Molding Planes at The Best Things

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Molding Planes

Before the days of store bought moldings and Stanley combination planes, every cabinetmaker and joiner had a chest full of molding planes. For the most part these planes are almost identical, however, there are subtle but important differences. More on the differences between cabinetmaker's and joiner's molding planes. Joiner's planes are much more common to find, because far more people were employed building houses than were employed building furniture by hand. Both types of planes can still be used on today's projects. By our estimation, you haven't lived, until you have struck a molding with an original molding plane that once sung in the shop of a 19th Century master. 18th Century molding planes are quite scarce and should be left to collectors. We hope that the collection presented here will offer something for everyone.

A word on sharpening and using molding planes.

Explanation of Our Condition Grading System

Frequently Asked Vintage Tool Questions

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American Molding Planes

MP130529 Various This is a goup of 14 hollows and rounds that were all in the tool chest of A. W. Stine. They are mostly from about 1850 and there are some scarce Ohio marks, which is where the planes were found some 25 years ago in an old house. One plane has been converted to a large cove. These are joiner's planes, so they start large. Present are:
1 Round: Schaefer & Cobb, Cin. Ohio
2 Hollow: Gere.Abbot & Co.
4R: Schaefer & Cobb, Cin. Ohio
6H: Schaefer & Cobb, Cin. Ohio
(Unclear, probaby 6R) Hall Casey & Co. Columbus
7R: H. Chapin
8R A. Howland & Co. NY
10R: Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
10H: Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
14H: Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
15R: Ohio Tool Co
14R (modified to cove): Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
18R: Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
18H: Gere.Abbott & Co, Columbus Ohio
All of these planes are as found and need a light cleaning. This is a real working man's tools from the Ohio boom times when Cincinatti and Columbus were being built up. Good $285

MP130187 E.W. Carpenter A nice clean Carpenter sash plane in his trademark style with rosewood knobs on boxwood arms with boxwood nuts. This is a very nice example but like all antique tools, it still has a few issues. A user has modified the profile of the molding iron, not the plane, just the iron. I could put this back to what it should be in a about 15 minuts. It is not a big deal and there is full about full original length so you won't lose more than an 1/8" of iron. The second isse is that the solid boxing has not shrunk as much as the beech body, so the wood next to the boxing is being pushed out. This is a common problem on fully boxed planes. I wouldn't worry about it. I have never tried to remove the boxing and thin it down a bit, but I can imagine that it could be done. It has been a long time since I saw one of these planes that was as good as this one. G+ $269

12016 Unmarked A super-complex bolection with larger bolection, one of my very favorite moldings. This is a rare profile. It measures about 2 inches wide. I am not sure about what it was used for, but my guess is a chair rail molding. Sadly, when I bought this plane it was just a body. I had Larry Williams, of Clark and Williams fame, make me a blade for it some years ago when he was convalescing from an arm injury. It is still missing the wedge, but that is a pretty easy thing to make. If you want to use it, the blade will need some more work to match it more carefully to the profile. The plane is marked on the back with a manufacturer's model number, "No. 104". I have never bothered to look it up, but is clearly the work of one of the big American factory makers. Untouched condition. This would be a $500 plane if it had the original wedge and iron. G+ $199

MP110265 S. V. Pierce A graduated set of handled reverse ogee with bevel. These planes are superbly well made, with the form of the integral handles being as good as any that I have seen, but I am not sure if they were made by the craftsman, S. V. Pierce, or are unmarked planes that he marked as an owner. If he was an owner/maker, then they are the best made craftman made wooden planes that I have ever seen. I can't express enough how impresed with these planes I am. The are in wonderful as found condtion.. The front were sticking to some deteriorated cardboard and that needs to be cleane off. Otherwise they look as good as when they were in a 19th Century tool chest. There are 4 plans, but one is missing its wedge and iron, so I have priced them as if there were three. The sizes are 1", 1 1/2", 1 5/8", & 2" missing the iron. By a better know maker, one of these planes would be worth this amount. Handled molding planes made from a single piece of wood are rare. Fine Sold

MP110241 W. Raymond A unique set of 4 molding planes, that I can only speculate on the function of. There are two curved and one straight plane, that all cut the same profile, which I think is a form of a fenced cock bead. The curved planes are fenced left and fence right, so that you could work in either direction on a curved piece. These three planes were clearly intended as a set. The fourth plane cuts a 1/2" astragal. This one has some chips from the rear where it was struck to set it. These planes have great as found patina. Here is the kicker, all four have replaced wedges, and one plane has a replaced blade. I have owned these about 20 years and I made the wedges back then. They are accurately made and colored, but no effort was made to age the wedges to they won't fool anyone. Bob Baker would have made these wedges look original, but I am no Bob Baker so I just try to make things look correct in form. The replaced blade fits properly and has been ground to profile, but you can see that it is freshly ground compared to the other 3. These planes are so rare that I can overlook there shortcomings. They are true 18th Century American planes, and probably cabinetmaker's planes at that. G+ $295

MP100143 J. R. Gale This plane cuts a 1 7/8" profile that is quite rare. A fillet, a cove, and then a deep ogee. The boxing is keyed so that it can't warp. Gale was a Providence Rhode Island maker who only worked for a short time, and in my experience his planes are quite scarce. I can see why since doing the boxing this way would have been much more time consuming than the usual way of doing it. There are three lines carved into one side, probably as some means of identifying the plane. The wedge is a properly made replacement that most people would not notice is replaced. It may be a Bob Baker job but I am not sure. There is a tiny chip on the edge of the iron where it seems to have recently been dropped out of the plane. This can be easily removed with a Dremel tool. G+ $329

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British Molding Planes

MP130447 Holbrook This is a set of 3 5/8" lambstongue sash planes with the mitering template. There is a a pair of straight planes and a curved sash. When I bought these, I thought that they were a matched set, however, one plane has the wrong owner's mark. The #2 sash in the pair, and the curved sash, were owned by R. Hillier. The template is not marked, but that is not unusual and the patina is a close match to the planes. The #1 sash, does not have a 1 on it, so it might not have originally come with a #2 follow up plane. The owner's mark on this plane is different. So, they are almost a matched set, but still a great working set. The curved plane alone is worth the price that I am asking for the group. They Hillier planes have been cleaned, the other plane is in slightly better condition and doesn't look to be touched, I would rate it Fine-, and the others G++ Sold

MP80540 I.Cox This is a rare handled English complex molding plane. It was apparently made for the American market, which makes sense for this style of plane. I make that prempton because it bears two different American style owner's brands. It looks very much like a Napier plane of the same period. The mark is the early Cox mark, which is a big rectangular mark. The profile is the really great news here. It is a very unusual and appealing profile. The profile is 1 1/2" wide and would fit in well as main part of a cornice mold on a piece of furniture. The iron is a round topped Hildick. The bad news is that the tote is a later replacement, more in the 19th Century style. Also, the rear of the plane is marked with an American collector's mark and inventory number. I can overlook the tote and the desecration because the rest of the plane is so good. It is just a great profile that I won't even begin to try and describe. G+ $265

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European & Other Molding Planes