Francis Nicholson is America’s first documented planemaker because it’s believed he became the first planemaker to imprint his name on the tools he created. Nicholson lived from 1683-1753 and this wooden plane sold for $5,140 at auction.


Thomas Norris made precision planes in England because he worked with exotic woods. Few of his planes survived through war and have become valuable for their rarity and their utilitarian value. This plane fetched $12,250 at auction.


Milton B. Tidey created an elaborate beveling plane that is a marvel for collectors because of its complex design. This one grabbed $8,970 at auction.


The uniqueness of this bronze plane drove its value up to $19,550 at auction. It wasn’t a super useful tool because it required switching out parts for specific functions that could be done with existing tools.


Leonard Davis created several inclinometers to measure angles but this double inclinometer is special because it has two levels. The rarity of this one helped drive the price to $8,165 at auction.




Originally writen by familyhandyman and most pictures collected from pinterest