Plane, Howell

Object Name:

Plane, Howell

Object ID:

1953.001.08

Creator:

Heald, Addison (1817-1895)

Place of Origin:

Milford, NH

Date:

1873-1906

Description:

Cooper's howell, made by Addison Heald & Son, Milford, NH. Medium-brown wood. Semi-circular shape with concave side. Double-curve narrow fence piece on bottom. Two pieces held together by iron machine screws with wingnuts. Concave section depth of about 1" at center. Sharp ends of semi-circle are rounded. Adjusting mechanism for fence rides in two parallel slots near center of concave side. Near outer edge is a slot with blade set into it that is inclined downward and is also at an angle to fence surface on bottom. Single-edged blade is about 1.5" wide at bottom. Wedge block in the slot that is pivoted near its center. Metal pivot rod sits under two rectangular straps that are adjacent to larger blade slot. Two slotted, round-head screws holding each of the pivot plates. Threaded wood screw with squat, round knob on end that holds blade in place. Blade is 3.8" long. Top, flat end turned over by being struck. Slightly chamfered edges at top end. Rectangular slot in middle of blade near bottom end with slightly rounded ends. Above slot are a series of rectangular depressions (total of 10) across blade that are about 0.07" wide, 0.5" long. On bottom of top piece adjacent to adjustable fence are 13 inlaid pieces of a very dark wood. Pieces about 1" square and look to be about 0.4" thick. Cursory examination makes it look as if end ring is exposed. Couple of pieces near right end are slightly smaller than rest of them in their width. Wear patterns in surface of hardwood and are additional wear patterns in main body adjacent to ends of this inlaid band. Blade slot cut through inlays. One inlay adjacent to blade slot is slightly loose. Fence piece has the adjusting bolts recessed into holes on bottom. Bottom end of adjusting bolts are slotted, round-headed machine screws. Cast wingnuts for adjusting screws and fairly thick washers between wingnuts and top surface of piece. Stamp on blade with four lines of text: "BAILEY'S / PATENT / AUG 6, 67 / AUG 31, 58, EXD." with top line curved upward and bottom line curved downward. Stamps on body: on right end near edge, vertical box stamp, serrated edges, "H[E]ALD & SON". Below that another box stamp, serrated edges, all caps, serif: "MIL[FO]RD [N][H]". On the other end are two vertically oriented stamps. Top is box stamp: "AHEALED &". Next stamp below it is serrated: "MILFORD N...".

Material:

Wood
Metal

Dimensions:

H-3.3 W-6.5 L-12.8 inches

Provenance:

Found by the donor in the attic of the Stratton Company flour mill, Penacook, NH, in 1953, when the mill closed. The mill, eventually owned by the Stratton Company, was built in 1857. They also had a large barrel factory. By 1900, it was the largest flour mill in New England. The donor was vice-president of the company.

Credit Line:

Gift of Donald J. McFarland

People:

Heald, Addison (1817-1895)