Steve Reynolds recently found two plane patents which may be of interest to Galoots. The first is of general interest to metallic plane fanciers and is what appears to be the first patent for a plane with corrugations in the sole. The second is for the double jointed lever cap found on the best quality bench planes manufactured by Millers Falls.
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Planes with corrugated soles have long been manufactured by many companies, usually at a premium in price. The first patent for this innovation appears to be this one awarded to E. G. Storke of Auburn, New York in October of 1869. The patent is rather brief and has one drawing. The text of the patent indicates that the invention relates to preventing the adhesion of the sole to wood. Storke did not actually use the term 'corrugation' in describing his invention but instead used the terms "flutes, grooves, or channels". Elliot Storke was the founder of the Auburn Metallic Plane Company as described in a brief history provided by Dan Weinstock. This company, not to be confused with the Auburn Tool Co., was the largest competitor to the Stanley Rule and Level Company in the production of metal planes during the period 1867-1878. |
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In 1928 Charles H. Fox of the the Millers Falls Company applied for a patent on a new type of lever cap for bench planes. The departure from the prior art is a feature whereby the lower end of the lever cap is hinged such that force is not only applied to the 'hump' on the chipbreaker but also to the blade behind the 'hump'. This results in force being applied more evenly over the plane iron and prevents the arching of the iron which can sometimes occur with a one piece lever cap such as are common on Stanley planes and others. I have provided the text and inline drawings for the patent. Also provided are a low res image of the patent drawings for screen display and a higher resolution image which should be printed at about a 70% scale to fit on a letter sized page. Finally, a description with photographs of the Type 1 planes gives some tips on identifying these planes in the wild. |
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