Friends,
I was driving around last Friday, and happened on a “sale”. I stopped by and “lo and behold”, they had some tools. I picked this one up. Can you identify it for me.
Thanks,
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
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Replies
Yeah right, Mel ... since when are they selling Marcous at yard sales?! :)
Good one. Did you give it a run? What's your opinion?
Regards from Perth
Derek
Derek,You spoiled my fun too quickly. :-) Actually I went to the Lie Nielsen show and sale at Frederick, MD, last Friday (about an hour and a half of a beautiful drive through rural Virginia). The reason I went was to do something that I have wanted to do for years - to actually try a Marcou. Lie Nielsen announced that Fred West would be there demonstrating the wares of Philip Marcou. Wild horses couldn't have kept me away. I spent a good deal of time with Fred. I didn't know him prior to the visit. He is a really nice guy. We had a lot of fun. He took the photo of me with the Marcou. Below is a photo of Fred and I, which we had taken so that I could post it just as soon as someone identified the plane as one of Philip's. Fred really liked the idea of the "ploy". The Chairman of the the Washington Woodworking guild took the photo of Fred and I, and there was a bunch of friends there, enjoying the experience.
View Image
I anxiously put the plane to wood, after picking it up and caressing it for a while. I tried to let the drool fall on the floor, rather than the plane. Fred also had the #9 there. Of course, Fred had it tuned to take a fine shaving and it was nicely honed. The plane felt wonderful and it worked beautifully. Its heft let it go through the wood with ease. As we all know, that thing is a work of art, as well as an "extra" fine tool.
Across from the Marcou display, was a display of two tables full of exquisite planes by a man named Jim Leamy. Many of his had large parts made of ivory. They were absolutely gorgeous. Jim was quite willing to talk about his planes. The first thing he said was that he probably wouldn't sell any planes at this show. When I asked why, he said "because it is a different crowd from this one who buys this types of planes." I asked him where he finds the right crowd to buy his planes. He said it is clear that it is the collectors who buy his planes. He said that he has a waiting list of more than a year.
After spending a great session with fred and then with Jim, I can only conclude that Philip's planes are under-priced.
I also spent some time with two LN folks who had been at the previous show a few months ago in Gaithersburg, MD, and with Deneb, who gave me some pointers on fettling the the honing jig that LN sells. Very interesting. I will make those adjustments to mine, and post some photos here, along with the explanation of why.
Thanks for identifying Philip's plane. I figured that it wouldn't take long.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Hi Mel
Great story. I must admit to doing a double take when I saw you holding the Marcou. Mine is essentially the same plane as that (the S15).
I have an email from Fred that I must reply to. He has a collection of planes that anyone would aspire to, and they are all used to build furniture. He certainly has a high level of enthusiasm. It would be hard not to become enthused about planes around him.
Remember, they are just tools to build furniture :)
Regards from Perth
Derek
After spending a great session with fred and then with Jim, I can only conclude that Philip's planes are under-priced. Mel,Please don't tell that to Philip until after my kids graduate college, so I can still afford one or two!Jeff
Jeff,
Good luck with getting your kids through college, and staying out of the poorhouse. It is a challenge, but it is do-able. AND not getting them through really closes some doors. You can get the kids educated and still have money for some of Philip's planes.Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,Thank you for the very kind words. I very much enjoyed meeting you as well and was so pleased to see how much you enjoyed using Philip's plane. Just to clarify, I am a friend of Philip's and other than the MD show have never represented Philip other than as a very enthusiastic user. In addition I had offered to work this show for free which Philip would not accept. I refused to accept payment in the form of cash so we settled upon having an amount deducted from the amount that I currently owe Philip. I have no idea if I will end up working another show for Philip but I would be honored to do so.Mel, what I loved was the look on your face as well as everyone else when they first saw a Marcou. It was even better when you and everyone else picked up the planes and ran them through the wood. Seeing that from everyone was worth everything. As I told you and everyone else. I am a huge Lie-Nielsen fan and have many of their planes. In no manner can I justify buying one of Philip's planes or a Brese, Sauer and Steiner, etc. on the basis that I am that much better a woodworker. What I use to justify the purchases is the sheer beauty along with the functionality brings a smile to my face and allows me to enjoy my woodworking that much more.There are many out here who love to buy old Stanleys, Millers Falls Records, etc., spruce and tune them, or to build their own or so many different things. I think that all of that is wonderful and it is what makes this a ball game. I do not think that any one way is more or less correct.Anyway, my way, is supporting the high end tool makers whether it be through purchases, speaking with people or writing about them. It is what I have chosen to do as I think we are in a golden age of tool makes.Fred
Fred,
Thanks for joining in on the thread. You were in on the idea from the moment it was hatched. You are absolutely correct. I feel about Philip's planes exactly as you do, and for the same reasons that you do. I have not heard anyone else put it so well or so accurately. The planes are of extreme beauty as well as excellence in actual use. My belief is that the collector planes of tomorrow are the planes you referred to in your message. It is good to have you for a friend. Please let me know if you are ever coming down to the Northern Virginia area. I would like to have you over for dinner and to see what I can learn from you. Have you thought about taking Philip's planes to a PATINA meeting
(Potomac Antique Tools and Industries Association, Inc. ) Their website is: http://www.patinatools.org/Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,Thank you for your very kind words. Should I get down that way I would love to have dinner with you. However, I do not believe that there is much in the way of knowledge that I would be able to give to you. I bookmarked the Patina site and will look it over. I do love the acronym of their name. :o)Fred
Fred,
You know much about the fine tools of a number of makers based on actual use. I don't. You have had access to a class of tools which I don't. I would like to sit down, relax and learn your takes on those tools. There is a lot I could learn from you.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,Thank you and if I am down your way, I would love to sit down and discuss all of the tools and the makers. They are all amazing and wonderful people who respect and admire each other. That is one of my favorite things about these guys. It is hard not love their tools even more when you know how selflessly they give.Fred
Fred,
PATINA is a good acronym, but I like the initials of the Society of Workers in Early American Technology, too.
Ray
Ray,Just think of how much fun it would be if it was the New Order of the Society of Workers in Early American Technology. :o)Fred
Fred,
If you really want to meet some inveterate tool collectors, you gotta go visit Ray Pine's home town. He invited me to go out to one of their meetings. Fantastic. Great folks, and very hospitable. After a drive of more than two hours, I needed some coffee and vittles. I saw they had a bunch of food, so I asked who I pay for some of it. The answer was "You already paid your five bucks for lunch, the breakfast is included." The group is known as The Shennandoah Valley Tool Collectors. Not much of an acronym, but a great group. But you gotta watch what you say. They ask all of the new visitors to say something about themselves and why they came to the meeting. I joked that I came to their meeting to meet women. Well, when I went to leave, one lady tripped me with her cane, and said "Not so fast, young man. A promise is a promise."
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,That groups sounds wonderful and one of these days I would love to go to one of their meetings. Mel, one issue I have is an extremely bad neck and lower back. Even that little show knocked me down for a couple of days afterward. The reason I am telling you this is because there are so many things that I would love to do but just cannot. I think that as bad as that may have been when the lady with cane stopped you, you should thank your lucky stars that you had not joked about being there to find men.:o)Fred
Fred,
The Shennadoah group is a fun group, but I wouldn't really expect any sales of Philip's planes there. But PATINA is a different story. If I had to pick one place to show his planes, it would be PANTINA. Many of those guys have money and taste. You might want to email or phone the guy who was displaying across from you, or I could do it for you. He was quite open about where he sells. If he is selling as well as he says he is, and he says that it is all to collectors, I would see where he shows, I take Philip's planes there.I really am not giving you advice, but rather suggestions to think about. I don't know if you plan more shows or not, or what Philip's plans for the US are, but whoever is handling Philip's work, might do well to contact the president of PATINA, and ask where the other groups are, like PATINA. I hope this is useful to you and to Philip. I don't think either of you will think that I am suggesting that Philip's planes are meant for collectors and not users. I am merely trying to find out where similar planes sell. My suggestion is purely practical in terms of generating sales, and it is not philipophical.If you are going to do any shows again around here, and would like me to come and help for the day. That would give you a chance to rest your back and neck. Of course, I would do this as a favor for Philip, and I would refuse any attempts at remuneration. I enjoy the shows and sales, as you could see at Frederick. Also, of course, I would not do it unless Philip wanted me too. Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
A JIG to sharpen a wonderful plane? Shame on you!
Will George,
AH, the jig -- the honing jig. This one is a very simple little device.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Just pulling your leg a bit. I use jigs all the time.
Mel
That's a great experience. Must have been fun to take it thru a test run.
Makes you appreciate all the work that goes into making a tool that nice.
dan
Mel,
"Can you identify it for me."
It's a totally obsolete tool. The ancient Romans used to use them.
It is called a "p l a n e".
Hope this helps,
Ray
Ray,
I think you are correct and it is a Roman tool. It is stamped "12 B.C."
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
I think that means it is a cheap forgery. If a really good pre-Christian Roman forgery, it would be marked "minus XII".
;-)
Ray
Mel,
You dog. You come into my town and don't have the politeness to so much as give me a heads up on knots. Always knew you suffered retirement dementia, but really. You have given me so much crap on line, I really wanted the chance to give it back face to face.
Dan,
That wood store that the LN show was at IS FANTASTIC. They had slabs that are bigger and more beautiful than anything I had seen before. Of course, at close to #2000 per slab, they were pricey, but well worth it. Did you go to the LN show? It was EXCELLENT. Deneb was in fine fettle. There were some newbies asking questions, but there were a number of experienced guys there too, and LN was selling VERY WELL. The chance to use Philip's planes made the trip special. The other guy who was selling high-end planes had some beauties too. Most of the folks there on Friday were older folks of course. The younger guys must have been working (a good thing). Wish we could have gotten together. Frederick is not far away. We can get together anytime, and you can pay me back with a load any time you like. Right now I am making a "Hokey chair" with a pair of turkey feet that are almost two feet long, and a back that is carved to resemble Hokey feathers. The seat is Windsor style. Who knows? THese chairs may catch on, and I may become rich! (probably not, but my grandson will like it).Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
To be honest, I have been working recently at restarting the law practice and have not had time to do much in the shop or keep up with what is going on. I know the wood shop and it is expensive every time I walk into the place. Recently I have confined myself to the cut offs in the corner for turning projects.DanC
Dan,
I didn't know you are a lawyer.
From now on, I am going to be nice to you. :-)
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Just a simple country lawyer...DanC
Dan
"simple country lawyer". Those are scary words. Didja hear the one about the lawyer who......Nah. I am not going to do that. I hope you get to do some more woodwork while lawyering. It is good for the soul. MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
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