Is this a badger plane?

Re: Is this a badger plane?

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>Hello Kevin,

don't know if its a badger plane or not, but you most certainly do need at least one of these planes!

And if you can pick up both for a reasonable price (i.e. cheap), then I'll seriously consider buying one of them from you for a small margin.

cheers

Angus Barclay

I'm a user, not a collector.

I'm a user, not a collector.

I'm a user, not a collector.

repeat enough and SWMBO may believe it.

I'm a user, not a collector . . .

Does it look like this?  *LINK*

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>


A badger plane

Re: Does it look like this?

Kevin F, New Zealand

>Yes, it does look like this. Now I just need somebody to tell me what to use it for. Is it just a huge rabbet/rebate plane? Or is there more to it?

When we know I'll go into your other questions, Angus.

Cheers

Kevin

Re: Does it look like this?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Paul Womack says it's a great plane for panel raising.

Pam

Re: Does it look like this?

William on the Cohansey

>Mine has a nicker and a depth stop, which makes even more sense for the panel raising function.

Re: Does it look like this?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Sounds reasonable to me. Have you done any panel raising with yours?

Pam

Yup

Andrew F in Australia

>Hi Kevin,

Historically, big rebates, such as a door frame, etc... were roughed out then cleaned up with a badger

The skewed blade also works well on cross grain - raises panels very easily

Cheers,

Andrew

Re: Does it look like this?

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>No, it needs some serious restoration work, and it's way down on the list.

Re: Does it look like this?

glh

>Graham Blackburn has two videos (Fine Woodworking) on Frame and Panel construction. In one of those (I think it's number 2.) he demonstrates how to raise a panel. Although he used a panel raiser for the complete panel, he did mention other hand tool methods and one of those involved the use of a badger. As I recall, I think he cleaned up the upper part of the panel with a shoulder plane. He only illustrated using the badger on one long grain side of the panel. I'm not sure how well it would work on the cross grain sides.

Re: Does it look like this?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Since the blade is skewed, it should work on cross grain; but I don't know, haven't tried one. In my search for a panel raiser that ended with a Robbins molded raiser, I found that Tony Murland and Andy Stephens had 3 or 4, but no badgers. The ones they had were fenced and knickered but flat on the bottom. Probably a shoulder plane would be a good way to clean up the steps.

Pam

I may have one!

glh

>You know, I may have one of these planes and didn't know it. About 3 years ago I bought a wooden plane from an antique dealer for about $15. My plane looks very similar to the pic above except the shavings on my plane are directed out the side rather than the top. The plane is about 15" long, has a skewed blade, and the mouth extends across the sole. I figured it was a big rabbit. (Maybe that's what a badger is?) I've never done anything with it other than clean it a little and try to sell it in my wife's antique booth. Someone had varnished it and it looked awful. I brought it home a few months ago and I think I'll look over it again this weekend.

or. . . . . .

Andrew F in Australia

>Sounds like either a rebate plane or a spill plane, but I've been wrong before.

Have to run..

Cheers,

Andrew

Thanks for responses - but why badger?

Kevin F, New Zealand

>Thanks for all your responses. I can see that I really do "need" to get one of these planes (and one for Angus). It would certainly be more comfortable to use than many other rabbet planes.

It seems to me it might also be good for shooting end grain, with the skewed blade. But it would need to be guided by the left (non-rabbet) side, leading to overall left-handed operation. And then the skewedness would tend to lift it away from the base of the shooting board, rather than pressing it against the guide batten as in planing a rabbet.

Nobody has yet shed any light on the reason for the name "badger". Any ideas?

Angus, it will be a few weeks before I can get back to the shop where I saw these planes. I wasn't taking too much notice of the price, since I didn't know if I was interested, but I think it might have been in the $NZ20 - 40 range. Can you confirm whether you definitely want one. Condition was useable, after sharpening.

Cheers

Kevin

Re:

glh

>But how will I know, how will I tell?

why badger?

Ed Mulligan, Cape Cod

>Kevin -

From R.A. Salaman, in his 'Dictionary of Woodworking Tools':

'Planes are said to be 'badgered' or 'badger-mouthed' (in Scotland 'skew' or 'badger-eyed') if they have skewed irons.According to the late Mr. A. Collier (Brixton, 1947), this plane took its name from the a London planemaker named Charles Badger, who was a member of the firm of Badger & Galpin, of No. 1 Stargate, Lambeth, in 1863.'

I asked my shopmate, a trained Scottish cabinetmaker, about the reference to 'badger-eyed'. He is unfamiliar with the term.

Ed

Re: why badger?

Kevin F, New Zealand

>Thanks Ed. And here I was trying to picture a connection with the shy furry animal with a striped face!

Cheers

Kevin

Re: Thanks for responses - but why badger?

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>Hello Kevin,

yep, at $20-$40 you can count me in for one of these. Usable condition is good. I'm a user, not a collector . . .

regards

Angus Barclay

Re: why badger?

William Duffield on the Cohansey

>A badger is a large weasel. Harvey is a large rabbit :^S

Harvey? (over my head)

Kevin F, New Zealand

>

If you can, post a picture glh

Andrewf in Australia

>

Re: Harvey? (over my head)

William Duffield on the Cohansey

>It's an allusion to a classic (1950) Jimmy Stewart movie, titled Harvey, no less, with a six foot tall rabbit that only the protagonist could see.

Re: Re:If you can, post a picture glh

glh

>It may be a while but I will see if my daughter will bring her's next time she comes home. I don't have one and really am ignorant of digital cameras, scanners, and such. I have enough trouble using an automatic camera. However, I am interested in knowing what this plane is. It might be a homemade job (no manufactor's name). Perhaps, it's a cross between a rabbit and a badger--could call it a racoon or squirrel, I guess.

The term "badger" presents a problem. It seems most planes are named for the cuts they are designed to make or the function they serve (e.g. block, smoother, jointer, rabbit (rebate), etc...). I don't think the badger has anything to do with cutting up badgers, and I've never heard of a badger cut, as in "just cut a badger 3/4" wide and 3/8" deep along the edge." I'm pretty sure there are other exceptions, but I find it hard to connect "badger" with working wood. Maybe it's just an extremely aggressive cutter little fellow that will take your fingers off in a second if you abuse it.

Re: I may have one!

Jim Crammond in Monroe, Mi

>glh,

From your description, I'd say your plane is a handled rabbet plane. In looking at a couple of old plane company catalogues, I found several examples of handled rabbets that are similar to yours. They came with or without knickers and there were options of handle placement(accross the width of the plane).

I think these planes were used by carpenters, timberframers, shipbuilders, etc. who were working on timbers rather than something on a furniture scale.

Jim Crammond

Re:

glh

>I think you may be right. I can't recall right now, but I do believe there is a slot for a nicker, but the nicker is missing.