L: 20.3cm W: 6.9cm H: 12.0cm
a- L: 20.3cm W: 6.9cm H: 6.0cm
b- L: 12.8cm W: 5.7cm H: 1.9cm
c- L: 16.8cm W: 5.4cm H: 1.7cm
A wooden smoothing plane consisting of 3 parts.
a- The body is coffin-shaped and made of a brown hardwood. A throat is cut just behind the middle of the body, with a large cavity ahead for collecting waste material. The sides of the body are rounded convexly. The sole is flat. Stamps on the toe read: "THOs MACHIN/WARRANTED"; "TORONTO"; "I BLOWER"; "R. HUMPHREY". Stamps on the heel read: "I BLOWER"; "R. HUMPHREY".
b- The wedge is made of a similar hardwood to the body. It is wide-set and the top corners are squared. It tapers to a thin edge with a depressed groove on the underside to accommodate the shape of the iron (c). The bottom edge is split into 2 blunt points with a gap between them.
c- The iron consists of two metal strips permanently bolted together with a slotted screw. The primary iron is longer than the other and sits below the secondary. The top edges of both pieces are chamfered. The primary iron has a slightly curved convex edge and the secondary has a flat cutting edge. The width of the cut is 2". A stamp on the primary iron reads "SPEAR & JACKSON/S*J/WARRANTED/CAST STEEL" with a crown ensign.
Smoothing planes are used for the finest finishing work on the wood surface. Before sandpaper was in common use, surfaces such as veneers were not sanded down, but "smoothed" with the smoothing plane. It was essential to set the iron with extreme precision, and to work with the highest degree of skill.
