Hutchinson Miter plane

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Does he harden the steel after assimbling?

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

joel

>I can't imagine that in a lifetime or two of use the sides of a mitre plane will wear out and using that tool steel will add any noticable longevity. Certainly not in my lifetime.

I certainly wouldn't use brass, it will score and of course is much more prone to damage than steel. Bronze is ok but certainly it will be more fragile than steel or iron.

However, if you think about it an improved mitre plane has even less bearing surface on it's side than a Stanley Bedrock. The improved pattern wasn't designed for shooting, it was a poorly designed, but sexy modfication to make the mitre plane easier to grasp and use as a smoother. (which is why the originals are so rare).

If you really want an infill plane for a shooting board a traditional box mitre plane is less expensive, and has much more bearing surface.

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

Cameron

>Quote: The improved pattern wasn't designed for shooting, it was a poorly designed, but sexy modfication to make the mitre plane easier to grasp and use as a smoother.

Why poorly designed?

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

joel

>Have you ever used one?

I collect them. And I occasionally use them.

Big mitre planes on a good day are tiring to use

for anything, but in the early part of the 19th century they were the only game in town for metal planes with fine mouths. But just try picking one up pushing it, picking it up again, repeat until whatever needs planing gets planed.

Then fairly early in the 19th century somebody figured out if you added a handle the planes were a lot easier to use. and we find now a decent number of bigger mitre planes where someone added a handle or grips.

And of course in spite of being very good planes due to cost and utility Mitre planes really never took off as a mass woodworking tool.

in the 1830's makers (Towell the earliest known) started adding handles and the bench plane was born. THe early ones were basically mitre planes with a bevel down blade and a handle. but used same construction techniques. By the 1840's Spiers and others were making bench planes in various designs. and in the 1850's the improved mitre shows up. it's lighter than the big box mitres, and it has finger grips - but it never caught on in any quantity and of the larger infill planes the improved mitre is by far the rarest.

HOWEVER, mitre planes were also known sometimes as block planes, and the mitre plane shrank and mutated into a small cast iron block plane that we all know and love, and on the infill side small box mitre planes are pretty common in the latter part of the 19th century. Usually as piano makers planes but also for instrument maker's in general.

Sexy yes - a great looking tool

But Poorly designed:

The finger grips make it easier to pick up but the balance is still way off compared to a smoother or a short panel plane.

Also you end up gripping it from the top, and you can't get the power in the stroke you can with a coffin shape or a normal handle. And it isn't very comfortable to hold that way either as the blade is in the way. (you can't grip it from the back because of the blade overhang)

the sides are greatly reduced so it isn't a great choice for shooting compared to a box mitre, or any parallel sided plane.

It doesn't work better than any of the bevel down smoothers and it's a lot harder to make (getting that superfine mouth, T+Ging the joint)

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Can you tell me more about Darryl Hutchinson? I do not seem to be able to find any information about him. Is he a commercial planemaker?

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane *LINK*

Robin Frierson

>Here is his website. He makes Norris reproductions. I have one of his smoothers, the A13 and its a wonderful plane.


Hutchinson Planes

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

Cameron

>Mitre planes, in general, are not used to the same extent as bench planes and are, more or less, specialty planes. Picking up and putting down any heavy plane takes it's toll on the worker by the end of the day.

Also the cost of infill planes was quite high and if a woodworker could get by without having to buy a mitre plane - box or improved - then the money was best spent elsewhere.

Even though there are many more bench planes than mitre planes there's still quite a few of the mitres out there if you count them all up. Also, as they were known as pianoforte and instrument makers planes it would make sense that their usage would be, more or less, confined to a few select and exclusive trades, rather than the more mainstream woodworking trades.

They might not feel quite "right" to everyone (due to the lack of handles) but it's not their intended purpose to be used as a general use plane. I should also add that the power of the stroke when using a properly tuned mitre plane is not an issue as the plane has it's own "balance" and is mainly used for fine trimming rather than rough planing. With their thick blades supported almost right to the edge by the bed of the plane, blade chatter is kept to a minimum. What they do, they do well.

The recesses at the heel of the improved mitre also make it easy to "shoot" the plane on it's side - a lot easier than a bench plane. The lack of side wall "meat" isn't really an issue as there's still plenty there to keep the plane square. Plus not having a typical bench plane type handle helps with the balance while shooting.

Re: Hutchinson Miter plane

Cameron

>I should have added that yes, I do use mitre planes and have done so for a while now.

Re: Mitre planes (long)

joel

>"The recesses at the heel of the improved mitre also make it easy to "shoot" the plane on it's side - a lot easier than a bench plane. The lack of side wall "meat" isn't really an issue as there's still plenty there to keep the plane square. Plus not having a typical bench plane type handle helps with the balance while shooting. "

This I totally don't understand to the point I pulled out a spiers box mitre, a spiers improved mitre, and a chute board plane (stanley 52 the only chute board I have) and a regular #5 and a short Norris panel plane (13 1.2") and tried them on a shooting board.

For the box mitre the only grip was on the side wall between lever cap and front bun. (obviously one hand it holding the work against the shooting board fence). Not very comfortable but it works well.

For the improved mitre the only grip was also on the side wall between lever cap and front bun I could not figure out for the life of me how you are gripping the plane from the recesses and holding it tight against a fence. Only one side is accessible, the bottom side is against the shooting board with no clearance for grasping. My improved mitre is a very early one with not very pronounced indentations, but I still don't see how it's done. Hand pressure would be too far back if I could even get a grip. Maybe it has to do with the geometry of my shooting board? Can you post a picture????

The panel plane worked fine (as does a stock stanley bench plane) the handle weight is tiny compared to the total weight of the metal body. But the chute board plane with it's angled handle is a pure pleasure (and what I use).

Note: Wooden plane makers did offer specific chute board planes in both wood and wood with steel soles and a finger hook for pushing the plane but I have never seen one outside a catalog.

"Even though there are many more bench planes than mitre planes there's still quite a few of the mitres out there if you count them all up. Also, as they were known as pianoforte and instrument makers planes it would make sense that their usage would be, more or less, confined to a few select and exclusive trades, rather than the more mainstream woodworking trades. "

The English mitre planes made for the instrument makers market are by and large significantly smaller than the pre-1850's mitre planes. The instrument makers mitre planes are all designed to be used with one hand. And were all box mitres or American variations of them. There are exceptions. Of I think 2 A11's (norris's adjustable imporved mitre) I can recall ever being sold at a Stanley auction 1 I know for sure belonged to and was custom made for, a harpsicord maker but that wasn't a stock Norris A11 - sort of a mix between box and improved and IIRC not huge.

The pianoforte planes are certainly too narrow to be used as shooting planes. And if you recall my point was that the improved plane was less suitable for shooting than a box mitre not that the planes were never used for anything and in general the planes weren't popular for shooting once bench planes became popular. And that the improved design was never really successfull for anything.

THe number of post 1850's surviving mitres is miniscule compared to post 1850's bench planes and infill bench planes. In other words when your average successful late 19th century woodworker decided to splurge on an infill, bench planes, shoulder planes, rabbet planes, chariot planes, and thumb planes were a more popular choice than any type of mitre plane.

The overwhelming number of large English mitre planes that have survived are pre-1860.

note: The most single popular post 1860 mitre plane is of course the Stanley #9 which supposibly was for instrument makers. but it's wide and big, wasn't too popular but Stanley also made the famous hotdog handle for it so you could grasp it easily and use it on a shooting board.

Re: Mitre planes (long)

Cameron

>Erm, typically you hold the plane on it's side with your hand over the blade and your thumb locked over and resting on the sole. Your index finger rests in the recess or, alternatively, you can hold it out in alignment with the plane. For very light work you can rest your thumb in the recess but obviously this requires a different hold on the actual plane and is only suitable for really light cuts on smaller pieces. You can also use the lever cap screw or the plane wedge (on older models) as a grip.

I'm not disputing the values of the number 52. This is a purpose-built plane and is excellent for shooting. It's also very comfortable to use as well. I'm not saying there aren't better alternatives (because there are). I'm just saying that the mitres "hold their own" in my opinion.

Whether they're box mitres or improved mitres I can't say there's a heck of a lot of difference in using them. For me anyway. Maybe they're just not suitable for you, feel wise. That's not a problem at all, as everyone has different needs when it comes to the ergonomics of planes.