The plane, is 23 1/2
long, but only 2 3/8's wide. Takes an 1 7/8's single iron (MIA along
with the wedge).
It is made of
yellow birch, (a common wood for 18th century American planes).
The tote is a beech
replacement.
This is a view of the
toe of the plane. Unfortunately, it is unsigned, the only markings
under
the crud were a series
of randon punch marks where this guy had seen duty as a leatherworking
anvil. (Fortunately
they are light). The ends haven't been cut down at all, of if they
were,
they were done at
the same time. (One of the ways you can tell if an 18th century
plane has been cut
down is to compare
the appearence of the heel and the toe if it was cut, the toe chamfers
are
usually crisper than
the heel, not the case here).
This side view of the toe shows the the distinctive flat chamfering of the toe and top.
One unique thing about
this guy is the fact that the sides of the sole are chamfered.
Not quite as
steep as the the chamfers on the top, but they were planed there
and not the result
of wear.
This top view shows
the mouth and the striker button which is a piece of wood,
mounted endgrain out.
Finally a close
up of the tote. Even though it is an old replacement, some one took
the
time to reshape it
to match the original. Take a look at the point to the left, I
have seen totes like
this on other earlier planes, the more common bench planes
are smooth all the
way around.