Phoenix Iron Works, George S. Lincoln & Co. planer

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 29, 2012

• #1

After Tom Stockton won the nice old planer on ebay I felt an iron deficiency comming on.
What to do about it?

I decided to go down to southern Minnesota and pick up a planer I had bought from a friend quite some time ago.
My friend is now 80 years old and I thought I better get it now before it is too late.
When I bought it from him I had a thought of who the maker was but I was not sure. The makers tag was gone.

I am now sure as to the make and it is what I originally thought. It is a Phoenix Iron Works planer. It is a 20 1/2" x 4' cap(17" x 50 3/4" table size, not including chip troughs). I think it dates to the mid 1850's.

It looks just like the one in Cope's planer book on page 134, Fig.1(which is pre 1854), except for the legs, which is what threw me at first, but when I saw the Phoenix legs on the 1856 lathe(Cope's lathe book page 118, Fig.2) and the legs on the Phoenix index mill(Cope's mill book page 159 Fig.2) I knew for sure.

pre 1854 planer

legs

1856 lathe with same legs

index mill legs

Rob

 

IrbyJones

Stainless

Joined

Jun 9, 2005

Location

Poquoson, Va

• Jan 29, 2012

• #2

Rob,

Nice snag!!! That's the first planer I think I've seen with T-holes (to go with the T-slots).

Irby

 

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 29, 2012

• #3

More pictures.

One of the methods for holding the head on before they could cut circular T slots.

Rob

 

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 29, 2012

• #4

IrbyJones said:

Rob,

Nice snag!!! That's the first planer I think I've seen with T-holes (to go with the T-slots).

Irby

Click to expand...

You will note that the T holes are just in the central part of the table and reverse direction mid point on the table just as in the 1854 illustration.

Rob

 

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 29, 2012

• #5

More pictures.

Same pattern on the housings as the 1854 illustration.

The makers tag was gone and this was in it's place.

W. A. James & Co. was a dealer in new and used machine tools. The earliest I found him in Chicago was 1869, but not at S. Canal St. He was at S. Canal St. in 1883, which is where he probably removed the Phoenix tag and put his tag on.

What the Phoenix tag would look like.

You can see the cast boss outline of the Phoenix tag and the three brass pins that held the Phoenix tag are still there.

Rob

 

Maltesehunter

Cast Iron

Joined

Apr 25, 2008

Location

Elk Grove, CA

• Jan 29, 2012

• #6

Rob, that is a very cool planer indeed. Is all the drive mechanism there? Jake

 

rklopp

Diamond

Joined

Feb 27, 2001

Location

Redwood City, CA USA

• Jan 29, 2012

• #7

Any relation between the Phoenix Iron Works of this planer, and the Phoenix Iron Works in Phoenixville, PA, which became Phoenix Steel?

 

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 30, 2012

• #8

Maltesehunter said:

Is all the drive mechanism there?

Click to expand...

That is the bad news. A past owner(not my friend, but the person my friend got the planer from) thought he could improve the drive with a direct motor drive, which did not work very well. A lot of the original drive was removed and did not survive. My friend never thought to ask his friend if he still had the parts. It can be rebuilt but will take some time.

This is Phoenix Iron Works Of Hartford Ct. and not Phoenix Iron Works of Phoenixville, PA.

Rob

 

P

peter

Titanium

Joined

Mar 20, 2001

Location

New England

• Jan 30, 2012

• #9

That is a pretty nice consolation prize!

Rob, I have to give you credit for a great job on research to piece all details together. Such as how that ID tag (you just happen to have photo) that fits the raised boss on the planer. I know its a challenge to organize or remember all this stuff. I have for my old photos, new electric images, old books, new books, catalogs, magazines papers. What a mess, but you definitely have it under control.

 

T

Tom Stockton

Aluminum

Joined

Nov 16, 2007

Location

Ann Arbor MI

• Jan 30, 2012

• #10

Nice look'n planer there!
I'm always surprised how many of these Civil War era machines still exist. The back story for many of my machines was often how they almost became a coffee table base, kitchen table (popular in NYC for some reason) or some other re-purposed abomination. Even the molested ones have their charms, & need saving.

You know you have too many planers when someone asks how many you have, & you don't know.

 

D

dinosaur

Cast Iron

Joined

Nov 30, 2009

Location

Cincinnati, OH

• Jan 30, 2012

• #11

You can never have too many planers or any other old pieces of iron. That would be like having too much beer in the fridge. Great machine that you saved Mr. Lang. I hope that you can get it running and use it to plane the beds of other old machinery.

 

J

Joe in NH

Diamond

Joined

Jul 28, 2007

Location

Stratham, Cow Hampshire

• Jan 31, 2012

• #12

I wanted to see the pix last night but came home to find a computer virus wreaking havoc with my machine. Beware the ides of the Vista 2012 Spyware Virus (which is not a virus but rather a trojan.)

Now straightened out and functional. I'll be sure to look tonight.

ANYTHING George S. Lincoln/Phoenix Iron works is worth saving. Even pieces.

(OBTW, not related to the Pennsylvania Phoenix Iron Works. )

Now see the pix. VERY nice. Planer envy coming on here. Any plans to re-execute that Phoenix name plate? (I assume your original is from HFM?)

Joe

 

Last edited: Feb 1, 2012

Robert Lang

Stainless

Joined

Apr 3, 2007

Location

Minneapolis, MN

• Jan 31, 2012

• #13

Joe in NH said:

Any plans to re-execute that Phoenix name plate? (I assume your original is from HFM?)

Click to expand...

I would like to have a new name plate made.
The picture of the Phoenix name plate that I posted is from Curator's Phoenix Lincoln mill.
I wish I had a better photo of a Phoenix name plate.

Rob