Unusual match plane

Plane Chatter

John Goss sent the photographs of a puzzling match combination plane, which was obviously designed to allow cutting any desired size of tongue and groove. It combines the functions of a plow plane (seen at the bottom of Figure 1) and a moving filletster (Figure 2) in one stock. The separate fence is equipped with slotted brass fixtures and may be moved from side to side by loosening screws at toe and heel (Figure 3).

The groove function serves satisfactorily, albeit (if a wider groove is needed) requiring either changing the cutter or resetting the fence and making two passes. Having cut the groove, the fence must be reset to cut the tongue. Moreover, the cut must be made in two passes, one rabbet on either side of the tongue. This rather involved sequence is the same as would be required by using a plow plane for the groove and a filletster for the tongue. Why, then would A. Mathieson and Son make such a tool? It is not surprising that not too many of these are seen. The Gladwin 1876 patent attempts to provide a tool which cuts any size tongue and groove with a single fence adjustment, which seems to he a far preferable solution (perhaps not-not many of these are found, either).

I see no reason why a tradesman owning a plow and a filletster would buy this tool. The appearance of the Goss plane in particular the decal-suggests a late vintage, perhaps after the need for match planes had been almost eliminated by machine tools. Could Mathieson have been aiming at the home craftsman?

Pilaster Plane

A number of tool catalogs list "pilaster planes" but few provide a profile. Philip Chapin's broadside1 shows wide lying reverse ogees under this title. In common with other plane names which specify the application rather than the profile, the name alone tells us little about the molding produced.

The Ohio Tool Company's no. 151 pilaster plane was listed but not outlined in their 1910 catalog, leaving the profile it produced a mystery.

This has now been dispelled: John Walkowiak recently acquired this unusual plane and kindly provided the photograph of Figure 4. He would like to cap this find by getting a Sandusky no. 98 pilaster plane-also listed without a profile.

A pilaster (PIE-faster to the tradesman, pillLASTer to Webster) is a decorative feature intended to simulate a flat pillar embedded in the wall, on the sides of doors, or around fireplace openings. The design chosen by Ohio for this application provides an example of what has been called a "facing" plane. These are used to remove wood from the center of a board to create a decorative molding, leaving the outer edges untouchedparticularly useful for adorning a pilaster. The profile it cuts may be called "bead joining lying reverse ogees" (code BJ1R in the system used in The Wooden Plane 2).

Notes

1. Ken Roberts, Wooden Planes in Nineteenth Century America (Fitzwilliam, N.H.: Ken Roberts Publishing Co., 1978) p. 31.

2. John Whelan, The Wooden Plane (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1993) p. 280.

by J M. Whelan

J M. Whelan writes a regular column on planes for The Chronicle.

Copyright Early American Industries Association Sep 2001
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