Whitmore planes and all their guises?
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Being a tool dealer, as well as an enthusiastic collector, over many years there have been occasions when lesser known names have cropped up on hand planes, which I have seen, mainly of the no 4, no 5 and 110 block plane varieties.
Despite asking many other tool enthusiasts,and dealers, little if any, background details of the makers has been known.
So, a few years ago, I started to collate information on the varied names, that seemed to share similar characteristics, such as frog details and design,
As more and more people used the internet, more snippets of information has been slotted in, with what I already had filed away, until I felt it was ready for putting it out to a wide audience.
However (and there is always an however), I must stress, that the following is all from my own researches. They are not complete and and in any way definitive. I will be happy to receive any photographs, details, or information that can expand on what I have written here.
But, I hope it fills a few gaps, and acts as a guide, for all the curious tool buffs out there.
Many of the name variants emanate from one manufacturer -
Whitmore Planes and their various guises !
The owners were Branson Baker Ltd
Their factory was located at:
331 New Hampton Road East
Whitmore Reans
Wolverhampton, England
So, it would appear that the brand name 'Whitmore' appears to have derived from their address?
Branson Baker Ltd., entered plane making in 1955/56 by buying out the 'Sedgley' plane and spokeshave makers, Samuel Brookes & Co.
who had operated their manufactory from:
Gospel End Street
Sedgley
Dudley
Birmingham, England
Samuel Brookes, as well as making their own brand planes, also produced planes badged 'Tema', for Wilson Lovatt & Sons, hardware dealers of Wolverhampton
Once Branson Baker began production under their Whitmore brand, they also continued to produce 'badged' planes for other firms, as well as their own original branding.
These are some of the 'badged' plane names:-
Sedgley - photos above
Peartree
Tema (Wilson Lovatt & Sons of Woilverhampton)
Peter Stubs (James Neil) - no photo yet
Talco
Footprint
Salmens / Master
CK (Ceka) - no photo yet
Spinney
Rollins (John G Rollins Ltd., 25 Prescott Street, London, E1 - tool factors)
Change of Ownership
Footprint agreed to purchase all machinery (c1978) from Branson Baker Ltd, and produce their own planes. And, I believe my research shows, also badged for:
Draper
Roebuck ( Buck and Hickman) - no photos yet
Faithful (Curtis Holt Ltd.) - no photo yet
Benchmark (Home hardware of Canada) no photo yet
Mastercraft (Candian Tyre Co) no photo yet
Craftsman (Sears Roebuck in USA) no photo yet
Paragon ( Lee Valley of Canada and Garrett Wade USA)
In the mid 1980's the Paragon was manufactured under strict specifications of Lee Valley. Footprint ground off it's little footprint logo, on most, but not all Paragons. (It was cast into the plane base just behind the frog, and can be seen on some examples of Paragons ).
The Paragon departed from the Bailey design with it's lever cap and rear tote.
The lever cap is similar to that of the Miller Falls 3-point design and appears to holds the cap iron and blade tighter to the frog face over a greater area. The tote is also more like the later Miller Falls design, more upright and lesser curves.
Lee Valley sold the Paragons in Canada, and I understand that Lee Valley sold the Paragons through Garrett Wade in the USA (notice the logo on the lever cap).
N.B. My research is still ongoing, in being able to 'fatten out' the story of this line of plane making, but very very slowly!