While I have never heard of such, could it be some sort of plane-like tool
that is used to rub, or burnish the surface?  To my thinking, that is what
the name might imply.  My only other idea would be a tool to cut the groove
for a weatherstrip (made of rubber), but that sounds a bit wrong for the
time period.

Doc
 On Aug 10, 2012 7:48 AM, "Zachary Dillinger" <zacharydillinger@g...>
wrote:

> My first thought was a long plane, for making rubbed edge joints, but
> I see the inventory has a jointer plane already and the rubber plane
> isn't listed with the bench planes. I suspect this might be one of
> those things that will be difficult to get a good answer on, as the
> eccentric nature of local names for tools makes it tough to figure
> out. For example, who would ever think a "cut and thrust" would refer
> to a dado plane? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
>
> If you look at the implied motion of "rubber plane", as in used to
> rub, rather than the material rubber, it might suggest a scrub plane
> or a scraper plane, neither of which explicitly appear on the
> inventory. I would expect them to be near the bench planes on the
> list, but I've seen historical inventories that are rather jumbled.
> Those are my best guesses but, as I said, I suspect this will be tough
> to deduce.
>
> --
> Zachary Dillinger
> The Eaton County Joinery
> www.theeatoncountyjoinery.com
> 517-231-3374
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 5:18 AM, Thomas Conroy <booktoolcutter@y...>
> wrote:
> > Tom,
> >
> > Don may be on to something. My gut feeling is that "rubber plane" means
> "a plane that rubs" or possibly "a plane to make something that rubs"
> rather than "a plane made out of the material called rubber" or "a plane
> for cutting the material called rubber."
> >
> > A fast check on-line suggested that "rubber" for the material was in use
> by the end of the 18th century (anyone have the OED? I didn't buy it when
> it was cheap, more fool me); however, I suspect that the abbreviated term
> was still rare in the 1840s, and that "caotchouc" or "india rubber" would
> have been more common. Furthermore, vulcanization was patented only in 1844
> and before vulcanization the uses for rubber were very limited since it
> became brittle in moderately cold weather and sticky in moderately warm
> weather. With so few tools available at the Back of Beyond (fair enough,
> Tom?) I doubt they would have hauled along a special plane just for a rare
> and little-used material.
> >
> > Tom Conroy
> > Berkeley
> >
> >
> > Don Schwartz wrote:
> >> GGs, The rubber plane precedes the files, suggesting
> > it might be an abrasive tool of some sort.<
> >
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