This is what is known as a molding plane.  These were used to shape wood trim details like the crown moldings you see in homes and buildings built before ~1920-1930.  Each molding plane was made to cut a specific profile, so a carpenter of the day would have typically had a collection of a half dozen or more of these, each with a uniquely shaped cutter.  This particular plane is designed to create a raised 7/8” diameter half-round bead.  

The next time you’re in an older building, take a closer look at the woodwork, with the knowledge that it was all done on-site, by hand, using tools like this.  Then consider what that level of craftsmanship would cost to replicate today.  Yikes.

About the maker:  Hammacher Schlemmer & Co was founded in New York City in 1848 as a hardware store specializing in difficult to find tools.  This tool was likely subcontracted to a local plane maker and branded as an H-S & Co. product.  Hammacher Schlemmer is still in business!  In fact, they were an early adopter of online retail sales, partnering with CompuServe in 1988.  Hell, I don’t think I even knew what the internet was in 1988..  Nowadays, their focus is no longer exclusively on tools — They offer a variety of consumer products.  Here’s their web site, active since 1998:   www.hammacher.com/…

Their Wiki entry:   en.wikipedia.org/…

Based on the timeline on the Wiki page, I estimate this was made between 1857 and 1859.  Pre-Civil War.  Cool.

The plane body and the wedge are made from beech, which was commonly used for these at the time.  In the photo below, you can see the thin strip of a harder wood that is inset into the sole.  This is boxwood, sawn such that the more durable end grain is the wear surface.  The diagonal gaps are where the original glue has separated due to the wood drying and shrinking over the years.  But overall, it’s in very good condition.

I got this a couple years ago as part of a $100 assortment of old tools.  I gave it a cursory wipe-down, put it on a shelf, and mostly forgot about it.  A quick look at eBay shows that planes like this can be had for as little as five bucks, with many examples in the $20-$40 range.  So despite its apparent age and good condition, there is not very much collector value to it. 

Here’s where it gets interesting.  I took it down last week for a closer inspection, thinking I might at least sharpen the cutter.  Like you see on many vintage tools, there was an owner’s name stamped into the wood — A  first initial and the full last name.  Nothing out of the ordinary there.  Then, as now, marking tools was a common practice to deter job site theft.

I noted that the last name had a rather unusual spelling and, having just partaken of a few hits of some gooey Indica bud, I got to wondering if any descendants might possibly be located.  I never did sharpen that cutter… 

Google searches came up with nothing solid, but Mrs. R is a genuine Facebook expert (I don’t do FB, myself), and she brought up a list of about fifty people with that same last name spelling within a minute or two.

So she sent out a group Facebook message, along with a few photos, to them.  She only showed the last name, omitting the first initial.   We figured a bona fide relation would know the first name or initial and confirm it.  And holy shit, within an hour we had a response!

A woman contacted us and she’s certain that this tool belonged to her great grandfather, who, according to family lore, emigrated to the NYC area in the late 1800s/early 1900s by simply disembarking from the ship he was a ship’s carpenter on, and walking away.  I guess you could do that, back then.  How about that?  I admire the guts it took for him to decide to make a new life in a country where he didn’t speak the language, especially with nothing to his name but what he carried off the boat with him that day.

He found work as a carpenter in New Jersey, married, and raised a family there.  If this tool was made in the 1850s, he would have bought it used.  That makes sense — Given his history, I think he would have probably been a frugal man, not buying new when a pre-owned item could do the job just as well.  He most certainly led an interesting life!

We shipped the plane to her and she received it a couple of days ago.  We can tell that having this (completely unexpected) tangible connection to her family’s history really means a lot to her.  After all these years, this tool’s back home where it belongs.  Nice.

So what do you know — Facebook can be used for something positive.

If I ever want to buy another molding plane, eBay is only a click away.  But if I do get one, maybe I’ll make sure there’s no owner’s name on it first.