Jointer plane, c.1914-18 (cast iron & beech)

20 1/2 in.; cutter: 21/2 in., 45° pitch The well-known “PLANE-O-AYR” planes were manufactured during the First World War. The building crisis, recruitment of men for the front and shortages in materials made plane-making difficult. Spiers were forced to exist from one government contract to another and were subject to manufacturing controls. This basic-quality jointer was one of many that helped them to survive. The handle screws into the casting and is gripped at its base under the wooden infill forming the bed. The cutter and cap iron as well as the lever are marked by Spiers.