John Bell handplane....

3/20/06, 4:25 PM #1

Ed DeLauter
Guest

John Bell handplane....

Ed DeLauter

>Hello,

My father sent me a John Bell (Philadelphia) tongue making plane for my birthday. He picked it up at a southern Pennsylvannia auction.

It has ivory wear strips on the bed and side of the fence. This thing

is fairly large: 1 5/8" iron width that makes about a 5/8" tongue.

The fence has threaded arms and a Butcher (Sheffield) tapered iron.

I am wondering what it's application would of been. My only idea is

making tongue and groove flooring on thick planks.

Any information about the planemaker or plane itself would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Ed DeLauter

edthetermite@yahoo.com

Re: John Bell handplane....

3/20/06, 5:41 PM #2

Todd Hughes
Guest

Re: John Bell handplane....

Todd Hughes

>You nailed it pretty well is a plane called a plank plane and would have been one plane in a set of two tongue and groove planes.

John Bell worked from 1829-51. Made a lot of planes during this time and today his planes are pretty common, I see a good many ,probably the most common Phila plane I come across.

....Are you sure the wear strips are ivory and not box wood? I would think it would be very unusual to see ivory wear strips on a plane like this though I guess some one could have added it later. Are they inletted in like box wood ones normaly are or just screwed on?.... To bad you don't have the matching plane as this really affects the desirabilty of the plane....wonder if it got sold at the auction?.....Todd

Re: John Bell handplane....

3/23/06, 12:48 AM #3

Ed DeLauter
Guest

Re: John Bell handplane....

Ed DeLauter

>Todd,

The ivory (?) is screwed on with small screws. The strips have

the color of aged ivory and is not as yellow as boxwood should

be.

I also misquoted the tongue size, it is 5/16 not 5/8's.

-Ed

John Bell handplane....

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