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G.E. Franklin's Surfacing Plane
Produced in at least two variations, this plane was developed
primarily for resurfacing a bottom die block. To manufacture
these blocks, short sections of a durable wood species were
vertically assembled, resulting in the end grain being used
as the working surface. This end grain provided a dense section
for cobblers and leatherworkers to use as a base for blocking
out soles or other parts prior to assembly. This could be
done manually with a hand punch or by using a mechanical (clicking)
press. However, the surface eventually became uneven and a
clean severing of the material could not be maintained. This
tool was developed to simplify the process of re-truing that
surface. It has also been described as being used in the re-truing
of a butcher's chopping block, which is constructed in a like
manner.
 George
E. Franklin of Natick, Massachusetts, was granted patent #138,625
on May 6, 1873. It specified that his invention was to be
an "improvement in surfacing planes". The patent
papers describe the two-step process previously used for re-truing
the surface, which involved using a hand adze and smoothing
plane. Franklin claimed that when using his new plane, the
process required only one step. The papers also describe how
two cutting blades were mounted at right angles and in conjunction
with an adjustable fence. The surface could be flattened in
a reasonable amount of time, eliminating the discrepancies
involved when using the original method.
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