A double plane

[Branson]

I found this today while researching coopering tools.  While I've seen some odd ball planes, I've never seen this before.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonnellerie_%C3%A0_Kumrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg

At first this plane standing on it's nose next to the work bench appeared to be a simple jointer, but then I noticed two totes at right angles to each other, and then, looking a little closer, there were two blades at right angles to each other.  Just had to share this.

[Jim C.]

Hey Branson,

I've never seen a plane like that before either.  It's definitely jointer length.  The only thing I can guess is that the irons are perpendicular to each other to form the 90 degree angle.  Since the irons are not right next to each other, but rather staggered, so one enters the cut before the other, the irons must slightly overlap each other at the corner of the plane's sole.  So, I'm guessing the plane's sole is angled at 90 degrees.  With the irons properly aligned and set for a light pass, the plane can probably produce a very nicely finished corner on a workpiece.  Or..... The sole of the plane is square, the irons still overlap and the plane was designed to get into the very corner of a workpiece.  I'd really like to examine the plane in detail to see how it functions.  It's an interesting tool.

Jim C.

[Branson]

I don't think it necessarily follows that the blades overlap.  In fact, I doubt that they do, since the one most visible is quite narrow.  It's my feeling that the maker has got himself two planes in one.  Only in a long plane would there be enough stock to have two separate mouths and maintain sufficient strength. 

We would have to see the two soles to be sure, though.

[scottg]

OK that is the weirdest thing I ever saw.
 No idea why it was made. 
 It doesn't look like the blades extend into the corner, (making it a double rabbit plane).
   But because they don't appear to, that makes it even weirder. One jointing blade and the other is for?????????????

 Also wondering how you spotted it? The picture is huge, but I am not sure I would have crawled around in it unless you said something.
  The planes nailed to the "trammel beams"?   (I just made that name up)
 was interesting too.  Cuts a circle.
      yours Scott

[Branson]

The "planes nailed to a trammel beam" are cooper's planes for truing up the ends of the staves -- the job usually done by the sun or topping plane.  At this point, I've seen several trammelled up (I can make stuff up too) planes to cut the howell and also trammelled up crozes.  Even a couple of trammelled up routers to perform the same functions.

How'd I spot it?  With the limited real information on 19th Century and earlier stuff, I glean pictures for every conceivable bit of stuff I can find.  And I blow up any picture I can (remember the Civil War photo I posted a couple of years ago that showed enough to identify a Merrick adjustable wrench?) .   With cooper's stuff I've looked at so much this past year that any odd thing tends to stand out.  In this photo I saw a lot of things I recognized, but there are tools that are not cooper's, so I looked harder at them, and this plane really stood out.

[Bill Houghton]

Maybe it was intended to let the worker go twice as long between sharpening sessions.  It is definitely interesting.

Interesting shop all around.  I was surprised to see the bench crammed into the corner like that.  It would drive me nuts having a wall right next to the face vise.

[Lewill2]

Look closely at the guys hand and how he is holding the chisel. It isn't a working shop it is a display the guy's hand is wooden.

[Branson]

Look closely at the guys hand and how he is holding the chisel. It isn't a working shop it is a display the guy's hand is wooden.

Of course not.  Too clean for a working shop. :-)

[Chillylulu]

I like the plumb hanging level....

among a lot of other goodies.

Chilly

[Branson]

I think what we are looking at here is a static museum display assembled from community donated material.  Sutter's Fort shops used to look not very different from this.  The carpenter's shop had a "work bench" with a 3/4 inch thick top, no vise, set against the back wall.  (Utterly useless, like putting the vise end of the bench against a wall. )   The tools in the carpenter's shop and the tools in the cooper's shop were a hodge podge of donated "old timey tools" and included pruning saws, a Stanley #12 scraper/toothing plane, one of those little bench mounted 6" grinders.  And manikins, too. 

The shop has not been accurately curated.  Not surprising, since a curator would have to self-educate to grasp the complexity of the trades and tools.  Not many have the time to do so. 

A display is wanted, and whoever is in charge wants *a* display now, not a perfect display two years from now.

[johnsironsanctuary]

I don't understand the shaving horse.  You would sit to the right of the long, squared peg. The clamp is showing through the bottom of the slot and I don't see how the pedal could move enough to raise the clamp above the table.

[Branson]

I don't understand the shaving horse.  You would sit to the right of the long, squared peg. The clamp is showing through the bottom of the slot and I don't see how the pedal could move enough to raise the clamp above the table.

I'm not sure I understand the problem you see.  Do you see that this is a dual purpose shaving horse?  The long squared peg to the right of the head is removable.  It's only used to clamp a piece -- say a leg for something -- for working.  The top part of the head presses one end of the piece against that square peg.  When the peg is removed, it works like any other shaving horse.

[Billman49]

This type of shave horse was used by handle makers - as this one is in a cooper's shop (??) perhap it was used to hold short staves for planing (in French le dolage), although this is more commonly carried out with an axe (doloire) - there is no sign of the long cooper's jointer (floor plane - colombe in French), so maybe the planing was done at the bench...

The double plane could have one flat and one round face, so both the edges and the inside hollow of the stave could be done with the one tool....

This image is of interest as it shows a cooper's jointer held in a bench vice... an alternative method??

[chas Garrett]

The horse, barrel head and plane seem to go together for cutting the edge.

[Branson]

This type of shave horse was used by handle makers - as this one is in a cooper's shop (??) perhap it was used to hold short staves for planing (in French le dolage), although this is more commonly carried out with an axe (doloire) - there is no sign of the long cooper's jointer (floor plane - colombe in French), so maybe the planing was done at the bench...
The double plane could have one flat and one round face, so both the edges and the inside hollow of the stave could be done with the one tool....
This image is of interest as it shows a cooper's jointer held in a bench vice... an alternative method??

Actually, there is a cooper's long jointer in the photo, just not easy to make out.  It's just behind the horse and braced against the wall.

I wouldn't worry about it being a real shop -- it's a museum display that's mostly interested in putting together a bunch of elder tools.  As a display, it isn't really set up to really work, but to showcase an accumulation of tools.  They have some excellent examples of cooper's tools, and have named the display a cooper's shop because of this.  But they've filled it out with other woodworking tools so the display isn't too spare.  Plenty to look at.

Did you notice that the barrel is unfinished?  The ends of the staves are still square and no howell or croze has been cut.