>Question #2:
>After lurking for a while I'm starting to appreciate all the old stuff my
>dad used to have when I was a kid.  Unfortunately, most of those tools are
>long gone.  One item I do have is a pre-leather man multitool knife set that
>was supposedly my grandfathers.  It has everything except a pair of pliers.
>Each tool snaps into the handle as needed.  Made by the Napanoch Knife Co.
>of Napanoch, NY.  I haven't been able to find any more that general
>information on the company itself.  Does anyone here have any idea how
>popular this item was or any info?  Estimated value?  Photo's can bee seen
>at: http://www.geocities.com/captsct2000/Napanoch_multitool.html
>
As Todd says, "I kind of collect these things"
  Geocities won't let me in to see the pix, exceeded their limit of 2 
viewers. 
 Of course condition and completeness is everything. Plus, the price 
difference for bone, celluloid or stag handles is substantial to 
astounding.
 but Napanoch is a good name in cutlery.  If nothing else you'd be happy 
using their steel, I guarantee.
  Welcome aboard.
      yours, Scott
 
*** Scott Grandstaff, Box 409, Happy Camp, CA 96039 **** 
Tools:http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/

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First of all since that seems to be the custom, I'd like to introduce
myself. I'm Scott Matthews living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  My
general interests are general woodworking.  (Most has been w/ power tools so
far.)  Carving, marquetry, backpacking (AT Trail name "Davey Jones"), and am
getting into Kayaking.  

I just got into collecting old tools and am starting with wooden bodied
planes.  While browsing an antique store recently I picked up 3 molding
planes to start off the collection.  The price seemed a lot better than I
had seen at other shops, but after getting home, and doing some research, I
still see that I probably over paid by twice.  Guess that shows just how
over priced the other shops are.  
These planes are:  (all 3 stamped with owners initials WSS)

Auburn Tool Co., Auburn N.Y.  No. 180 - 8 

Owasco Tool Co. 177 -7/8  (I see that this was made by Auburn Tool, Co.)

J T Brown 1 1/4" wide blade round over
Cannot find any reference to planes by J T Brown.  Possibly previous owner?
Tang of cutting blade is marked W. Butcher.  Other blades are not marked.
Web seems to indicate this is an after market blade from England.  Possibly
a "home made" plane?
 
Not really knowing I would guess the condition if fair.  The blades need
some clean up work, but should be usable.  One has a broken wedge, where you
grip it to insert/pull out, but the "wedge" part is intact, holds firm, and
can be removed OK.  I figured I could make a new wedge if need be.  All have
a nice dark patina, have been used, but not obviously abused. 

Question #1:
After I finish my current marquetry project, I'm thinking of making a cedar
strip kayak.  To do this I need a couple hundred 16' long strips of 1/4"
cedar.  So I'm keeping an eye out for a matched set of 1/4" diam (1/8"r ?)
hollow and round planes to mate up the strips and deal with the curved hull.
Where would be the best place to keep an eye open, and what should I expect
to pay?  What should I do to keep the planes, especially the hollowing
blade, centered and not drift off the edge?  Practice, practice,
practice??????  Each strip will only be 1" wide.  Could I mount the planes
in a bench vise and run the strips over the planes, much like I was going to
do with a router table?  

Question #2:
After lurking for a while I'm starting to appreciate all the old stuff my
dad used to have when I was a kid.  Unfortunately, most of those tools are
long gone.  One item I do have is a pre-leather man multitool knife set that
was supposedly my grandfathers.  It has everything except a pair of pliers.
Each tool snaps into the handle as needed.  Made by the Napanoch Knife Co.
of Napanoch, NY.  I haven't been able to find any more that general
information on the company itself.  Does anyone here have any idea how
popular this item was or any info?  Estimated value?  Photo's can bee seen
at: http://www.geocities.com/captsct2000/Napanoch_multitool.html

Question #3:
Back to my current marquetry project.  It's a round table, and I want to put
a molded edge on the outer ring.  Are there any molding planes made for
doing curved edges, or a special technique for doing this with straight
planes?  I'd like a nice wide (7/8" -1" wide) classical ogee edge.  Again,
any ideas where to look and general price to expect?  

Question #4:
Anyone else living in this area that could teach me the finer points of
grading the condition of wooden planes, and maybe clue me into local shops
that have a good selection, and not grossly over priced?

Thanks in advance for the feedback. (and I hope I got this properly in plain
text format.)
 
Scott,
 
Two paths diverged in the woods.
I took the one with white blazes.
That made all the difference.
                              Baltimore Jack

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At 10:24 AM 3/20/2006, Scott Matthews wrote:

>J T Brown 1 1/4" wide blade round over
>Cannot find any reference to planes by J T Brown.  Possibly previous owner?
>Tang of cutting blade is marked W. Butcher.  Other blades are not marked.
>Web seems to indicate this is an after market blade from England.  Possibly
>a "home made" plane?

Nope not at all.  John T. Brown was a plane and edge tool maker in 
Baltimore MD 1824-1843. His planes are rated 1 star for rarity 
meaning that there are between 250 and 500 known examples.  The W 
Butcher iron is correct for that vintage tool and if my some what 
intermittent memory is semi-functional this AM, I recall haveing had 
1 or 2 of his planes with Butcher Irons.

I'll let someone else answer the technical questions, save to say 
that complex moulding planes for making cuts on outer round surfaces 
are pretty much non-existent.  You will occasionally see one that is 
a  compass or inner round plane but those are pretty scarce as 
well.  Here is a picture of one from my stash

http://oldetoolshop.com/jointer/miscpics/rplane5a.jpg

A scratch stock which is a scraper cut to a specific profile will 
work the best for what you are looking for.

Welcome to the porch.

Tony

                         Olde River Hard Goods
                             350 West Catawissa Street
                               Nesquehoning PA 18240
                                         570-669-9421
               The best old tool store in Pennsylvania!
                     http://www.oldetoolshop.com  

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On 20 Mar, 2006, at 10:24 AM, Scott Matthews wrote:

> First of all since that seems to be the custom, I'd like to introduce
> myself.
>
Welcome, Scott. Sounds like you have some great projects lined up. Good 
luck with them; I'm sure you'll find the porch a most useful resource.

> Question #1:
>  What should I do to keep the planes, especially the hollowing
> blade, centered and not drift off the edge?

Surely there's a standard proven method - if so, the answer will be 
forthcoming from someone soon. But just in case it's not, I thought you 
might try a setup like a sticking board. This is a simple jig that sash 
makers use to plane the profiles in muntins. It is well illustrated in 
Roy Underhill's second book, The Woodwright's Companion. What? You say 
you don't have this book? Are you nuts?! It is now published with the 
first book as a single volume, The Woodwright's shop. If you are 
looking for it online, make sure you are getting a volume of about 380 
pages - then you'll know it has both 190-page books.

Anyway, a sticking board is a long board you clamp on your benchtop 
along the front edge. It has a rabbet which holds the strip of stock to 
be planed, and supports it against flexing. Additionally, the back edge 
of the rabbet stands proud of the strip of work, so that the plane has 
a little fence to run along. There is a stop at one end of the board 
(usually a small flat-head screw) which keeps the strip from scooting 
away. I have no idea if this is what was normally used, but I bet it 
would work nicely.

Regards,
Greg T.

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Hi, Scott (and others)
	Yes, a scratch stock is the way to go, but you need two blades,
both with the same profile, but beveled on opposite sides. One will go
around the table in a clockwise direction and the other one
counterclockwise. This may sound like an early April Fools joke, but
it's not, because as you approach end-grain you need to scrape "downhill".
	I learned this when making a ship's wheel.
			Trevor

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Scott Mathews wrote:

My general interests are general woodworking...
 carving, marquetry,
backpacking (AT Trail name "Davey Jones"), and am
getting into Kayaking.  

Welcome Scott... nice to find another backpacker
amoung (amongst, Jeff) us oldtool users. I think that
you'll find the Porch very helpful in greasing any old
tool slope that you can come up with. 

Steve in Dallas, 
who should have taken a kayak instead of a backpack
this past weekend when he hiked the Little Missouri
River in Arkansas this past VERY RAINY weekend.  

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Scott Matthews writes:

> Tang of cutting blade is marked W. Butcher.  Other blades are not marked.
> Web seems to indicate this is an after market blade from England.
Possibly
> a "home made" plane?

Dunno whether this helps or confuses.

I have, as a long-ago gift from my brother who then traded in antique arms
and armour, a knife marked, so far as I can decipher, "W. & S. Butcher"
followed on the next line by "J? R. Gravely & Wreaks" and followed on the
next line by "New York".

The knife, in, as I understand it, the Jim Bowie pattern, is adorned with
German silver and with horn scales and has received no use from me in
circumstances where it measures 17 1/2" overall and has a blade 12 1/4" long
and 2" wide.  Daresay the frontiersmen ancestors of some of the Murrican
Galoots built their log cabins and quartered their own buffaloes using one
of these things as their only tool.

Regards from Brisbane

John Manners
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