Sometimes you buy a tool because you just like how it looks. That’s what happened when I ran across this brass chariot Plane on eBay a couple of years ago. It was just so cute! And pretty ;0)
Besides being cute, the solid brass body has a nice heft to it and it fits nicely in my hand. One of my favorite operations to perform with it is trimming 1/4” plywood when building drawers. It also worked great on the cabinets themselves!
I love the attention to detail that gets put into old tools. Even the logo has a pretty little clover detail! And look at the shaping on the rosewood wedge!
In my quest for info about Marples and Sons, I’ve found listings for similar planes that were many times more expensive than the one I bought, but not a whole lot of information about this plane in particular. In brief Marples and Sons worked out of Sheffield England in the middle of the center for British ironworks in the 19th century. Founded in 1828 by William Marples Junior he set out at the age of 21 to make joiners tools, brace bits and skates.
If you’d like to know more, Here is an in depth article of what is known of the company’s history. And a less in-depth overview here.
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