The basic English iron or steel (or as we now call them "infill") smoother plane was first introduced in the late 1840's or 1850's, before Leonard Bailey began manufacturing his iron planes in the US. There is a major difference in philosphy between the basic designs. Bailey had capital and his designs were made to be mass produced. With very little machining, and no skilled production he could bolt together a darn good plane with a lovely mechanical adjuster. English metal planes were designed to keep the basic golden planing of a properly fitted wooden plane, but without the sole wear and issues with wood movement. It took skill to make one of these planes, which meant high cost, and the firms that actually made metal planes in England were small family affairs.
This particular plane came from the David Russell collection and he had several, including one marked "Musgrave" and another marked "Buck", companies that Norris made planes for. This suggests that while the design was certainly unsuccessful commercially, and Russell suggests that the planes were experimental models, there were enough hopes for the design to make a few for potential wholesale customers. Russell suggests a date of the 1880s with a question mark. 
proposition. And the castings are more consistent in section and that gives a more stable casting which is less likely to move. 
Twenty years or so later Norris solved the adjuster problem but by that time Bailey style planes were firmly established in England and competing against them made no sense. Both Spiers and Norris made lower priced plane lines but neither was particularly successful at it. Norris took a different track in the 1920's and decided not to play the game. While still making some lower end planes they concentrated on their high end and the top of the line Norris planes from the 1920's get better and better. 
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Follow @TFWW_BROOKLYN |
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or 718-499-5877 Or email us at: support@toolsforworkingwood.com Copyright 1999-2009 01 Inc., NYC |