From: mfleet@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Subject: Re: Antique planes
Date: 31 Dec 92 11:52:51 -0600
Organization: Memphis State University

\\In article <WOODWORK%92122908585012@IPFWVM.BITNET>, HUNTRESS GARY B <HUNTRESS@NPT.NUSC.NAVY.MIL> writes:
> Hi,
> 
> Among my christmas gifts this year were two antique wooden planes.
> My brother (thanks Dave!) lives in rural New Hampshire and has
> apparently found quite a supply of old tools.
> 
> The bigger plane is a 22" x 4" x 4" beauty with an interesting
> wooden wedge holding the cutter in place (it looks like the front
> of a fork thats missing the two center tines, if that makes any
> sense).  The front of the plane has several small stamped
> markings, an arc at the top center "UNION FACTORY", "warranty";
> below that is "H. CHAPIN" and then a bunch stamped "Griswold".
> 
> The second plane is, I think, a molding plane.  The body is a 2x4
> on edge with a 5" wide adjustable base plate.  There are forward
> and rear handles on each side and two adjusting screws on the top.
> The front of this plane also has markings: "P.H. MANCHESTER" and
> "R. LEE".
> 
> Questions:
> 
> 1) Was it customary for owners to stamp their name into their
> tools?  Chapin, Manchester, and Lee certainly don't seem like
> model names to me ;-)
> *** Yes, and in wooden planes, some craftsmen still do.  This
habit has proven to be quite usefull in establishing the authenticity
of planes and other tools to historians, etc.  

> 2) Has anyone ever heard of Union Factory planes?  I'd like to get
> some background about the company, location, dates, etc.  This
> plane is a beauty, there's hardly a mark on it.

I had not heard of them, but on your message, I consulted my copy of "The
Antique Tool Collectors Guide to Value" - Ronald S. Barlow, Windmill
Publishing, El Cajon, CA, 1989 - and found several interesting things.

I found A couple of planes from Union Factory Plane Company.  At the
time they were sold, and were indexed in this book, they were not
extraordinarily expensive, nor were they cheap.  Just about the middle
in price for these types of tool.  I don't know anything more than
that about Union Tool.  There are, if you are interested, several
publications which trace the history of tool makers, specifically
planes, both European and American, separately and collectively.
I don't have any of them, so I can't read you off the publication 
data.  The can be obtained from Astragal Press, whose catalog
I have here somewhere, but can't lay my finger on just at the moment.

What I found even more interesting is that I found - by accident - some
cross referencing.  I found several references to Chapin as a planemaker.
One of these, H. Chapin, was dated at 1826-1860.  Another separate
reference to H. Chapin was listed as "H. Chapin, Union Factory."  There
are other references to "N. Chapin, Union Factory", "N. Chapin, Eagle Factory",
"I. Chapin", "P. Chapin", and "Chapin Stephens, Co."  All these planes
sold several years ago for $15-$50, with one exception.  The "P.Chapin" also
listed an unsold plane by the same maker, a crown molding plane, for which
the asking price was $400.  The real value in any tool of this type is
not it's monetary value, but it's value as an historical object. These 
links with the past are really beyond price.

Several years ago, I acquired a wooden plane as a curiosity.  I developed
a strong interest in the tools of the past from this beginning.  The whole
shuject, while sometimes bordering on the obsessive, has been of great
satisfaction.  You may want to explore this area for your own satisfaction.
You may want to contact a local member of the "Mid-West Tool Collectors
Association" (MW-TCA) or the Earlly American Industries Association" (EAIA).
Both these groups fostermore than jst the collections of antiques.  (boy my
fingers just can't seem to spell anymore)  They encourage knowledge about
the tools, and about the times the tools represent, to be collected and shared.
Some of these folks even encourage the use of these tools so a better
appreciation of them can be nurtured.  If you want  any more info on these
publications or organizations, I will be happy to respond.  

Enjoy your excursions into the past!
Marrin Fleet
Memphis State University
Memphis, TN

 > 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Gary Huntress