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This jointer plane, also known as a 'trying plane', is a large plane used for levelling off edges and smoothing surfaces of long boards. It was used at R. Middleton & Sons' wheelwrights shop in Eddington, Hungerford. The blade is marked "L. H. Storey".

1 plane: wood; steel

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'Planes have been in general use by carpenters since the Roman era and throughout this time they have shown a great variety of form, size and shape, ranging from the very large flooring plane to the small moulding plane. // This plane is of the large sized trying plane type, used for levelling off edges and smoothing off surfaces, after the jack or fore plane with its convex blade has performed the preliminary rough surfacing. Trying planes are described according to the length of the stock. If it is 20 to 22 inches long it is called a Common Trying Plane, 24-26 inches – a long plane, while the longest, 28-30 inches are called Jointer Trying Planes. This plane has a stock of 30 inches made of red beech. The front end is 3.5 inches high, the bottom side 3.2 inches wide and the top side 2.8 inches wide. The blade is kept in place by an iron wedge located on the flat bottom of the stock 11 inches from the front. The angle of the blade to the stock is in the region of 52 degrees, which is known as the York pitch. The common pitch for soft woods, has the blade at an angle of 45 degrees while for hardwoods and mahogany the angle will be over 55 degrees and he pitch is known as Middle Pitch. Sometimes they are also set with a distinct forward tilt for boxwood, etc., in which case the trying plane is called a Scraping Plane. This specimen has a hollow grasp handle and it was used in the wheelwright's shop at Eddington (Berks).', Object research project, Further Afield, February 2024 - The accession file describes the chisel as "having a narrow but deep blade and an oval balster fitted by a tang into an oval wooden handle".

1825-01-01 - 1874-12-31

Mid-nineteenth century