BENCH PLANES
Please see later for some c.1880 Bench Planes issued by MARPLES…coming, not here yet!
This section has been a long time coming, mainly because behind the scenes I have been collecting planes and information/pictures from Internet sites for study to determine slight differences in construction according to basic type. I will be assigning ‘Types’ to the study according to the modification/changes made over time to the last ‘Type’. These Types may be subject to change as new information is received, so do not think that the published information here is the ‘last word’.
Suddenly the William Marples bench planes, and others [including RECORD], were issued around February 1933………….. WHY? To quote from Leslie Harrisons‘ RECORD Catalogue #15 reproduction [ISBN 0 904638 146……the very best evaluation of the RECORD line of planes]…
…”The British Government import tariffs of the late 1920‘s assisted British manufacturers in combating the influx of foreign manufactured planes, mainly from the U.S.A. which at that time dominated the market. A “Buy British“campaign was launched to combat the depression in the United Kingdom during that period”.
Which is why so many British manufacturers got into the making of ‘Stanley’ type planes at that time!
Preamble:
NOTES: The Feb/1933 (pre #3 introduction) shows no ‘Toe-screw’ for the rear handle of the 4 and 4.1/2 planes. In Jan/1934 Pocket catalogue the spare Plane Irons are described as …’to suit American Iron Planes’. Some bright spark at MARPLES must have said that this did not exactly advertise their line of new ‘M’ planes, so by the Dec/34 catalogue this has been changed to…’to suit adjustable Iron Planes’.
February 2021.. A reader has alerted me to the fact that the newly introduced M3 plane does not measure 8″ long, as advertised, but is indeed closer to 9.1/4″! It would appear that this length was maintained through Type 2 [until at least c.1937 when the Cap iron ‘grind angle’ was introduced.] This length has yet to be noted on the first M3 plane that has the number cast in the base [Type 4a.]
William MARPLES Bench Planes were introduced in the February 1933 Pocket catalogue, shown below.
[Although it may have been in the September 1932 Pocket catalogue, which I do not have!]. These planes were in fact not made at ‘Hibernia Works’ until after the war, but were made pre-war at ‘Northern Tool Works‘, a factory owned by Turner, Naylor and Co. Ltd. [a Company with close associations to Wm. Marples & Sons Ltd.] Is is probable that most iron planes and spokeshaves of MARPLES have the same history.
By January 1934 there were some additions to the range [as shown below the 1933 issue], namely the M3 and M7. I am sure that the printers or proof readers got absolute hell for allowing the M7 to be shown as 5 shillings each, when they should have been shown as 25/- !
The tables below show the figures involved in the MARPLES manufacture of Bench Planes as time progressed. These charts are not totally finished and will be added to as new information is received.
Above :
A = Available
Blank space = Not available
* = assumed available
WD= Withdrawn
? = Presumed to have been withdrawn during the war effort.
The chart above is a summary of the prices that were asked [Price fixed] of the planes according to date. This chart should be used in conjunction with the above table so as to obtain a good idea of Bench Plane production.Not having enough money to buy 10 of each type of plane in order to write this study, I will just have to rely on observation, intelligence and a modicum of luck to deduce the Types that were issued over time, so do not blame me if I make a mistake. [I will be continually looking out for any new information that may change these Studies.] So I decided that any change in one of the major components of structure in the plane will trigger a new type. You will find that some basic components described in Type 0 endured for many years. My assumption here is that the same changes occurred roughly across all sizes of Bench Planes and so I have written this study based upon the No. 3 and No. 4 plane. But please remember, that the ‘Types’ are presently not set in stone, since if I discover a new ‘Type’ I will slot it into order and then re-assign all the Type numbers
TYPE STUDY
Type 0:
The Type 0 plane is the first metal bench plane of this series that was issued by MARPLES in 1933 or maybe late 1932. It was styled after the USA STANLEY plane and followed this route for some time before some MARPLES innovations were introduced. The example that I have is an M4.1/2 bench plane that in all respects is the same as the Type 1 described below, except:
a] The sole is totally flat from front to extreme back with no slant to the rear tail portion.
b] The base casting around the front knob has NO Markings at all. [This is the same as the R&D plane described elsewhere] In other words the plane is NOT marked MARPLES except on the Lever Cap and the transfer to the rear handle, but is identified by the Trefoil in front of the Handle. It does have SHEFFIELD and ENGLAND each side of the handle.
So here are some other pictures of this plane:
Type 1:
Base:
The base is painted BLACK and has the word MARPLES, in raised cast script, around the front of the knob, but there is no plane number shown. Each side of the rear handle are the words [again in raised cast script] SHEFFIELD and ENGLAND. Just behind the frog in raised casting is the ‘Trefoil’ emblem. The front edge of the base is not painted. There is now a slant on the plane bottom at the rear.
Handles:
The wood used at this time was good imported Rosewood and was Gloss varnished. The rear handle is a standard STANLEY shape and does not have the elongated top curvature as is seen on later MARPLES models, and the front knob does not have a circumferential incised line close to the base. [This may help to identify if a knob is original or not]. The Rear handle has the small MARPLES SHEFFIELD ENG. transfer affixed at the top horn end. All MARPLES Bench planes now, except No.3, have a bolt through the front nose of the rear handle. The threaded rods used to fix the handles into the base have rolled threads and are topped by the standard slotted and waisted brass cap screws.
Frog:
Again, like the base, the Frog was painted Black, except on the blade upper contact side and has a slightly curved [not Ogee] top edge. The circular disc on the lateral lever rotates and the 2-piece lateral lever has no inscription on it. The Y lever that engages the blade is cast and is not a 2 piece pressed steel affair, that came much later. [Type 7]
The Brass circular depth adjustment wheel is 1.1/4″ in diameter and appears as such on all sizes of planes. It has 3 circumferential lines of fine radial knurling and is a quality piece that has no writing inside the hollowed out recess. The frog adjuster screw, located in the base, has no knurling and the Frog is secured to the base by 2 cheese headed slot screws [that have sharp top edges] and washers.
Above shows the ‘cast’ Y adjuster and the ‘fine’ knurling of the Brass Depth Adjuster which changed later in Type 4 to a coarser knurling.
Please note the almost sharp top edges [with a slight chamfer] to these Frog Screws compared with Type 8 where rounded over screws were introduced.
Frog Adjuster screw [above], has no knurling.
Blade and Cap Iron:
The blade has the mark at the top, as shown below.
The Cap Iron is notable in that there are absolutely no markings on it and it does not have the ‘Grinding angle‘ advice cutout at the top [see Type 2]
The Cap Iron screw has fine vertical knurling.
Lever Cap:
The Lever Cap is Nickel plated and has the word MARPLES impressed into the front lower section and this was highlighted by a RED background paint.
The design of the spring affixed to the back of the Cap-Iron is unusual in that it has a bend in its’ profile as shown. Most other manufacturers used a straight spring. I have recently acquired a Type 1 #6 and this shows distinctive ball pein hammer marks on the rivet holding the spring, maybe indicating a hand assembly process. As of December 1949 the Lever Cap is described as being ‘Nickel Plated and polished’. I think that Nickel Plating might have endured until c.1950 [but was discontinued during the War years because of the need for nickel in ammunitions]. Chrome plating was introduced probably in the early 1950s.
Note the bend in the spring, probably not seen in any other maker. This shows just one aspect of the extra quality and care afforded to these MARPLES tools.
Type 2:
Type 2 has all the characteristics of Type 1 except that the marking on the blade has changed. As with all MARPLES marks, they were sized according to the space available on that tool, and therefore to give dimensions of the stamps is of little value, since many different sized stamps of a similar mark would have been available.
Here again I have obtained a blade with a very similar mark [above] but with a slight variation [‘ENGLAND‘ in full]. Presently I do not know definitively into which Type it should be placed, but the total width of the mark is 13mm and total height is 6mm, which is quite a small mark. The ‘ENGLAND‘ mark may well be in the Type 3 area.
Major difference with Type 2, the previously plain Cap Iron is changed to now have a profile on the top edge that can be used to judge the ‘Correct Angle For Grinding‘ of the iron. This new feature [above] is shown in the 1938 catalogue, so it may have been introduced slightly before then.
[I just wonder how often this modification was actually used, having seen so many planes with this cap iron but which had wildly incorrect grinding angles! [Some as steep as 60 degrees, no wonder they were for sale!….” Damn tool doesn’t work worth a spit!”]
It is now possible that the number 3 planes had a screw inserted through the toe of the handle and into the base, but this has yet to be verified.
In planes larger than 4.1/2 the word ‘SHEFFIELD’ is cast behind the front knob and the word ‘ENGLAND’ and Trefoil are cast behind the handle, due to space availability.
Type 3:
The major change in Type 3 planes is that the Ogee frog has been introduced and this can be seen in the 1938 catalogue, so it may have been introduced shortly before then.
You can see that this frog has 2 connected ‘windows’ cast into the lower section and 2 oblong sections cast into the upper section,
{This is the only example I have that shows these ‘windows’, all the rest of my planes show a totally flat finish to this top surface. So a possible explanation is that the ‘windows’ may have been ‘cast in’ to enable the depth of the hand finishing process to be more easily judged [?] . [Surface grinding or sanding]}
The circular disc still rotates, the wood is still Rosewood and the paint is still Black on Black.
Type 3a:
Has a Non-Ogee Black Frog but is on a Red base. The Y lever is still a one-piece casting and the 2-piece Lateral Lever ‘disc’ still rotates. Rosewood is still used for the handles. BUT the Brass wheel is a SOLID casting having no indentation on the back surface. [The example shown is an M3 so there is no room for SHEFFIELD to be cast behind the front knob]. This is the first Type actually marked with the ‘M‘ number just forward of the mouth crosspiece.
Type 3b:
The wood is still Rosewood, solid Y lever,and the Solid nut has 3 fine circular rings of straight knurling. The Black OGEE frog does not have re-inforcing around the lateral lever attachment point. The base still has the M number casting behind the front knob. There are no markings on the 2 piece lateral lever. The Lever Cap is still nickel plated. The blade marking is shown below. Base paint colour shows as a Crimson Red not Flame Red as later.
Shown here is the new mark but most often the lower left corner outline is reduced, possibly a stamp failure/wearing, as seen left.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is entirely possible that around this time [post-war] many planes may have been assembled from a mixture of old parts in stock just to get the orders out of the door. Did ‘users’ really care about what shape or colour was the frog?
I am trying to put some rationality into the production line, but maybe, at this time, there was none!!
I am now in ownership of an M4 Black Ogee frog on Red base with Solid nut and Beech handles. WD 1941. and also a WD 1941 M5 Black Ogee on Red Base with Nickel plated Lever cap and Beech handles.
Type 4:
Still shows the Black on Red (Black Ogee Frog on Red Base).
[December 1949 information says that the bases were enamelled RED, but for how long this had been in effect is pure conjecture. I suggest since c.1944, but it could have been late 1930s. I have now seen a Military issue M4 Type 4 with a Rosewood knob and Beech handle but with a date of 1941, which suggests that bases may have been Red from 1941 onwards. But I still think that the Frogs were painted Red after c.1944.] The mark on the blade is as Type 3b. The base has the same casting as before with a Number M4/M5 etc. directly behind the front knob accompanying the word ‘SHEFFIELD‘.
The Circular disc on the lateral lever may or may not rotate, I have conflicting evidence in my samples.
The Round Brass depth adjuster knob has a coarser knurling than before, but is indented now on the back face.
See the coarse knurling shown on the Right above.
Type 4a:
Again an inclusion here for a Type that I am trying to slot into the progression, but not all parameters presently fit.
It has Beech handles that are grain painted to emulate Rosewood. [ I have a Military example dated 1951 that shows grain-painting] Solid Y lever; Red on Red!; 2 piece unmarked lateral lever held by a rivet in the Ogee frog that is not reinforced, same cutter markings. But it has a solid Brass depth adjusting nut that has very coarse parallel knurling with no circular grooves. The Lever Cap still looks to be nickel plated and therefore pre-1951. {I have found an M4 with exactly the same solid Brass depth adjusting nut, Beech handles, Ogee Frog, Black on Red, no Lever Cap plating, but is a Military Issue and dated 1943! (And I have also found exactly the same plane marked 1944) Perhaps therefore Type 4a is c.1948-51.}
It could possibly also be called a Type 5a !!
Type 5:
Here again we have a major change in that the wood has been downgraded to Beech which is overlaid with a light or dark varnish, with no attempt to emulate Rosewood. But my example shows Black on Red!?
To date this changeover is difficult. The 1959 catalogue does not describe the wood used but the 1965 [No.15] catalogue says it is ‘Selected Hardwood’ [i.e. NOT Rosewood].
The Ogee frog still has the cast Y lever and the Circular disc may/may not rotate.
The handle still has the small ‘MARPLES‘ only water transfer applied to the top horn but the direction of the transfer seems to vary.
Type 6:
Major change here is that the Base and the Frog are both painted RED [Red on Red], everything else stays the same, except that the Frog has been changed in that it now has a new casting that has a raised circular re-inforcement area around the back of the lateral lever rivet, as shown on the right below. This modification started here but the Y lever is still one solid cast affair. The previous Frog casting is shown on the Left below.[Black]
Type 7:
Type 7 displays a few changes, the most notable of which is that the Y lever is now a 2 piece pressed steel affair, joined by a rivet.
Also the frog holding screws appear to now have a rounded-over top edge. [see photo below]
The new base has a cleaner sharper look and has smaller lettering than before. Note the truncated ‘Trefoil‘!
The following table of ‘widths of lettering’ applies to the No. 4/5 size plane. I cannot say that the other sizes followed the same changes as I do not have enough samples.
‘MARPLES‘ is measured from top of ‘M‘ to the top of ‘S‘.
| Type 6 | Type 7 | |
| ENGLAND | 40mm | 37mm |
| SHEFFIELD | 45mm | 42mm |
| MARPLES | 45mm | 41mm |
Above: Type 7 is on the Left
Above shows the rounded over frog bolts
and above you can be seen the 2 part Y lever.
Above: Type 7 is on the Left, but the Trefoil looks nothing like a Clover leaf!
Type 8:
Type 8 shows again a totally different casting, but I can only show here the No.4 plane. The larger planes may be different, but I have no examples. The casting shows a circular wording of SHEFFIELD around the front knob.
Everything else is the same as Type 7 … Nickel plated lever cap; Beech handles are either dark or light varnished; the decal on the rear handle is the same; and it has the same blade marking and cap iron. The Nickel Plated Lever Cap shows that this Type must have been in effect until at least December 1949. but pre 1951.
It is only around this time that I can identify that a totally different box was temporarily assumed.
This box was different to those of before in that it had a transparent insert into the top. I do not have enough information to correctly suggest any dates that this may have been in favour, and I do not have sufficient examples in order to draw a definitive conclusion. But of the examples I have seen the box may be associated with Type 8 or Type 9 planes.
Type 9:
This type is the same as Type 8 but the 2 part lateral lever has the vertical wording ‘ M A R P L E S ‘ visible through the cutter opening. It probably has a Chromed Lever Cap. Therefore after 1950
Note above: the thumb section of the 2 part Lever peeking through, above the letter ‘M‘
Type 9a:
This plane is the cross-over to the Type 10 in that it has:
a] Lateral Lever is Chromed with MARPLES impressed vertically
b] The Frog Y adjusting lever is two-part and the lateral lever has a non-rotating circular disc.
c] The Cutter has rounded top shoulders
d] The wood is of Beech and varnished a dark brown colour.
e] The Lever Cap is Chromed, therefore 1950<
f] The frog adjustment screw is Chromed
g] The Lever cap screw is Chromed.
h] Frog Adjuster bracket is Chromed, but the holding screw is not blued.
A small detail here is that the bottom of the rear handle brass nut hole has a washer. This may have been a standard on planes for some time.
Type 10:
The same as the previous Type, but this one has a curled top to the lateral lever, [very similar to the X4 plane..c.1954-c.1965] and still with a non-rotating circular disc and with MARPLES impressed vertically down the lever. It is possible that this lever may also occur without the MARPLES impression..
The cap iron still has the grinding angle shape on its’ top edge.
The cutter again has rounded top shoulders.
The Lever cap is Chrome plated. But be warned here that Lever Caps are so easily switched around!
Type 11:
This Type again shows a change in the lateral lever in that now it is a single piece of steel with rounded butterfly wings at the top that have been folded down about 45 degrees. I have noted this style in the 1965 Cat.#15. and here are also shown planes that have no toe screws to secure the rear handle. The cap iron is no longer shaped at the top with a grinding angle guide, but is marked with that information on the face [see below] . Unfortunately I am not able to put total faith in the accuracy of the cutter markings, as the drawings of the actual planes show 2 other different markings! But below is an actual example, but why would anybody need to hammer the blade top in order to adjust the depth!!!
A Really Strange one!!
This is the only one of its kind that I have seen and I do not know where to slot it into the progression. In essence it is entirely a RECORD plane all except the rounded top blade is marked MARPLES, the rear handle has a MARPLES transfer and the chromed Lever Cap is impressed MARPLES. The lateral lever is the standard 2-piece affair on an Ogee frog. It is Blue on Blue No. 7. The box has no applied labels.
A No.4 size plane of this type has been seen and this may indicate that all sizes were made.
Irregular Plane:
So just when I thought that I had this Study nicely in order, along comes a mongrel to throw a wrench into the study. I have now seen one on the internet pictured and I have one in my collection.
a) Red on Red
b) Rosewood handles
c) Straight across Frog, not Ogee. [ Frog has a ’rounded’ top aperture on the top side, the earlier version]
The Frog has a raised circular re-inforcement ring around the lower aspect of the Lateral Lever rivet which again says that this plane was put together from 4.1/2 plane parts that were lying in stock.
d) ‘MARPLES ‘ vertically on the 2-part Lateral lever.
e) ‘Y‘ lever is a 2 part affair.
f) ‘SHEFFIELD‘ and ‘ENGLAND‘ are each side of the rear handle.
The Rosewood handles I can explain: The 4.1/2; 5.1/2; 6 &7 were ‘unusual ‘ planes to purchase for the average home user and therefore the pre-war stock of these size handles [and the older style bases] would be available post war and beyond. These planes would have been put together from the available stock at the time of receiving a bulk order from the Wholesaler. This would explain many other peculiarities here.
The raw base would have been drawn from stock at the time of painting, and therefore the paint colour would reflect THAT time.
Similarly with the frog having the Lateral Lever installed at this time and may well have been the stock lever available, since this lever would have been located on the whole range of planes and therefore would have been ‘up-to-date’. But I think that MARPLES vertically on the lever was introduced after the 2-piece lever had been replaced..
The SHEFFIELD and ENGLAND raised casting each side of the rear handle harks back to an earlier time again as the words M and 4.1/2 appear each side of the front knob and that SHEFFIELD is not wrapped around the front knob.
They must surely have just been using up old stock castings, as we have a non-ogee frog painted Red AND with a more modern curled and marked Lateral Lever. I cannot see any markings on the blade but the cap-iron has the Angle grind cutout on the top edge. I also notice that SHEFFIELD is not wrapped around the front knob. BUT this is an M4.1/2 plane and is probably an older casting.
I will venture here into the types produced during the reign of RECORD over MARPLES, but only briefly, as these types had the MARPLES name on the article only as an historical nod. They were just pure RECORD planes and nothing else from 1983 onwards.
RM1 [Record Marples Type 1]:
This type has Beech handles with a dark stain.
A Chrome Lever Cap, cast with ‘RECORD‘. Medium Blue paint.
Frog adjusting Screw…one piece screw and thick washer fits into a slot cast in the frog. Blade marked ‘RECORD‘.
RECORD MARPLES around knob front [04] or behind knob [05]
Common denominators on all these RM planes: Top edges of sides always painted. ‘Y‘ Depth Adjustment Lever is 2-pieces of pressed steel riveted together and the Cap Iron is still always marked with the ‘Correct Angle for Grinding‘.
I believe that the No.7 plane below falls into the RM1 category.
RM2:
Handles still wood but possibly lighter stained. Blade not marked.
No Frog Adjusting screw, but a slot is still cast in the Frog!
‘Lever’ Cap is now painted totally Blue and has a Brass screw to apply pressure to secure the cutter. The underside shows that it is an old style Cap but with the Spring removed. The Lever Cap shows a circular transfer close to the Brass screw.
I believe the full plane shown here [above] has been owner modified by the removal of the blue paint on the top edges of the sides, and front. It is possible that the wood handles may also have been changed in colour.
RM3:
Wood handles now show as Beech with a light varnish coat.
Blade has no marks. No Frog Adjuster screw, but still has slot in Frog casting. No transfer on Blue ‘Lever’ cap.
RM4:
Handles are now of Dark Plastic. Paint is now a lighter Blue.
Everything else is as before.
CORRUGATED BASE PLANES:
It is difficult to determine just when the Corrugated Base [CB] was introduced to the MARPLES Bench Plane line, although it should be noted that the M10 and the M10.1/2 never had a CB issue. The Pocket catalogues never did mention a CB plane, probably because of space limitations, and so the first literature on the subject is seen in the 1938 main Catalogue, showing CB was available in all the regular bench planes. The April 1962 Price List [PL] indicates that the M3C had been withdrawn, but all the rest remained in production, yet the April 1961 PL shows that all were still available. [Therefore the M3C was the first to be withdrawn around November 1961?? ] The March 1964 PL shows that none were then available and this is backed up by the fact that the 1965 main Catalogue does not list them. So it would appear that the CB planes were available c.1957-1963 [ 1957-1961 for the M3C]
The M5.1/2 PLANE:
The M5.1/2 plane was issued initially [1933] with a blade width of 2.1/4″., but in the Export Cat. 1954 the width is listed as 2.3/8″
But it is more likely that to keep in line with other manufacturers (i.e. RECORD), MARPLES increased the cutter width [and hence the base casting] around c.1948 or maybe earlier. I have several ‘Maroon‘ coloured [c.1944] M5.1/2 with the 2.1/4″ blade.
Dating of MARPLES Planes:
I have much information recently that leads me to conclude that the dating of these Bench Planes can become quite involved.
I have deduced [maybe erroneously] that the #4 and #5 planes were produced in great numbers and boxed up ready for shipping to Wholesalers.
However the M4.1/2; M5.1/2; M6 and M7 were not flying off the shelves and could therefore have been made in small batches and stored unpainted in the MARPLES warehouses, ready to be assembled.
When an order was received from a Wholesaler for x number of y plane, the components could have been pulled from the shelves, painted in the correct colours of that day, and everything then put together with the hardware available at that date and shipped out.
Therefore you may well find an older style Base casting with either a correct to that style or a later Frog, correct to that casting or later Woods etc, etc, and painted not in sympathy to the base castings. In other words a mish mash of styles.
Dating these planes is extremely difficult, because do you date according to Base Casting or according to Paint??
The Walker Triangle Variation
A very good friend of mine and fellow MARPLES plane enthusiast, David Walker in the UK, recently contacted me to advise that he had found some planes that did not conform to my Study. So together we have analysed the planes that we both have and suggest the following as an explanation for what we have found. The M4.1/2 and M5.1/2 planes were never as popular [based upon sales] as any of the other MARPLES bench planes. Since plane bases and frogs were cast in multiples, it is logical to assume that the extra castings would be stored in the warehouse until needed and then made up to form a complete plane. With all bench planes, except the M4.1/2 and M5.1/2, [and probably the M6 and M7], the extra pieces of the plane would conform to a pattern relative to time and would be similar in all aspects…hence enabling a Study as shown above. But being not huge sellers, the batch runs of M4.1/2 and M5.1/2 bases may have been incorrectly calculated initially and it therefore was necessary to immediately produce some more castings of each size. These castings may have been a ‘stop-gap’ issue and may have been produced off-site by another smaller unknown foundry to the usual foundry. [ ‘Sorry, cannot do just now, we are inundated!] So consequently when orders for these 2 sizes of plane were received at the factory, the planes could have been made up using the parts readily available at that time, the new castings and all painted according to the standards of that time.
So here is what we have found: a) The bases have a Raised Triangle casting underneath the frog adjusting screw, which may be accompanied by a tree casting number. b) The ‘Y’ stirrup Depth Adjusting Lever is always a 2 piece steel item. c) The Frog and Base are always both painted RED. d) The Frog is always ‘Flat-topped’ and therefore from old stock [since a Red Frog is only associated with an Ogee Frog]. e) The Lever Cap may be either Nickel or Chrome plated [Old or New stock again.] f) The Lateral Lever is always the 2 piece affair and may or may not have ‘MARPLES‘ impressed vertically down the top side. g) The Wood handles may be either Beech {maybe grain-painted} or Rosewood {old stock}.
We therefore can ascribe these planes to being not before Type 8 and not after Type 10
Above is shown the Triangular Casting mark with the ‘tree’ number.
IRREGULARITIES:
Naturally the Quality Control Department missed a few items that got out into the Public Domain, and this first example is one of those!
This cap iron for an M3 has reverse stampings of the ‘Correct Angle For Grinding’. Oops, how did that happen!
THE DRONFIELD PLANES
Please go to the Dronfield Planes section for the information on these tools.
