Category: Restoration

Marples X4 Smoothing Plane

Post author By Gary
Post date April 6, 2013
3 Comments on Marples X4 Smoothing Plane

Just a quick post about a Marples ‘X4’ plane I recently found. I couldn’t find a lot on the web about this plane, so hopefully this will show people some of the details of what, to me, seems like a fantastic tool.

The Marples X4 smoothing plane, which went into production in 1954. Production was short-lived, due to the high production costs of the plane's design. — The Marples X4 smoothing plane, which went into production in 1954. Production was short-lived, due to the high production costs of the plane’s design.

This view shows the distinctive wavy shape of the lever cap release. When you use the plane on it's side, on a shooting board for instance, your fingers have a much better hold with this grip. It's much less awkward than trying to shoot holding a plane with a standard lever cap. — This view shows the distinctive wavy shape of the lever cap release. When you use the plane on it’s side, on a shooting board for instance, your fingers have a much better hold with this grip. It’s much less awkward than trying to shoot holding a plane with a standard lever cap.

With the blade removed, you can see how Marples was clearly taking a design lead from the finer British infills available. The production on those planes pretty much got unsustainable around this time, so as the quality dropped slightly on those, Marples hoped to capitalise. Unfortunately, this plane suffered the same fate, and was short-lived.

Another thing I love about this plane's design is the rounded top on the iron. Again, very distinctive. — Another thing I love about this plane’s design is the rounded top on the iron. Again, very distinctive.

This is perhaps the most interesting thing about the X4. An adjustable throat! By releasing the front two bolts, you can move a big hunk of metal back and forth, effectively opening and closing the throat, just like smaller block planes. The block is very well made, and mates well with the base.

Here you can see the block fully forward, so the mouth is open to maximum, but it could come right back if need be.

I haven't even tuned this plane, I just spent a few hours removing sixty years of filth, but already it's taking feather shavings on the first few passes. — I haven’t even tuned this plane, I just spent a few hours removing sixty years of filth, but already it’s taking feather shavings on the first few passes.

At Hackney Tools, we buy old, good quality woodworking tools. If you have any tools you would like to sell, please get in touch using the contact form on the home page.

Tags Marples X4, smoothing plane, X4

Bench planes Practical techniques Restoration Spiers

Spiers repair

I sold this plane to a chap on eBay a while back. When I sent it off, I didn’t quite register the name I wrote on the parcel. A couple of months later, browsing the website of David Barron, I was very pleased to see the SAME PLANE! With it, David had photographed and written a lovely blog post about repairing the broken spur on the plane. Well worth checking out the post and indeed David’s whole blog. He’s a fine craftsman and furniture maker, and his enthusiasm shines through.

Funny how things go. I’m very pleased to see the plane went to such a good home, and I’ve learnt something myself, seeing how David goes about a good repair. Some good tips there.

Tags David Barron, Planes, repair, Spiers

Carving Practical techniques Restoration

David Esterly, wood carver

I’m currently reading ‘The Lost Carving‘ by celebrated wood carver David Esterly. Whilst I have to admit to speed-reading large chunks of it, (I just want to read about the technique and tools), it’s a nice insight into a wood-carver’s life.

When fire destroyed a good chunk of Hampton Court Palace in March 1986, the damage also reached a number of celebrated carvings by Grinling Gibbons.
Having turned away from academia, Esterly had already dedicated his life largely to carving, and the opportunity to help in the Hampton Court restoration was too good an opportunity to miss. So starts quite an interesting read (if a little over-romanticised for me personally), where David struggles with technique, the balance of recreating parts of the carvings, and the internal politics that surrounds the various societies responsible for organising the restoration.

I’d recommend the book, to a certain extent, if only to learn more about the techniques that this sort of deep ornamental sculpture demands.

The incredible deep-foliage relief and 'under-cutting' achieved by David is very clear in this piece. David generally uses limewood for his carving, for reasons explained in the book. Image copyright of David Esterly. — The incredible deep-foliage relief and ‘under-cutting’ achieved by David is very clear in this piece. David generally uses limewood for his carving, for reasons explained in the book. Image copyright of David Esterly.

David has very helpfully compiled a list of supplemental images, which illustrate the book very well, and I personally found them very interesting.

Tags carving, David Esterly, Grinling Gibbons, Hampton Court Palace, restoration, wood carving

Restoration Ward & Payne

Ward & Payne hacksaw

I had an hour to fill this morning and spent it changing a (literal) block of rust, into a Ward & Payne hacksaw. A really lovely old saw, nice deep, original blade and such graceful curves to the body. So nice to see the blade held in under tension with just a couple of nails. Lovely! (A bit more research on the web has this saw marked down as a ‘Ward & Payne B-3 Shop Pattern Metal Saw Sheffield’). Now on eBay.

Ward&Payne_hacksaw_2 — Ward & Payne logo on top of body

Ward&Payne_hacksaw_3 — Nice old wing nuts to dial the tension on. Not a lot has changed since this old design, although you wouldn’t find anything as beautiful as this old saw in ‘B&Q’ these days.

Ward&Payne_hacksaw_5 — As well as being beautiful, I imagine this shape gives a stronger pull on this end of the blade and therefore more stiffness to the saw.

Tags hacksaw, Saws, Ward & Payne

Restoration

Tool chest for sale

I have another large tool chest for sale. I did a renovation a short while ago on the first one, and this other one came as part of a deal in Suffolk. NOW SOLD!