As readers of this blog will know, I do trade in collectable woodworking tools, but I don’t often get round to keeping many of them myself. I see little point in keeping tools on a shelf, when they could be being used in a workshop and appreciated in use, rather than for purely aesthetic reasons. I maybe own four or five tools I would call ‘collectable’, the rest of my tools are good clean users, Stanley, Record and the like.
One of my rarer tools is this Norris plane which I’ve been using on a small project and it only goes to confirm my opinion that tools are best kept used and not shelved.
This Norris A7 shoulder plane is a rarer type because the wedge tensioner is at the back and not mid-mounted. This design was a short-lived venture, (I think some models were made around the 1920’s-30’s, according to someone who knows much more than me).
In use, this plane is sublime. The mouth is super-tight, as you can see and the classic Norris adjuster allows for micro blade adjustment. The blade itself has four drilled holes, allowing for larger shifts up or down according to wear, before you dial in with the adjuster.
So if you have a lot of collectables, I would recommend getting a few out one day and getting them going on a project. After all, you can’t take them with you!
