From time to time my plane collection springs a surprise on me. One plane that I had inherited from my father, and which I thought was quite good has turned out to be very good and fairly rare. It is a Bridled Sash Fillister made by Mathieson & Sons in Glasgow. As a bit of a trial of ChatGPT, I decided to look up a description of the plane, so below is a photo of my actual plane and a description courtesy of ChatGPT.
Mathieson Bridled Sash Fillister refers to a specific type of woodworking plane produced by Mathieson & Son, a renowned Scottish manufacturer of woodworking tools.
The “bridled” aspect of the plane refers to its construction, as mentioned earlier. This design feature provides stability and support during use, which can be particularly advantageous when cutting precise joinery, such as rebates or rabbets for window sashes.
The term “sash fillister” indicates the primary function of the plane. It’s designed for cutting rabbets or rebates, which are essential in joinery work, especially for constructing window sashes.
Mathieson & Son was known for producing high-quality woodworking tools, and their bridled sash fillister planes were prized by craftsmen for their precision and durability. These planes would have been essential tools in the arsenal of any serious woodworker or joiner, particularly during the heyday of traditional woodworking craftsmanship.
One of my sources of information on planes is Hans Brunner’s small book on the Mathieson company and in it I found a virtually identical example that he had sold – his information is below:
