Mathieson Dovetailed Coffin Smoother Infill Plane

A typical dovetailed steel coffin smoother plane by Alex Mathieson & Sons of Glasgow. This infill plane is fitted with Brazilian rosewood and features an open-handled design made famous by another Scottish planemaker, Stewart Spiers of Ayr.

Note the elegant spur of the rear handle and the finely crafted “saracen cap” lever cap screw — standard features of the many planes made by Mathieson, Spiers, Norris and their contemporaries. On that note it’s of interest to mention that Alexander Mathieson first set up his business in Saracen Lane, Glasgow, before moving his business to the Saracen Tool Works in East Campbell St., however the origin of the “saracen-style” lever-cap screw probably belongs to Stewart Spiers (though we’re not 100% sure of this).

Mathieson later had several factories in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Liverpool.

This is a plane from “The Golden Age of Infill Planes” and probably dates from around 1880 to 1920.

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