Reed Planes

These were a staple plane for furniture manufacturers and are listed in 1862 which offered [no doubt made by ‘Moseley‘] the availability of 1-5 reeds ‘whole boxed’  for 3/4d – 6/6d. and this was a lot of money back then when a penny would have bought a loaf of bread!  At this time  ‘Improved Reeds’ were also offered but we have no details what these tools looked like.

In 1873 the following are shown in the Catalogue:

In 1897, unbelievably the prices are exactly the same, but the numbers have changed to #1044-1048.

1909 sees this entry:

In 1921 numbers 3036; 3037; 3038 and 3039 are only available [with the 1/8″ 3d extra provision]. But by 1928 the #3039 has been re-assigned to a Centre V plane. So this four reed plane may have been dropped from the line around 1925?

By 1928 only # 3036; 3037 and #3038 were available [6/8d; 7/8d; and 9/-] with additional 1/8″ increments at 6d each. In 1938 the same lines were offered up to 3/8″ with every additional 1/8″ costing 9d extra.          A similar situation existed in the 1959 Catalogue in that the 3 same planes were offered ‘to 3/8″‘ with the extra 1/8″ being applied.

The last listing of these planes can be found in the 4/62 Price List at 30/- each, but they do not appear in the 3/64 Price List.  Therefore, again, they were probably not manufactured, because of the lack of skilled craftsmen or demand, after 1963.