Thread: trouble id'ing an infill.

It could be user made going by it's simple lines. Matheson, Spiers and other makers usually had a bit more curves in the metal sides and bun. Metal bodies were sold for those wanting to save a few shillings by doing the infill themselves. I have a plain looking old smoother with no markings that I now think could also be a user made plane. I did think it was Matheson when I picked it up due to the blade and chip breaker being Matheson but after looking at pics on line not so sure now.
Regards
John

Hey John.
I sort of concur. While the infill is absolutely superbly done and 'fitted' perfectly, the lever cap is pretty basic in design and finish.
I just don't have the experience in infills to make a decision.
Might take it to the traditional tools group and see what they think.

Clinton,
It would be good to get some expert opinion on it. Only so far the internet can take you sometimes. Anyhow how does she perform. It's almost ungentleman like to post about a nice old plane like that without the pics of see through thin shavings.
Regards
John

Clinton, did you get any 'expert' opinions on the plane yet?

I stand with John on thinking 'user made'. The rear infill & tote look pretty professional, but the front bun, although very neatly fitted, has not even a hint of a cove or other decoration. The lever cap is also very industrial-looking, which of course has no bearing on how well it does its job.

I reckon you've got the makings of a very nice plane there. It looks like it will take a good deal less effort to spruce up than the basket-case I picked up last year - all I got with mine was a pretty rough chassis & some even rougher infill. No blade & no lever-cap to be seen: CICS 1.jpg

After quite a bit of work, it scrubbed up ok: CS 29.jpg

But whoever tried to finish it the first time around over-did the mouth, & even with a thicker than normal blade, the mouth is a bit wide for this style of plane. However, it works well & is capable of fine shavings, so it was worth the effort to resuscitate.

Cheers,

It's a user-made plane. Can't tell from the picture if it's cast or fabricated but many foundries and dealers sold rough and finished castings for the user to infill and finish off. The plane is overstuffed - meaning the infill extends over the metal sides. Usually this suggests that the plane is an earlier one (say 1870 to 1900, for instance), rather than a later one, but sometimes it just depends on the style that the user wanted to reproduce.

User-made planes are not as valuable, or collectible, than planes made by the more well known "brand" makers (Spiers, Norris, Slater etc.), but many of them are just as well made. Yours looks like a nice one and it should clean up well. Having a Sorby cutting iron is a bonus as they're usually excellent quality.