In my previous post I mentioned a rather exciting find — a full toolbox of wooden planes, 44 in total. It’s not often that something like this comes along, and even more rarely with the sense of belonging to a single tradesman.
The Toolbox
The box itself had certainly seen better days. The lid and top banding were damaged, and the hasp and padlock had been forced open by a past owner who clearly didn’t have the key. Beneath layers of grime and several coats of dull brown paint, I uncovered a set of initials stencilled onto the box: A.M.
Several of the planes bore the owner’s mark “A. Murray” in a flowing cursive script, while others carried the stamped mark “AHM”. All of this evidence pointed to the toolbox once belonging to a single tradesman — A. Murray — and I couldn’t be more delighted to preserve this collection as it was.
Restoring the Box
I decided early on that I wanted to keep the planes together in the original toolbox, but it needed work. From my own timber stock I made a new lid and top banding, adding gas struts for ease of use. The inside was pretty knocked about, so I gave it a coat of deep gloss red using leftover paint I had on hand.
The outside was more of a challenge — with so many different timbers showing after the repairs, I opted for a mahogany stain finished with a gloss varnish. In hindsight, a lighter stain might have been the better choice, but the end result is still a solid, handsome toolbox worthy of its contents.
The Planes
Alongside the five planes I had purchased separately (but which came from the same box), here’s the full tally of A. Murray’s planes:
- 1 x Fenced Plough Plane
- 2 x Sash Fillisters
- 1 x Standing Fillister
- 7 x Matched Pairs of Hollows & Rounds (no duplicate sizes)
- 2 x Unmatched Rounds
- 8 x Beading Planes (no duplicate sizes)
- 13 x Moulding Planes (all different profiles)
- 1 x Matched Pair of Tongue & Groove Planes
- 2 x Tongue Planes
- 1 x Groove Plane
- 1 x Modified Plane for a V-groove
- 1 x Modified Plane for a 45° bevel
- 1 x Short Rebate Plane (with brass sole)
- 1 x Old Woman’s Tooth Router (missing its blade)
A Testament to A. Murray
Altogether, it’s a remarkable and varied working set, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase. My intention is to keep the toolbox intact as a tribute to A. Murray — a snapshot of a tradesman’s kit from another era.
In future posts, I’ll be taking a closer look at some of these planes individually, but for now it’s enough to say this: what began as a battered old toolbox has turned into one of my most satisfying restorations, and a wonderful connection to a craftsman of the past.