[wdmn]

Bought this plane sometime back but don't know anything about it. No markings or labels. Any info would be appreciated. Thought it looked unique. A yard sale find.

 

[Dave Paine]

Hard to tell the bed angle from these pictures. Perhaps this is more of a scraper than a plane.

How is the blade held in place? Is the blade sharpened top and bottom? If so, this would infer a scraper blade.

 

[john sayles]

wdmn

What you have is an antique ice shaver.

 

[Dave Paine]

wdmn

What you have is an antique ice shaver.

Very interesting. Glad someone recognised how this was intended to be used. :thumbsup:

 

[wdmn]

Thanks for the input. The blade is two sided. Held in place by one screw. Never thought of a scraper for ice. Any idea on what it might be worth? Would it have been used by a business or is it more for personal use?

 

[john sayles]

Before the advent of the modern electric refrigerator (and the ready convenience of a tray of ice cubes) people bought ice by the block. The iceman would deliver to your door and put it into an icebox -- literally, just an insulated box which slowed down the melt rate.
You had to conserve it, and needed some way to take small amounts from the block -- that's where these tools came in.

Most are acquainted with the North Bros as makers of those eggbeaters with multiple settings, or perhaps the yankee screwdriver, or my favorite -- the vaunted Yankee bit brace.

That is how I first came to know these devices -- one was marked with the North Bros name and I did a little research.

google "antique ice shaver" and you can see dozens of examples.