Grooving Plane
Dateca.1780-1820
Maker
Jonathan Tower
1758 - 1846
MediumBirch, iron, and steel
DimensionsLength: 9 1/2"; thickness: 1 5/16"
Credit LineGift of Thomas Elliott
Object number2024-326
DescriptionGrooving plane with flat chamfers that end with a line and turn-out, a molded shoulder, and an iron skate attached to the body by rivets.Label TextJonathan Tower, a native of Sudbury, Massachusetts, settled in Rutland, MA at the head of the Blackstone River. A maker of carpenter's and cabinetmaker's tools, he injured his foot with an adze earlier in life, and was ineligible for active military service. Tower purportedly helped guard some of the prisoners of war which surrendered at Saratoga in late 1777.Mark(s)The toe of the plane marked with Jn•TOWER in relief within a serrated rectangle (Elliott, AWP, p.378, imprint A1).ProvenanceApril 2000, purchased by Thomas Elliott (Westbrook, CT); 2024, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
