Coopers Jointer

[Tom McMahon]

I had a question about this plane in a different thread. I thought maybe someone would like to see a better picture. It's a cooper's jointer. It fits into a socket in my bench. It is marked Fred Kroner Hardware Co. and has a L&LG White blade. It is 50" long.

[Jack Camillo]

Now how cool is that!

[Matt Hankins]

Very cool. Usually you see these mounted on an angle with a set of legs or a Y shaped branch set in a hole in the plane to create a tripod. Does your plane have a hole for this set up? I don't see one. Is the placement in your bench your adaptation or was this how the tool was designed?

Matt

[Tom McMahon]

It was designed to be used this way or some way similar. It has a sort of a tenon on the end in the bench.

[Tony Shea]

How sturdy is this setup at the front end with no support? It might benifit from a support leg, if it's not sturdy that is. I really do like the plane and the size is massive. How true was it when you got it and have you had to true the bottom at all yourself? It really is a neat tool and one that could serve to be extremely usefull in my shop. I would find it to be easier to balance a peice of stock on a flat surface such as the plane rather than balancing a long, heavy jointer plane square on the stock edge.

[Tom McMahon]

It is very sturdy. The bench is 36" by 123" and 3.5" thick. The top is birch and the base is 4 by 6 timbers, It's so heavy that it's hard to move alone. There is a peg under the bench that the plane slips around and the tenon is level with the underside of the bench. Here is a picture of the tenon end. When slipped into the bench it does not move at all.

All I did was sharpen the blade and use it.

[Chris Vandiver]

Beautiful plane! I would build a horse for that or at least a support leg. Having it mounted higher on your bench would enable you to joint longer boards. Just a thought.

[Matt Hankins]

Tom,
Is the round end of the slot cut perpendicular to the plane's sole or is it angled?
Matt

[george wilson]

I haven't seen a cooper's jointer like that before. They usually have a bi-pod front leg that fits into a round hole at the front of the body on the top side,so they could use them upside down as coopers usually do,but on a slant. There was also a "traveling cooper's jointer" in use,though,which broke down into 2 pieces so it could be carried about more easily in a basket,like many old carpenters did in the 18th.C..,and maybe later. I'm wondering if it could possibly be half of such a traveling jointer? Normally,the traveling jointer employed a different joint to put it together. Yours looks like they could have used a simpler joint,employing a bolt and wing nut to put it together. I can't tell from the pictures.

I mentioned that French box makers used a horizontally mounted jointer that was used much as we use a modern machine jointer.

I think it is also possible someone could have used the same idea,or invented it independently for use as you are using it,possibly sticking out of their bench.

It is a unique application,but a very handy idea. If they had put a wooden fence on it,it would be a quick and easy way to plane and square up the edges of small pieces of wood,like the sides of drawers.

Other than the jointer,your bench is like the typical English style benches used in the cabinet maker's shop in Williamsburg. Except that theirs have a sliding plank in their tops,under which tools could be stored,and the plank slid back into place,the plank resuming its place as part of the bench's top. Personally,I always thought the sliding plank would be inconvenient to get to on a cluttered bench top. The Williamsburg benches are not quite 2" thick on their tops.

[Tom McMahon]

Matt the slot is perpendicular to the sole.

George there is no evidence of legs ever being attached to the end of the plane opposite of the tenon, if the legs were attached to a missing half of the plane at the other end, it would be sloped the wrong way. when I first got the plane I tried to figure out a way it was used on a slope because I had only seen pictures of them being used on that way.

Many times when I use it I clamp on a temporary fence. Before I built this bench I just put it in the end vise and the edge of the bench became a fence, it's handier this way for small pieces I don't want to run through the power jointer.

[Clay Thigpen]

Just yesterday while in a SC antique mall I came upon one similar to this one but not in as nice of condition. It measured 47" long and was labeled as box plane. I'm trying to decide if I should buy it or not. don't have any pics yet.

[Jamie Bacon]

Just yesterday while in a SC antique mall I came upon one similar to this one but not in as nice of condition. It measured 47" long and was labeled as box plane. I'm trying to decide if I should buy it or not. don't have any pics yet.

I really like the set up Tom has there. If that plane wasn't prohibitively expensive, I'd be all over it. Looks like it could be pretty handy.

Jamie Bacon

[george wilson]

maybe it was one of the type planes I mentioned earlier used by the french for making boxes,only being from a different nationality. Unfortunately,we do not have 18th.C. encyclopedias of trades for England,etc.,just France.

[harry strasil]

My demo Jointer plane. 5ft long, 5 inch wide, 4 inch thick Burr Oak piece salvaged from an old farm corncrib that was torn down, I made the blade from a 3/8" thick, 3.5 inch wide truck spring end, it has a threaded adjuster on the bottom and a 90° fence on the right side. Its elevated because I have a bad back and the stooping over to use a normal Coopers Jointer is hard on me. Its all salvaged wood including the stand.