By far the greatest number of patents was concerned 

 with perfecting an adjustable plane iron and methods 

 of constructing the sole of a plane so that it would 

 always be "true." Obviously the use of metal rather 

 than the older medium, wood, was a natural step, but 

 in the process of changing from the wood to the iron- 

 bodied bench plane there were many transitional 

 suggestions that combined both materials. Seth 

 Howes of South Chatham, Massachusetts, in U.S. 

 patent 37,694, specified: 



This invention relates to an improvement in that class of 

 planes which are commonly termed "bench-planes," 

 comprising the foreplane, smoothing plane, jack plane, 

 jointer, &c. 



The invention consists in a novel and improved mode 

 of adjusting the plane-iron to regulate the depth of the 

 cut of the same, in connection with an adjustable cap, 

 all being constructed and arranged in such a manner 

 that the plane-iron may be "set" with the greatest 

 facility and firmly retained in position by the adjust- 

 ment simply of the cap to the plane-iron, after the latter 

 is set, and the cap also rendered capable of being ad- 

 justed to compensate for the wear of the "sole" or face 

 of the plane stock. 



The stock of Howes' plane was wood combined 

 with metal plates, caps, and screws. Thomas 

 VVorrall of Lowell was issued patent 1 7,657 for a plane 

 based on the same general principle (fig. 60). VVorrall 

 claimed in his specifications of June 23, 1857: 



the improved manufacture of [the] carpenter's bench 

 plane or jointer as made with its handle, its wooden 

 stock to which said handle is affixed, and a separate 

 metallic cutter holder, and cutter clamping devices 

 arranged together substantially as specified. 



Finally patentees throughout the igth century, 

 faced with an increasing proliferation of tool types, 

 frequently sought to perfect multipurpose implements 

 of a type best represented later by the ubiquitous 

 Stanley plane. The evolution of the all-purpose idea, 

 which is incidentally not peculiar to hand tools alone, 

 can be seen from random statements selected from 

 U.S. patents for the improvement of bench planes. 

 In 1864 Stephen Williams in the specifications of his 

 patent 43,360 stated: 



I denominate my improvement the "universal smoothing 

 plane," because it belongs to that variety of planes in 

 which the face is made changeable, so that it may be 

 conveniently adapted to the planing of curved as well 

 as straight surfaces. By the use of my improvement 

 surfaces that are convex, concave, or straight may be 

 easily worked, the face of the tool being readily changed 



/?" ' TJimw^'^. WorraTUfBrnahMaTworJom^f/yr. 





Figure 60. — 1857: I.N a v.\rietv of arrangements, 

 the addition of metal plates, caps, and screws at 

 the mouth of the plane, as shown in Thomas Wor- 

 rall's drawing, proved a transitional device that 

 preserved the ancient shape of the tool and slowed 

 the introduction of bench planes made entirely of 

 iron. (Wash drawing from U.S. Patent Office, 

 June 23, 1857, Record Group 241, the National 

 .\rchives.) 



from one form to another to suit the surface to which it is 



to be applied. 

 The announced object of Theodore Duval's improved 

 grooving plane (pat. 97,177) was "to produce in one 

 tool all that is required to form grooves of several 

 different widths." None was more appealing than 

 Daniel D. Whitker's saw-rabbet plane (pat. 52,478) 



P.APER 51: WOODWORKING TOOLS, 1600-19 00 



219 



