Questions about wood hand planes

[Tynyyn]

I have a good collection of metal hand planes from #3's on up to #8's.  While tooling around Ebay, I've been drawn to wooden hand planes.  I know what transitional planes are----half wood, half metal, and I understand about coffin planes. 

Yet the longer ones, #5's through #8's with handles, on the hind quarter, have me stymied.  When did that style of plane begin to be produced?  When did the production end.  Are there some types of wooden planes which are more sought after than others?  Did certain manufacturers make very good planes?  What things should I look for if I were to begin to build a collection of wooden hand planes? 

Thanks for you help.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Wooden handplanes are a rich subject. The ones I like the most are H&R plane sets. In fact, I used a pair of H&Rs today to make missing mouldings for a small antique. A well tuned wooden plane with a sharp blade is a joy to use. Why not start looking for a set of graduated bead planes? Or perhaps a sash plane. There are so many different types it is hard to know where to start.

[blackhat]

Wooden bodied planes can be traced back to the Egyptians  although the Romans produced some of what we might call transitional style and full iron bodied planes. The thing to keep in mind is that factory made planes were a fairly late arrival and never completely eliminated the craftsman made planes, whether a small specialist shop or the end user. Those are still produced today. What is the purpose of amassing a collection?  Do you want users?  Bench planes, joinery planes or molding planes?

[Tynyyn]

What is the purpose of amassing a collection?  Do you want users?  Bench planes, joinery planes or molding planes?

Just a #5,6,7 and 8 bench plane.  The molding planes are too numerous to contend with and I don't have the shelf space.  I'm curious on the markings on the butt end.  Are there makers who are more prized than others?  Like a Bedrock is appreciated more than a Stanley and a LN is more sought after than a Craftsman.

Was there a premier maker of wood bench planes?

[barryvabeach]

Just a #5,6,7 and 8 bench plane.  The molding planes are too numerous to contend with and I don't have the shelf space.  I'm curious on the markings on the butt end.  Are there makers who are more prized than others?  Like a Bedrock is appreciated more than a Stanley and a LN is more sought after than a Craftsman.

Was there a premier maker of wood bench planes?

Yes, like older cars, there are some makers that are more prized by collectors than others.  While I don't collect old wooden planes, I doubt there would be any benefit to a user to buy one particular maker over another, since how it was used, or abused, would be a bigger factor in how well it works than how it was originally made.  If you want to collect, you will want to get a reference guide to the various stamps - here are a few , I haven't read them, and there are probably others 
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Makers-Amer...1931626006
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Makers-Amer...KVP42ECE8X

You will also want to be pretty careful shopping ebay.  Many of the sellers are novices, and say a plane is by a particular manufacturer based on the name stamped on the blade, yet that is not a good assumption.

[DaveParkis]

I would not recommend buying woodies unless you can look at them. They are sometimes warped and that's difficult to fix. Its also difficult to inspect the quirk, tell if the wedge is complete, or if the wedge is jammed. There is a book titled "Guide to the Makers of American Wooden Planes" (Barry's first link) that is helpful in identifying planes and will give you a good idea how scarce a plane is. You might want to start keeping an eye on sites like Auctionzip.com for auctions that have keywords like "woodworking" or "planes". You can often buy a whole box of woodies for $50 and you can inspect them before you buy. HTH

[bandit571]

Some places, like Butcher, only made the irons, letting others make a plane's body for an iron....

Ohio Tool Co.........Sandusky Tool Co.,....Auburn Tool Co.  of Auburn NY  were the main makers of "woodies" 

The reason planes started out with trans. style frames?   Old Carpenters LIKED the adjustments on Bailey style iron planes...but not the weight, preferring the weight and "feel" of a wood bodied plane.   By the 1870s, you could buy an all wood, a Trans. , AND an all iron plane. 

Coopers like the wood bodied LONG jointers.....some were 6' long, as they cost a wee bit less than an iron plane....they could custom fit the wood bodies to the work they were doing. 

Currently, I have a 22"  Ohio Tool Co.  #81 try plane.   There is a wood bodied shoulder plane I use a lot.   I am also trying to rehab a couple of "Made in France"  Goldenberg smooth planes....both are about the same size as a Stanley #2. 

I have a few Trans planes, as well.  

Around here, I almost trip over all the LONG jointers at most tool sales.....most look like a chew toy, though.

[Tynyyn]

Bandit, would you be kind enough to post pics of your wooden planes? I'd like to see what you've done to the long jointer.

[bandit571]

I'll see what I can do....
 

   
The Stanley No. 31 and a  #81.   The 31 is 24" long. 

   
The Goldenberg is about like a #2 or #3 in size. 

   
The "large" shoulder plane I have been using a lot of. 

   
The No. 81  uses a "strike  button"  up in front.  Length is around 20-22".....I would need to go back and measure.   More of a Try Plane, than a jointer, like the #31 is.

[Tynyyn]

Do you like the D-handle or a tote? Or does it make a difference?