Origin of "coffin" shape

[Graham Hughes (CA)]

Good Western woodies are shockingly, shockingly sophisticated beasts. I have three coffin smoothers that I use on a regular basis, and have my favorite among them, but I have no idea why I like it so much. Larry Williams has documented dozens of small features that disappeared in the 19th century to make manufacturing cheaper, but bench planes are at least as sophisticated. And there are still design features that they put in their planes that are unclear, but were exceedingly common in period; the one I know of is offset handles on bench planes (which I personally dislike because I'm ambidextrous and frequently find it easier to switch hands than pick the piece up and reverse it).

[george wilson]

Are you taking about 18th.C. bench planes with offset handles,Graham? I put up a post a few weeks ago about an 18th.C. jack plane with an offset handle that I had made. In Elizabethan times the handles were flush with the side of the plane.

It was so you could catch the handle in the web of the thumb,and not get carpal tunnel grasping the handle in the usual way we do today. The handle began to move towards the middle of the plane in an evolutionary sort of way till it reached the center.

[Graham Hughes (CA)]

Are you taking about 18th.C. bench planes with offset handles,Graham? I put up a post a few weeks ago about an 18th.C. jack plane with an offset handle that I had made. In Elizabethan times the handles were flush with the side of the plane.

It was so you could catch the handle in the web of the thumb,and not get carpal tunnel grasping the handle in the usual way we do today. The handle began to move towards the middle of the plane in an evolutionary sort of way till it reached the center.

I did just notice that recently. I've never really noticed that I have that problem myself, but then I do switch hands with regularity. Thank you! I'll have to play around with it some.