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1st April 2018, 04:46 PM #1
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has anyone heard of this antique plane iron manufacturer.
Hi,
I have and antique wooden bench plane that I love using but would like to determine roughly how old it is. According to the stamped letters on the front of the plane's wooden body it was made by W. Greenslade of Bristol, and also shows it was a winner of the Paris, London, Dublin, and Melbourne exhibitions. I found a website that said W. Greenslade & Co made wooden planes from 1828 to 1847, but I know the very first Melbourne Exhibition was held in 1880 so, going by the Greenslade stamp alone it is difficult to draw any conclusions regarding it's date of manufacture. The plane iron is of a beautiful heavy cast steel and the logo cast into it says "W.S. Howard, Warranted Cast Steel, Sheffield". I have googled for info on W.S.Howard plane irons but have had no luck. Has anyone heard of W.S. Howard or know anything about the history of plane iron manufacturers?
It is nice to own an old tool but it is even better if you can determine how old it is and learn a little about the history of the people who made it.
Regards,
redx
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1st April 2018, 07:18 PM #2
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Hi Redx,
There is a old tools preservation society that has been mentioned previously on the Forum .... maybe a good place to refer the enigma
regards
Rob
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1st April 2018, 07:21 PM #3
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Well, on cleaning the plane iron further I've found the name of the manufacturer is in fact "James Howarth", which I somehow mistakenly read as "W.S. Howard". Having the correct name made it easier to find information and photos about the Howarth company in Sheffield who were manufacturers of a large variety of edge tools. I am wondering now if my Greenslade bench plane was originally sold with the Howarth plane iron, or has the original iron been lost and replaced with the Howarth iron?
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1st April 2018, 08:20 PM #4
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Thanks Rob, I'll check it out.
Originally Posted by Tahlee
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2nd April 2018, 08:03 PM #5
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There is a succession of Greenslades of Bristol, no doubt related.
Considering your plane mentions the Melbourne exhibition its likely it was made by EA & W Greenslade who was in production from 1847-1937. James Howarth was in production from around 1872- 1939, so that crossover fits.
Would have to actually look at the plane to get any closer estimate and someone from one of the clubs may be able to help further.
Cheers
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