Tracing the Scottish Roots of My Toolbox Planemakers
A look at how the major Scottish wooden plane makers have interwoven histories with Alexander Mathieson at the centre of it all.
Geoff
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“But There’s More!”
Searching Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree for old hand planes can lead to unexpected tool treasures, hidden collections, and rare vintage finds.
Another Soviet-Origin Plane?
This little block plane has a set of markings that strongly suggest it, too, came from somewhere within the former Soviet sphere.
Where Did It Come From?
In an earlier post I mentioned my sextet of Russian (or rather, supposedly Russian) planes. As I’ve continued to research them, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that the final plane in that group may not be Soviet at all.
A Dual-Purpose Soviet Plane
A single tool, two entirely different roles - Smoother & Scrub Plane - very clever.
Soviet Smoothing Plane
Soviet smoothing plane that seems to borrow design cues from Western makers, but don’t quite follow them exactly.
The Soviet Successor: A Russian Version of the Record 043 Plough Plane
The Record #043 Plough Plane never had a direct Stanley equivalent. However, it did inspire a very close copy from the Soviet Union.
A Russian “Copy” of a Stanley No.1
When these small planes appear for sale online, they’re almost always described as a “Russian copy of a Stanley No.1.”
A Russian No.4 Copy
It seems that no matter where in the world you look, a copy of the ubiquitous Stanley No.4 was sure to appear in the lineup of metal bench planes.
A Russian Sextet
Amongst my collection of woodworking tools, I have six different planes of Russian origin.
Chopsticks
Kakuri brand Hira-Kanna with a 42mm blade, along with a chopstick-making jig and six jarrah blanks ready to be turned into pairs of chopsticks.
Too Good a Buy to Ignore
Just when I was telling myself it was time to rein in the plane buying I found 4 Japanese planes for just $25 in total.