Large Round Plane
Dateca.1797-1810
Maker
Henry Wetherell III
1764 - 1840
MediumBeech, iron, and steel
DimensionsLength: 9 1/2"; thickness: 2"
Credit LineGift of Thomas Elliott
Object number2024-334
DescriptionLarge round plane with rounded chamfers that end with a turn-out. Cutting profile reworked.Label TextThe son of Henry Wetherel, Jr., Henry Wetherell III followed his father into the planemaking business, but added a second "l" to his last name, perhaps to distinguish himself. When Henry Jr. passed away in 1797, Henry III inherited his father's well-equipped, blacksmithing and woodworking shop in Chatham, Connecticut, where he operated until 1808. That year he relocated to Glastonbury, CT, only to return to Chatham in 1809, where we worked until 1824, when he moved to Middletown. Sometime between 1827 and 1830, he once again returned to Chatham, where he died a decade later.Mark(s)The toe of the plane marked with H.WETHERELL in relief within a floriated rectangle, between two CHATHAM stamps, in relief within serrated rectangles, and two addorsed coronet stamps, incuse (Elliott, AWP, p.402, imprint E). Size mark of 1 1/2 struck into heel.ProvenanceSeptember 2011, purchased by Thomas Elliott (Westbrook, CT); 2024, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
