Gunmetal & Ebony Shoulder Plane With Scrimshaw

Yet another decorated infill plane. This time it’s a gunmetal and ebony shoulder plane featuring scrimshaw work — in the form of a cameo depicting an image of a carved sailing ship — on the finial of the wedge.

While most scrimshaw work appears on planes and other tools that would not look out of place in a shipwright’s tool chest, it’s uncommon to see an infill plane decorated in this way. That’s not to say that it doesn’t happen, of course, as this particular plane is proof of that.

The plane has been constructed from a gunmetal casting and then infilled with ebony. From some of the photos the ebony wedge appears to be made from four separate pieces, but this is not the case. Lines have been carved along the top edge of the finial which gives the wedge a distinctive look.

The shoulder plane is modelled on a pattern made famous by Stewart Spiers of Ayr in Scotland. It is around 7-1/2″ long and 1-1/4″ wide. As it has been cast in gunmetal and infilled with ebony it stands to reason that the overall heft of the plane is quite substantial — just perfect for end-grain work!

A nice craftsman made gunmetal shoulder plane of good quality.

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