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Melhuish Shoulder / Bullnose Plane
This type of plane is usually associated with the prominent
Scottish plane makers Spiers and Mathieson. Norris, a
maker from London, also produced planes of this type.
Identified as a rebate (rabbet) bullnose combination,
planes of this style were highly prized and, therefore,
reserved for special or "first-class" joinery.
They were almost always found with particularly fine mouth
openings, which allowed for the precise fitting of a joint.
The high initial purchase price of the tool suggests that
it was found only in the master's tool chest or cabinet. |
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The plane features traditional dovetailed construction
with rosewood wedges and infill. The sides are dovetailed
into the sole. Of particular interest is how the front
section, a solid piece, is dovetailed into the rest
of the body. This detail allowed for the fine mouth
in the bullnose section, as well as the maintenance
of both the tool's structural integrity and the mass
required for conducting a controlled cut without body
flexing. The front joint is often mistaken for a flaw
in the plane body, and, in some cases, this type of
steel plane construction is misidentified as a casting,
given the precise fit and finishing of the body joints.
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heel of this example is conspicuously stamped with
the mark Melhuish London, which was an English company
that traded from 1828 until about 1950. The blades
are from J. Howarth of Sheffield, a company that was
well respected for the quality of its blades. Sold
as a 1" plane, it is actually 15/16" wide. |
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 From
about 1870 onwards, Melhuish enjoyed much success due
to its large catalog publications, which offered a wide
range of products including tools manufactured by other
toolmakers and not just those of the company's own fabrication.
The particular mark on this plane, with the inclusion
of the word London, dates it to post-1938. Spiers had
ceased trading by that time. Meanwhile, Mathieson was
known to produce planes on contract for resale by ironmongers,
but during this time period, the company was in a decline,
which resulted in its demise by about 1950. Norris followed
the pattern but stopped trading later in the 1950s.
The particular shape of the wedge suggests manufacture
by Norris, and the proximity to the London market and
the reselling of genuine Norris planes by Melhuish during
this period makes it plausible that the plane was a special
order for a preferred customer.
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