I met Daniel Schwank in October of 2014 at a Lie Nielsen hand tool event, we started talking about how I got started in making tools and he spoke of a spill plane that he had made a few of and after a quick trip to his car he produced one. Dan is an accomplished artisan and the spill plane he makes is top notch! Dan has launched Red Rose Reproductions and I expect to see other tools from him soon. I have offered these planes at shows that I attend as I use them for demoing and now I offer them for purchase here in the Artisan Toolchest.
The spill plane was a unique 18th century tool that was not used to improve the surface of the wood, but rather to create a shaving with a tight stiff curl that could be used to transfer a flame from one place to another, such as from a fireplace to a candle or lantern. Spills would have been made of pine or similar resinous wood. The plane was used as any wooden plane would be, using straight grained scraps of wood about 12 inches long. Each pass produces a spill, so named for the way the chip “spills” out of the escapement hole in the side of the plane. The blade is sharply skewed, and the chip is forced into a tight curl by the contoured bottom of the wedge. The edges of the spill overlap each other, which gives the spill a tapered shape.
While there are many types of spill planes, the ones that Dan has made are patterned from an 18th century original, and feature a two piece body, skewed blade, and escapement hole in the side through which the spill exits the plane. The blade is adjusted using a small hammer; the Sterling Tool Works Plane Hammer is an excellent choice. Dan has made planes from both hard maple and steamed European beech, both quarter sawn wood. The plane body is actually two pieces, with one side ripped of to make it easier to create the mortise and bed for the blade. It is then reattached with brass screws. The blade is 1/8″ thick O-1 tool steel, hardened to Rc 60-62, and surface ground flat before honing the cutting edge.
This plane is a real crowd pleaser at shows, and its fun to use the spills to light candles and campfires. $135 plus shipping here.