British Planemakers from 1700 [Hardcover]

William Louis Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1978

This book, the standard reference work on planemakers, is in two parts: a check list of makers and their marks, proceeded by a history of the planemakers and the tools they made. It shows how specialist planemakers evolved from general woodworking tradesmen in the early 1700 s and it traces the development of the wooden plane up to the author s lifetime. The history of the plane is told from several points of view: the lives of the makers; the uses fro which different planes were designed; the changing shape of planes (length, profile, wedge, chamfers); makers marks and those of owners (often of successive generations) all indicating pride in craftsmanship and ownership of an expensive possession.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

W. L. Goodman has built up contacts with museums and other authorities around the world, wrote many articles and published this present book and The History of Woodworking Tools, which established him as the authority of the subject. Mr. Goodman has long been a member of the Institute of Handicraft teachers and was recently made an honorary member of the Early American Industries Association and Vice President of the British-American Rhykenological Society which is devoted to the study of the plane.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Arnold and Walker; 2nd edition (January 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0904638073
• ISBN-13: 978-0904638073
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Enlarged Second Edition of British Planemakers From 1700, June 9, 2008

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Pick This Book ! (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Planemakers from 1700 (Hardcover)

This very important book is in fact Mr Goodman's second historical survey on ancient hand tools. In 1964, Goodman published The history of woodworking tools to great critical acclaims from collectors and scholars.

This "2nd edition: greatly enlarged" of British Planemakers from 1700 offers a unique historical survey of the planes and their makers in 18th and 19th Century Britain. Mr. Goodman's well written text delivers to its readers an in-depth analysis of how the Hand Plane were made in the workshops of England.

The Author's un-mistakable British wit makes for a very funny and entertaining read! On page VI, the book is aptly dedicated "To the long-suffering wives of all old-plane buffs, whose patience and forbearance have made this study possible". (Thank you, Mrs. Goodman! for putting up with your man's cultural obsession)

(For the words and terms that were unknown or new to me, I used an old copy of the 1993 UPDATED and REVISED American Edition of the New Webster's dictionary and thesaurus of the English language at the very cheap price tag of ONLY 10 CENTS !)

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements

list of Illustrations

INTRODUCTION

I. THE PLANES

1: Bench Planes

2: Moulding Planes (General)

3: 'Hollers'n Rounds'

4: Profiled Moulding Planes

5: Moulding-plane Wedges

6: Grooving Planes, Ploughs, etc.

7: Rebating Planes and Fillisters

II. MAKERS', DEALERS' and OWNERS' MARKS

III. CHECK LIST OF PLANEMAKERS and DEALERS

Abbreviations

Problem Children

IV. CHECK LIST OF PLANE-IRON MAKERS

Index

There is more than 35 illustrations and detailed tables.

This is a wonderful book: Happy readings!

To learn more about American Planemakers's history in the 18th and 19th Century, you must read the unique 1983 Kenneth D. Roberts' book: Wooden Planes in Nineteenth Century America - Volume II, it is a mind treasure!