Old European Plane - What can you tell me about it?

[Dan Duperron]

Neander-brothers (and sisters),

Commercial real-estate prices must be low out here in the country, because a nearby town sure has a lot of 'antique' (mostly junque) stores. My wife and I will stop in one now and then to poke around, sometimes find interesting stuff. Last fall I picked up an old small wooden plane because it was all there and looked interesting. It was improperly assembled, to me a tell-tale sign of a seller who doesn't know anything about planes. Yep, the iron was in upside-down (bevel up). Once I straightened that out I found other than the blade being snug in the throat everything fit properly, and the wedge is in great shape. So I laid down my $18 and walked out with it.

I'd like to give it a light clean, true up the sole a tad, sharpen it and see how she cuts. But before I do that I feel like I should learn a bit more about it. I don't think any 'collector' would want it, because at some point one side of the wood had a run-in with something caustic and there is some cosmetic damage. Googling on the name on the iron and body don't result in much. The only page I found that seemed to have information on the maker of the iron was in German, and Google Translate is OK, but not great. I'm thinking the iron was made by one firm and the body by another, probably common practice. It has a double iron, which I find interesting, and the iron looks forged to me. There is a very distinctive emblem of two chickens (roosters I suppose) on the iron.

Below are some pictures. Any experts here on European planes? I'd love to know the approximate age, anything about the maker of the body or blade, etc. I figure for $18 if it works at all I got a fair deal, but if someone thinks this is some rare collector thing I shouldn't mess with tell me now before I make it a user.

I don't know much about wooden planes, and nothing about old European planes, and really don't even know what I don't know. So whatever you know, or think you know, lay it on me.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Top-Side-View.jpgAll the Pieces.jpgSide View - Copy.jpgEnd View.JPGIron Detail.jpg

[John Vernier]

Not much for the plane itself, I'm afraid. French. The body is marked "VRAI CORMIER" or true cormier which is the type of wood, a very hard wood used for higher quality tools. Garanti is just guaranteed or warranted, the GR is the only indication of the maker of the plane body. 38 is probably the nominal blade width in mm.

The blade is by Coulaux et Compagnie (and company); Google results for Coulaux & co suggest they were a major edge tool company in Klingenthal, near Strasbourg in Alsace, and produced military swords as well as tools, 1801-1962. This source:

http://www.klingenthal.fr/anglais_2_a.htm

suggests the mark Coulaux and Company dates between 1840 - 1925. Most of the info which came up on my quick search seems to relate to sword manufacture, which figures - militaria collectors like to dig deep.

Acier Fondu is cast steel.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

38 is probably the nominal blade width in mm.

Maybe just a model number relating to a catalog too. France's adoption of the metric system was a little iffy in the early 19th century I think. At least wiki agreed with my sketchy memory on that anyhow.

[John Vernier]

Well, it would be easy enough to check, measure the blade width. I've handled enough European tools to say that mm markings are commonplace and go way back.

An interesting detail of the plane is that the cap iron is not attached to the blade. A while ago Benchcrafted posted a price list from Pierre Feron / A la Forge Royale, Paris, dated 1949. Plane prices are listed as "with simple counter-irons," and there is a note that irons with short screws cost 80 francs extra, and long screws 180 francs extra. Short screws would be the type of attachment we are used to on American/English planes. Long screws refers to a system where the cap iron is attached with a screw in line with the blade, which allows the cap iron to be adjusted by turning the screw. I have an Italian plane with a blade like this, which isn't fit to use, which is a pity because it seems like a good idea. I don't know how common they were.

The price list, amazingly all hand lettered even in 1949, then presumably offset-printed:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5z-...l2OGVpVVk/edit

Worth noting that in this price list, planes mostly are listed with four options for the wood used, of which Cormier is the most expensive. Also, planes listed by width in mm.

[Kees Heiden]

That's a very French plane indeed! The shape is typical French, all the markings of course, the cormier wood (service tree in English) and the capiron without the screw!

Not a valuable plane, but interesting nonetheless.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

John, how old do you think this plane is?

[Dan Duperron]

Well, I know the suspense is killing y'all, so I measured the width of the iron with my handy metric ruler. It's 38mm wide exactly. Good call, John. Keep talking, I may not have much to add but am enjoying the discussion. That 1949 catalog is great.

Now we just need to know who 'GR' the manufacturer was.

[John Vernier]

I wish I could say more exactly how old the plane is, but the basic form of French planes changed so little over time, compared to English or American ones, which admittedly didn't change much either - but there is less going on with the lines of the French plane, it's so minimalist.

The 1949 price list tallies with an illustrated catalog, also posted at Benchcrafted:
http://benchcrafted.blogspot.com/201...rice-list.html

So we know such planes were being made that recently. Continental woodworkers hung on to their wooden planes as long as the English, long after the Americans had given them up.

I looked at planes in flea markets in France and Italy (years ago now) and I noticed lots of elaborate maker marks on blades, which, like this one, look very old-fashioned to my eye but probably aren't, because they were everywhere. I know that's not very helpful. I'm just saying this could easily be a 20th-century plane, but could be earlier.

I think this video had made the rounds before, but it's got a lot going on: 1932, French Art Deco furniture being produced with tools straight out of Roubo:
http://www.ina.fr/video/VDD10045525/...rie-video.html

[Stewie Simpson]

Here's an early French plane I have that was made by Goldenberg.









Note the innovative method of adjusting the clearance of the cap iron. Front view.




Back view.

[John Vernier]

Stewie, That's the "long screw" I mentioned in a post above. Do you like the way it works? Seems like a great idea.

[Dan Duperron]

That's cool. I really dig the 'hairy eyeball' emblem. The body of that one hardly looks used, but the iron has sure been hammered on. Based on the link you found, John, the blade in mine is clearly from the 1840-1925 era, right? But I suppose the body could be newer, if that is what you are saying. Lots of reasons an old iron might find itself in a newer body.

So, nobody has published a list of the continental plane makers from 1700-1950, huh? I figured there must be a reference book like that somewhere, but maybe not.

[John Vernier]

I'm not saying the body of the plane is newer than the blade. I just meant that the type of plane could be post-WWII or it could be 150 years older. The date range 1840-1925 was for the blade manufacture, although the same company seems to have continued into the 1960s.

[Kees Heiden]

There is a large french book (http://www.librairie-compagnons.com/...3430cdb199305b). But the French language is too difficult for me, so I never bought it. For German planes the best source I know is Wolfgang Jordan's website: http://www.holzwerken.de/museum/
For Dutch planes and planemakers we have the book from G. v.d. Sterre: 4 centuries of Dutch planes and planemakers.

So, after all, there is a bit of information around.

[Stewie Simpson]

That's cool. I really dig the 'hairy eyeball' emblem. The body of that one hardly looks used, but the iron has sure been hammered on. Based on the link you found, John, the blade in mine is clearly from the 1840-1925 era, right? But I suppose the body could be newer, if that is what you are saying. Lots of reasons an old iron might find itself in a newer body.

So, nobody has published a list of the continental plane makers from 1700-1950, huh? I figured there must be a reference book like that somewhere, but maybe not.

Hi Dan. This may help with your search. For details on other European Tool Makers use the search listing at the top of the web page.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...Fcoulaux.phtml

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...l%23frankreich

[Stewie Simpson]

Stewie, That's the "long screw" I mentioned in a post above. Do you like the way it works? Seems like a great idea.

Hi John. The long screw design works extremely well for adjusting the capiron. Its still one of my favourite go to smoothing planes.

Stewie;





http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...ldenberg.phtml

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...l%23frankreich