Cast Iron Box Mitre Infill Plane With Decorative Bridge

The decorative cupid’s bow gunmetal bridge on this cast iron box mitre plane is engraved with the name “C. Porter” in attractive script, with some equally attractive engraving just below it. I’m not sure who Mr. Porter is, but he can sure knock together a nice enough infill plane!

Infilled with what appears to be walnut (though it could be a dark mahogany), the casting itself is of a somewhat low profile — low enough that the rear infill extends beyond the height of the ironwork which, in itself, is uncommon. The front infill also rises above the surrounding metal, but that’s not so uncommon amongst old user-made infill planes. The wedge looks original, as it’s made from the same wood as the infills.

The rather substantial bridge has been fixed to the plane with screws, as has the front infill. It’s interesting to note that the rear infill has not been screwed in however. I can’t spot any evidence of pinning so, most likely, the rear infill has been glued in or just sits within the casting without any form of fixture at all.

It’s difficult to see just how the mouth has been cut. The actual slot is huge compared to the mouths on most infill planes, but the space ahead of the cutting iron’s edge seems tight enough. At first I thought that the cutting iron had been reversed, as in bevel down like on a panel or a smoothing plane, which would explain the tight mouth, but if you look at the two pictures taken from above the plane you can see that the cutting iron has been fitted with the bevel uppermost.

Most likely what’s happened is that the back of the mouth has broken away and then been cleaned up — a common ailment on old cast iron mitres. If the cutter is thick enough though then it shouldn’t matter too much with the functionality of the plane. Of course it also depends on what you’re planing. Hard, interlocking grain or knotty wood might cause some problems but most timbers should be fine. I can tell you from experience that it’s not an easy task to cut a tight mouth on a cast mitre plane!

Again, no details of actual size, I’m afraid. I searched on my computer but came up empty. It is, nonetheless, an attractive mitre plane and one that I feel was worthy of showcasing.

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