The first reference that I can find to show that MARPLES sold Infill Planes is in the 1888 Catalogue and these planes were almost certainly all made for MARPLES by the firm of Henry Slater in Clerkenwell, London. Slater made these style planes for very many other companies and he would most often leave his mark hidden somewhere on the plane if it was not badged as being made by SLATER. [his mark was usually on the Gun Metal lever cap] . So only those planes clearly marked on the wedge/Lever cap as being a ‘MARPLES’ can really be considered a MARPLES plane.
The 1888 and 1891 Catalogues [below] show identical listings under the heading…”English Pattern Iron Planes‘ and the planes were numbered 1 through 23. Some of these planes may have a letter ‘M’ stamped into the heel of the plane and I believe that this was applied to those iron Planes that were made from ‘Malleable Iron’.
The 1897 Catalogue shows the same number of planes listed but now under the heading of ‘Iron Planes with Rosewood Fittings‘.
The 1909 Catalogue shows that the plane numbers have all been changed and that all planes with Wedges had been discontinued [ i.e. 1;2;3;7;9;11 ].
Some additional cutter widths had also been added for some planes.
The 1921 catalogue shows that all Cast Iron planes had by then been discontinued [3110;3125;3140 and 3160]. None of these Infill planes appear in 1928, so c.1925 was the last production date. The 1909 Catalogue shows that all plane item numbers had been changed…see the pages below.
GALLERY:
Plane #1 /2/3 was produced c.1885 – c.1905. the ‘Wedge’ planes being all discontinued prior to 1909.
Plane #4/5/6 was available c.1885-c.1925:
Plane #8/10 was produced c.1885-c.1925:
Plane #13/14: was available c.1885-c.1925:
Plane #15/16 was available c.1885-c.1925:
Note: MARPLES mark on Rosewood wedge.
Plane #17 Available c.1885-c.1925. This shown is a later [after c.1905] example with a modified nose.
Plane #19 Available c.1885-c.1925. The first photo is of the earlier version [<c.1905] and the second is of the later modified nose version. Both are Gun Metal with a Steel Face:
Plane #20 Available c.1885-c.1925 [always Malleable]:
Plane #23 Available c.1885-c.1925 [always Malleable]:
These planes are only to be found in the 1888 and 1891 MARPLES Catalogues [and maybe the previous catalogue 1883?] connected to ‘English Pattern Iron Planes’. None of them were actually manufactured by MARPLES and instead MARPLES were just another conduit offering these odd planes to the general public.
The number 113 Adjustable Circular Plane and the number 100.1/2 Iron Block Plane are both STANLEY planes [made in USA].
Numbers 99 [Iron Duplex Plane], 100 [Iron Chamfer Plane], 100-1/2 [Iron Bull-Nose Plane] and 102-1/2 [iron Block Plane] were made by or for Joseph Wolstenholme & Sons [JWS].
It is uncertain who made Plane number 1089 [Iron Chamfer Plane]
The number 34 [Iron Smoothing Plane] was perhaps specifically made for William MARPLES with a HIBERNIA Lever Cap, but an earlier version with Ivy-Covered Lever Cap [shown here] is also shown in a Robert Marples 1895 Catalogue.
Much of the above information is the result of years of study by Cameron Miller in Australia and I am indebted to him for allowing me to use his research results.
GALLERY:
#100 3.1/2″ Iron Chamfer Plane with 1″ cutter:
#98 and #99 Iron Duplex Chamfer or Bullnose Planes. The smallest [No.1] is 3.1/2″ long with a 1″ cutter and the largest [No.2] is 5″ long with a 1.1/4″ cutter.
#34 Iron Smoothing Plane with Beech fittings 8.1/2″ long and with a 2″ wide cutter. The basic design was a copy of the plane produced by the Bailey Tool Company in USA around the 1870s. Again these British made [manufacturer presently unknown,] planes were not made specifically for MARPLES but were indeed carried by various other MARPLES companies [e.g. Robert M.] It is probable that the first issue may have had a lever cap worded ‘ The Norfolk’ and Wm MARPLES requested the maker [ JWS or John Monks & Sons?] to provide a ‘Hibernia’ lever cap for his planes. Other Marples companies may show a generic ‘Ivy’ design lever cap.
Above information provided by Cameron Miller in Australia.
Shown above is the casting from what may be called the 2nd version of this plane. The first version had the cross wall with no cutout for the cap-iron screw. The 3rd and last version had a rounded cross wall as shown below:
#1089 Iron Chamfer plane:
#102.1/2 Iron Block Plane 5.1/2″ long with a 1.5/16″ cutter [actual] :
These planes were basic to any woodwork shop and can be therefore found as far back as the 1861 Catalogue:
I am unsure what ‘with open eyes‘ and ‘with loose fences‘ mean but the latter may be an early term for Moving Grooving planes. It seems that even at this stage these planes were always of necessity sold in pairs [one for tongueing and one for grooving, in other words ‘matched‘].
The 1873 Catalogue shows that a numbering system had been introduced:
{Actually the numbering system is first found in the 1868 Catalogue}
The 1897 Catalogue shows these entries with newly assigned numbers:
It should be noted that the sizes given above for the Match Grooving planes are for the width of the edge of the boards on which a Tongue and Groove joint is to be enacted. Each of these planes has, according to edge width, a fence cut into the base against which the board is in contact throughout the cut. The inch markings on the Heel are therefore not the width of the actual Tongue or Groove. The width of the Tongue or Grooving cutters is set at close to 1/3rd the board edge width.
So by 1909 we see this [different item numbers again!] and note the introduction of the Double Match Grooving plane, which could perform both of the functions of the individual planes [i.e. Tongueing AND Grooving].
Here is the 1921 entry showing little difference to 1909:
1928 shows that #2944 stays the same number, whereas the Moving Grooving planes now are numbered #2947 and are also now called ‘Match Grooving Planes with Moving Fence‘; the Drawer Bottom Grooving Planes are now #2948 and the Double Match Grooving Planes become #2949. As shown here:
1938, note the reduction in variety offered, the Double Match Grooving is de-listed as is the Drawer Bottom Grooving plane:
1959, offered the same planes as in 1938:
The last listing for these planes appears to be November 1963 when #2944 were 39/9d per pair and #2947 were 63/- each
GALLERY
Below are pictures of a ‘Matched pair of planes’ in beech:
only
The ‘Grooving Planes for Drawer Bottoms‘ first appeared in 1861, when it is noted that they were ‘Boxed’. They went through many Item # changes …#884 in 1873; #1011 in 1897; #2945 in 1909 and #2948 in 1928. They are not seen in the 1938 Catalogue. In none of the Catalogues is an actual picture shown, but I am assuming that the two planes shown here are ‘Grooving Planes for Drawer Bottoms’. The cutters are 1/4inch wide but I cannot fathom out why there should be 2 ‘mirror image’ planes for this task unless to only accommodate grain direction?
These planes seem to vary in their spelling..Filister and Fillister.
MARPLES initially made them in all 3 forms, Standing Fillister; Moving Fillister and Sash Fillister.
The Standing Fillister was basically a Rabbet Plane with a fence cut solid in the stock.
The Moving Fillister plane had a adjustable fence that moved under the stock so as to expose as much of the cutting iron as was needed for the rebate that was to be made.
When working sash timbers the rebates may be cut on either the left-hand or right-hand sides of the wood. The ordinary Moving Fillister can be used for the left side, but for the far side, a Sash Fillister plane is used that has the cutter, stop and spur mounted on the left-hand side of the stock, instead of the right. Thus the fence bears on the face of the work and is carried on two stems like a Plough Plane. [This description is from Salaman’s ‘Dictionary of Tools’]
These planes are to be found firstly in the 1861 Catalogue:
The 1873 listings are here with item numbers, and it can be seen that the Standing Fillisters are no more [see 1909!]:
We then jump to the 1897 listings which again show new item numbers.
But you will see that the #1003 Sash Fillister image is numbered incorrectly, as in fact #1002 Shoulder Boxed plane is shown. This error was perpetuated until it was corrected in the 1921 Catalogue!
Here are the 1909 listings, again with a new item numbering system and the re-introduction of some Standing Fillister Planes. [#2935 image is in fact #2934].
Here are the 1921 listings, but with the Standing Fillister planes no longer presented. [#2934 image is now correct].
1928: Sash Fillister plane shown as #2935 is AGAIN numbered incorrectly and should be shown as #2934 !
1938:
And then on to the last showing in 1959. At last, again, the #2934 image is correctly numbered:
The last listing to all of these planes seems to be found in November 1963,
as around this time the last craftsman Moulding plane maker employed by MARPLES retired.
Gallery:
Sash Fillister Planes:
Below are 2 Sash Fillister planes, one is Shoulder Boxed and one Dovetail Boxed.
detail of the side:
I have found a variation on the ‘Dovetail Boxed’ variety and so it may be that the example above was also a ‘Shoulder Boxed’ plane that had dovetails securing it. [Shoulder boxed means that the lower left hand edge of the plane was boxwood and this could be achieved by either a dovetail method or a more simple joint as shown.] The variation I have may be the true ‘Dovetail Boxed’ in that the lower portion of the Filister body has been replaced by double dovetailed boxwood that extended the whole length of the body. But there again it may be that the first example is an earlier version of ‘Dovetail Boxed’ ! See below:
The early Sash Fillister planes show a Patent number [19943] on the Brass Screw stop thumb turn and the Brass fence itself, and also show that the steel threaded rod of the stop was held in place by 2 brass counter tightened nuts. I do not know for how long this securing method was used or whether it was part of the Patent.[This Pat. Date was not a MARPLES Patent, so they must have been Licensed to use that Patent.] The stamped MARPLES mark shows as being c.1880-90 which ties into the Pat. date of 1885:
Here is #2935 from the 1909 Catalogue and with a Boxwood Fence:
Moving Fillister Planes:
The first plane shows the Brass Slip Stop and Tooth [the latter being a single blade which is dovetail fitted into a groove in the side of the body.]
The second plane shows a Brass Screw Stop and Forked Tooth, Dovetail Boxed:
Standing Fillister Planes:
The plane shown is my only example of a Standing Fillister and I assume that these came in different widths because this one is marked 1/2 on the heel? It does indeed look like a Standard plough plane with an integral fence cut into the sole.
These planes, used to start a moulding, were produced and sold in matching pairs so as to overcome grain direction.
The 1861 MARPLES Catalogue lists them as ‘Snipes Bill‘{singular}:
The 1873 Catalogue now gives them item numbers and changes the name to ‘Snipe Bills‘{pair} :
Both Snipe Bills and Side Snipes appear in the 1888 Catalogue as #1053 and 1055 respectively.
The 1897 listing is below, showing new Item numbers:
1909 shows another number change:
They are omitted from the 1921 Catalogue but re-appear in 1928 [below], but that was the last catalogue reference that I can find for Snipe Bills.
In no catalogues can I find an illustration of Side Snipes. These tools had an almost vertical side cutting edge and were used, as were Snipe Bills, to trim and clean up mouldings and Snipe Bills could also have been used to start a moulding. They were generally sold in pairs so as to deal with grain direction. A pair of Side Snipes is shown below:
Shuteing Planes, also called Mitre Shuteing planes or Mitre Planes seem to have entered into the production by MARPLES around 1903?. They are not shown in 1897 but are in the 1909 Catalogue and presently I have no access to the 1903 Catalogue.
The initial showing in 1909 [below] indicates a range of sizes and blade configurations but this was short lived.
By 1921, admittedly just after WW1, when across the board there was a reduction in variety of tools available from MARPLES, it can be seen that fewer of these tools were offered. The planes numbered 2988: 2989; 2990 and 2991 are no longer to be found as available.
The 1928 and 1938 listings are exactly the same in availability and price and you will see that the short 12 inch #2985 is no longer listed:
The next entry is in the 1959 Catalogue which shows that by then the Square Mouth #2986 has been dropped from production [because the skew blade is so much more efficient for these cuts]. ALSO the remaining plane has been re-numbered from #2987 to #2988.
The last listing that I can find for this plane is in the November 1963 Price List, it is not shown in the March 1964 PL and I surmise that the last offerings were c.December 1963.
Below is a 22 inch Skew Mouth Shuteing plane with a 3 inch single iron, #2989. This plane is only seen in the 1909 Catalogue, maybe because it is huge and heavy! { I do note that the side handle is forward of the cutter rather than behind as depicted?}
This is a plane that I cannot find in all of my extensive MARPLES catalogues!!
It was a tool that was designed to produce a spiral shaving , called a ‘Spill’ [as long in length as the wood from which it was worked] for helping to light fires or candles, before ‘matches’ were invented. The pictures below tell a thousand words:
The plane was butted up to the side of the wood and the skew blade [set very fine] was used to produce a thin spiral shaving that could easily be lit [from another flame] and used to light further fires/Candles etc.
At this juncture I cannot surmise when the start and finish dates of production existed!! But there are no listings in 1861, 1873, 1888 or 1897.
So this study is far from complete and I will continue to search for further information.
‘Dado Grooving‘ or otherwise called ‘Trenching’ Planes are first noted in the 1897 MARPLES catalogue where they are listed under ‘Trenching Planes’.
They were always only made up to 1 inch in cutter width with an accompanying double slitter blade to score the edges for easier cross grain work. The main blade was skewed. The lesser quality of the two sorts of plane had only a wooden depth stop whereas the ‘expensive’ model had a brass screw stop.
In 1909 there was an Item number change, and the planes retained these numbers and with the same image until no longer manufactured:
The 1921 catalogue entry shows the same:
1928 [immediate below] and 1938 [ below] catalogue entries were identical, except for prices. You will note that they are now listed under ‘Dado Grooving Planes‘.
The 1959 listing is here:
The last listing that I can find is in November 1963, but by March 1964 they no longer appear to be offered for sale.
The photos below are of a 7/8″ Trenching plane #2941 with brass scew stop.
I can only find one reference to these planes and that is in the 1909 MARPLES Catalogue. They may have been shown in an immediately previous [1903?] or immediately post catalogue [c.1914], but I do not have those catalogues in order to draw that information.
As yet I do not know the difference between a Necking or a Nosing Plane! I do know that Nosing planes had a semi-circular iron in order to put a rounded ‘nose’ on the front of stairwell treads. Also Table planes were sold in pairs to cut the joints on drop leaf tables.
The measurement [e.g. 3/4″] on the heel of a Nosing Plane denotes the diameter of the semi-circle that will be put on the end of a board. In other words the plane is matched to the depth of the stair tread.
Here is a great example of a 3/4″ Nosing Plane:
More to come….be patient!!
These very small planes can first be found in the 1897 catalogue. {They probably had been introduced before then, but I have no access to an 1888 catalogue} They are not in the 1873 catalogue so let us assign an introductory date of c.1895. Here are the 1897 catalogue entries:
As can be seen above, these planes were produced in both Beech and Boxwood and it is more likely that you will find a Boxwood example today as it is more resistant to wear.
The 1909 catalogue entries are here:
You will note that in the 1909 entries there is an item number revision.
These rare planes are not to be found in either the 1921 or 1928 catalogues and so we must assume that they were de-listed just before WWI , as happened with so many tools, which did not re-appear after that War.
Here are some photos of the plane that I have. It is Boxwood and has no markings on the plane itself or the blade. The relatively thich blade is 15/16″ wide and 2.3/4″ long with a hardened steel cutting edge insert. The body of the plane is 2.3/4″ long and 1.3/16” at its widest point with 1.1/4″ being the height. The wedge is also made of boxwood.
