George Fraser
Produced by Wellington plane-maker, George Fraser. He is known to have made planes during the 2nd World War. All are dovetail construction. From the collection of a member of the club.
This Coach-makers rebate plane was George Fraser’s own personal plane.
Five other examples of this model are known to exist
Planes made in New Zealand Railways Workshops
Made by Harry Wright (born 1914) in the Addington Railway workshops in the 1930’s. The body is C.P. brass channel 17 7/8″ long,and 3″ wide.the infill is mahogany,tote is about 20 ply. Lever cap and holding bolt are highly C.P.brass, the cutter and cap iron,2 5/8″ wide, seem to be non tapered tool steel.The infill is riveted in,as the photo may show. A very good looking and skillfully made plane,which I don’t think he got to use much,it seems to have it’s first hone on the originally ground cutter.
A less skillfully made coffin shaped smoother,roughly 9 1/2″ long,sole seems to be welded to the side walls (that was well done) but mouth and cutter are not parallel,cutter is Mathieson,lever cap and bolt are C.P. brass held on to the plane with a 4″ steel carpentry nail ??(it works but looks rough) Infill material could be kauri with stain,I’m not sure. Sadly not the style of the panel plane,and it would have worked,but not with a high level of quality. Made in NZR workshops probably in the 50’s or 60’s.
This is a New Zealand railways workshop’s copy of a Stanley 71 1/2 router. I have seen others and in all of them the 7 has been chiselled off. All from the Arthur Peters collection.
