M-WTCA / EAIA in 1979, 270+ pages of the products they made and also merchanted. This is available pretty often from second hand booksellers. There are a couple on http://www.abebooks.com at present for a lot more than I paid. There is also an original 1938 catalogue. Earlier catalogues are probably rather rare, and there were a few after WW2.

2. In 1962 Marples was sold 50:50 to C & J Hampton Ltd (Record brand) and Ridgway & Sons Ltd; approaching 1979 those two companies merged to become Record Ridgway Tools and Marples disappeared as a separate organisation.

3. BB is the 'economy line' in the 1960s at the fag end of wooden plane production. I have a 3 iron drawer bottom grooving plane from this period. Marples planes sell pretty cheaply and are probably good buying as users.


Cheers
Peter

I'm aghast! Surely you mean "Quality planes produced at the apex of wooden plane production technique"? No? Oh well..........

They do make good user planes and are fun to play with and get the hang of wood plane set-up......sort of a gateway plane.

Thanks for the write-up too.....so 1962 was the beginning of the end? Strange, when you think about it, ECE is still going and HNT Gordon keeps showing up on international tool sites yet one of the originals couldn't keep producing.

I doubt it applies to the old marples but there used to be a difference between British Made and Made in Britain.
The former could have been made in any country under British control.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by RayG

Umm... I'm confused, the gauge I would have thought would have to be Joseph Marples, not William Marples, did it have the clover leaf logo?

As far as I know, Joseph Marples is still kicking along selling marking gauges and such....

Daggnabit, now I've confused myself. Yes you're right, it's a Joseph Marples - No.4 beech cutting gauge.

I do have a (presumably) William Marples No. 2050 marking gauge that I bought in the 1970s (I obviously haven't used it enough as I can still just make out the number )

And thanks guys, for the info on the BB planes, and the page from the catalogue. Mine looks to be the 17" x 2 1/4" open handle double iron Jack Plane.

Cheers, Vann