Slater Cast Iron Parallel Infill Smoother Plane

Another smoothing plane, this time by Henry Slater of Meredith Street, Clerkenwell in London. This one is similar to the Norris No.12 smoothing plane in both style and construction, having been made from a cast iron body shell in which the Brazilian rosewood bun and rear infill has then been fitted.

As is most typical with Slater planes, the lever cap, front bun and rear infill have been secured to the iron body with screws, rather than riveted. This is actually a safer method of construction, when you consider the brittle nature of cast iron, as hammering away at the rivet in order to pein it correctly can sometimes be a harrowing affair and one not to be considered lightly.

Another positive feature, to the restorer at least, is that it makes it easier to replace a damaged infill or rear handle, and there have been a few occasions in which I’ve seen notes or bits of newspaper packing under these infills as I’ve restored them. Similarly I too leave my “mark” for future restorers or collectors to discover sometime in the future. To date though I’ve never had anyone contact me about finding these surprises in the 20 years I’ve been making and repairing infill planes, so I’m not sure if anyone has discovered them yet.

Unlike many infill planes the front bun on these Slaters is not overstuffed. The spur on the handle of this plane is nice and crisp and there is a strike button at the rear of the plane for adjusting the cutting iron. The gunmetal lever cap is the standard Slater issue, with heavy chamfering on the top edges. The screw is also a typical Slater style and very different from other makers at the time.

This is probably my favourite pattern of Slater plane and this particular one is in reasonably nice condition.

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