Last night at First Friday, a sweet lady that is an Artist and has a booth next to me brought this old box for me to look at.

So as I looked at the box, I wasn't sure if this was just an old box or a treasure chest of some type. She told me it had something in it I would be interested in.

I looked all over the box and didn't see any brands or writing on it so my curiosity was getting to me and I had to open the lid, carefully mind you. You never know is someone is trying to get something on you.

Upon opening the box, I discovered it was definitely a Treasure Chest.

These wonderful old tools had belong to her father and she wanted me to take a look at them and see if I wanted them. What do you mean do I want them? Of course I wanted them. The small level is a Stanley No. 256.

I had to confess to her that I didn't know much about moulding planes. They looked awesome! I couldn't see much detail in them last night outside but today in the shop I got them out and took a good look at them.

This one was an Ohio Tool Co. No. 48 and it has some initials or something on the front.

If you look close on the bottom edge you can see the 48 on it's side. Just above it there are some initials. On the left in the middle is the Ohio Tools Co. stamp.

The Ohio Tools Co. No 48. from the side.

And from the bottom.

Several of them also had this logo stamped on them.

Sandusky Tool Co. Ohio. I think there is a size on the other end but my old bad eyes couldn't get it in the right line of the bifocals.

And one of them had this logo on it but I can't make it out enough yet to tell what it says and I don't recognize it.

And then there were those wonderful dividers and the hammers.

So sometimes an old wooden box can certainly be a Treasure Chest!

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice haul, John.

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk.'
J. Vernon McGee

“Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed,
but that we will succeed at something that doesn’t matter.â€
D.L. Moody

The forth page down in this link shows the Ohio Tool Co. No 48 as a Dado plane with adjustable stop. He thinks this catalog was from around 1913. It sold for 1.50.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

Wow! A treasure chest to be sure!!

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

Nice John!!!!! I love em all, what a neat thing to happen, I am so happy for ya. Do you have more history about the original user of the tools?

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Oh wow. I am not that much into hand tools but that would have been a great score for anyone

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Charles Nicholls
Site Host
nicholls61@att.net
Proud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRA

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nichollswoodworks

I do John, the person I got them from got them from her father. He did tinker in a shop, but he was a postman at a retirement village. People would move in there and bring all their stuff with them. They would soon realize they didn't need all this stuff and so they would give it to him. He collected all kinds of stuff according to his daughter. So he carried this stuff around with him for many years and then passed it down to her. She said she had done the same thing and carried it around, opening the box ever now and then and look at the items her dad collected. So she said it was time to pass it own to someone who would enjoy sitting them out of the box and looking or using them if they were useable. So she brought them to me.

We have been setting up a booth beside each other for several years now and when we do other shows we request to be beside each other. Her husband has Parkinson's, he is a veteran and so they wanted to pass the planes on to me.

They moved here from North Carolina, so her dad would have gotten them their. I don't know who he got them from.

Both Ohio Tool Co. And Sandusky went out of business in the 1920's.

I sat and admired them yesterday wondering of the woodworker that may have retired and given them to their friendly postman to add to his collection.

John Morris said:

Nice John!!!!! I love em all, what a neat thing to happen, I am so happy for ya. Do you have more history about the original user of the tools?

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

What a neat thing to happen to you. Good things happen to good people!

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Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

This afternoon while waiting on some glue to dry I did a little looking into the moulding planes. Being a history lover, sometimes I am as interested in the history of the tools as I am in the tools themselves.

I had this one in the box that I just couldn't make out the stamp on Saturday. I took it under some light today and the magnifying glass and could make out enough to start a Google search.

So that is the logo on the one that I have. I could make out Conway, Mass. so I did a search on that and moulding planes. With that information I was able to find a plane with the stamp on it and a bit of history.

They got another partner and renamed the company to Conway Tool Company April 15, 1950. In 1951 the factory burned and the moved and again changed the name to Greenfield Tool Company.

So I am not sure but these planes with this stamp may have only been made in 1849 but most likely not past 1851. So this is quite an old plane that I have.

It has a No. 14 on it but I haven't found anything with a list of their numbers.

It also has a size stamped on the back

Here is a better picture of one I found on the Internet. I can't tell if that is 5/8 or 6/8. The space on the bottom of the plane is 3/8.

So that is what I have learned about this one.

The others are Sandusky Tool Co. Ohio.  The Sandusky Tool Co in Sandusky Ohio was founded in 1869 the company closed in 1929 but according to information I found in 1880's they employed 200 men and produced 70 dozen planes per day in addition to hoes, axes and other tools.

These two are Sandusky Tool Co moulding planes No 92. They are 1" matched set, round and hollow.

There is also a matched set of 1/2" No. 92

The round is missing the blade and wedge. I guess I will get busy and see if I can located one on the Internet somewhere.

And then there was a No 92 7/8" round.

And I showed the Ohio Tool Co. No 48.

Ohio Tool Co may have started as early as 1823. It was incorporated in Columbus Ohio in 1851 by Peter Hayden. At that time they were reported to have 200 hands with carpenter planes as the main line. They used prison labor until 1880. In 1893 Ohio Tool merged with Auburn Tool Co. with Ohio Tool being the survivor.

In 1913 the Ohio factory was destroyed by a flood. A new plant was opened in 1914 but all operations ceased in 1920.

It is hard to tell the exact age of these planes.

It does have a users name on it. F. Kriec. You can also tell it was used by the dents in the back where they would have hit it to adjust the plane.

I also found in the box a couple of dividers made by W.M.Johnson Inc.

I haven't found much on the company. On is a 9 1/2" and the other is 7".

There was also a couple of Starretts

Not sure I got the picture I thought I was taking. Can't really see the name for the glare on it.

So is my update on what was in the Treasure chest. It has been quite interesting to research the tools. I did take one of the hollow tools today and run it across a piece of cedar I had and it actually cut some pretty nice curls.

Hope you enjoy the history of these planes. It is like finding a part of history in that old wooden box.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com