need help identifying old wooden planes
#10
A friend just gave me 9 old wooden planes that belonged to his grandfather.  They look like a set, but only one has any markings:  "Fritz Blaser" and "Basel".  A Google search revealed a building supply company called Fritz Blaser & Cie AG, in Basel, Switzerland.  The company was founded in 1882.  I haven't found anything that refers to them making woodworking planes.

The planes are each about 5" long.  They are all in pretty good shape, especially considering they have been in storage for at least 40+ years and probably were not used for many years before then.  Very little rust.

Does anyone know anything about planes like these made by the Fritz Blaser company?  Thanks, --Rich


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#11
I am sorry to report that I do not know anything about that manufacturer but I do know a little about wooden planes. If you post more pictures and descriptions, we can probably figure all of them out. From what I see, it looks like you have some rabbet planes as well as a graduated set of dado planes. The planes with smaller skates probably have numbers on the heel which indicate their size.
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#12
Interesting find.  The short length and laminated bodies are unusual.  The marking is probably just the retailer's mark, not necessarily the maker.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


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#13
Very simple styled planes. Very basic. I would have thought they are shop made if the stamp is not a manufacturer's one. They do not look English or American. Is that "Basel" on the side? Swiss?

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#14
Thanks for the responses, guys.  I took a closer look.  It's likely that all 10 planes are shop-made, even the one that is stamped.  The conical escapement holes are all irregular and rough-cut.  The blades also look handmade.  It might also explain why these planes are shorter than commercial models -- probably made for a particular purpose.  

Jim: What's the difference between a rabbet and dado plane?  I thought they were the same.

Blackhat:  Good thought about the retailer stamp.  Maybe one was purchased retail and the other 9 styled from that one.  

Derek: Yes, that's Basel... as in Basel, Switzerland.  

For anyone interested, here  are some add'l pix.  Scale seems to imperial.  When I build them a nice storage box, I'll figure out if they are metric, imperial, or Harbor Freight (somewhere in between metric and imperial).  
Smile

I look forward to cleaning, sharpening and using these puppies!

[Image: 20160911_232523%20-%20A.jpg]
3/16 round, 1/4 bevel, 1/2 rabbet and 7/16 curved sole

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1/4, 5/16, 7/16 and 1/2 rounds

[Image: 20160911_233303%20-%20C.jpg]
11/16 and 3/4 round

And now, the pix.  I'm still getting used to the Woodnet.net redesign.
[Image: 20160911_232523%20-%20A.jpg]3/16 round, 1/4 bevel, 1/2 rabbet and 7/16 curved sole

[Image: 20160911_233152%20-%20B.jpg]1/4, 5/16, 7/16 and 1/2 rounds

[Image: 20160911_233303%20-%20C.jpg]11/16 and 3/4 round
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#15
Thanks for the additional pictures. It looks like a custom set of hollows and rounds, with emphasis on the rounds. Perhaps made for a special project like handrails. I think those planes were short.

As for the dado guess, it was off. I was deceived by the graduated soles. Dado planes would have graduated soles and also skewed blades. Skewed to make cutting cross grain easier. Rabbet is a ledge or channel made with the grain. Dado is a channel made across the grain.

Yours is an interesting set. It looks like some of the soles may be a different wood--maybe rosewood or lignum.
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#16
Thanks, Jim.  I never really thought about the skew distinguishing rabbet and dado planes.  

I have an assortment of rescue planes from barn sales, antique stores, and flea markets.  I really like restoring those that someone obviously cared about once upon a time. It sometimes feels like I'm bringing back to life something that was important enough for someone to spend time making or at least caring for it.   

Time to start cleaning/sharpening and see what they can do!

Rich
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#17
They look like they are in pretty good shape. I would bathe them liberally in turpentine and let them dry out for a week or so and then follow that with Johnsons paste wax. No wax on the working part of the wedge.

Sharpen up the blades and see how they work and then use them to build a custom case.
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#18
They will likely be neither metric nor imperial. More likely made to measurements in one or another of the dozens of various inches used in Europe in the old days.

Not long ago sawmills sawing local softwoods around here would be set up using Norwegian inches. Once the wood was dry it was fairly close to size in Swedish inches. Neither of them is the same size an an Imperial inch.
There is no guarantee for 12 inches to a foot either when dealing with old European measurements. The Dutch in the region around Amsterdam has 11 inches to a foot.
We need to know what size of inch they used in Basel in days gone by.
Part timer living on the western coast of Finland. Not a native speaker of English
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