Peter McBride        Antique and Old Tools
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Updated: 27 May, 2026

Jas. McLaren dovetailed infill hand planes.
Made in Melbourne, Australia.

November 2014 
I found another of the James McLaren planes.
Coffin shape, closed handle, and like the other 3 I have, an Australian Blackwood infill.

mclaren08a.jpg (54271 bytes) mclaren08b.jpg (63706 bytes) mclaren08c.jpg (67741 bytes)

February 2008
Another of the James McLaren planes has found it way into my collection, this one is an open handle, parallel sided dovetailed smother. 
The blade set and lever knob were gone, so I made a knob and fitted a blade set, including the extra spacer on top of the back iron. The handle is also broken and repaired. ( not by me)
I now have 2 coffin shaped and one parallel sided smoother. More pictures of the latest addition below.
click on the images below for a larger picture

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A comparison of two different types of James McLaren smoothing planes.

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Two rare closed handle, dovetailed steel, coffin shaped infill smoothers made by James McLaren, Melbourne. The hand planes are infilled with Aust. Blackwood, and not surprisingly have a distinctly Scottish look about them.

mclaren1.jpg (36009 bytes)
mclaren02.jpg (91574 bytes)

The one on the right is branded with a school name WMC. Working Man's College started 1887, and since c1926 was called RMIT - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. I studied engineering there about 30 years ago.

Now called the RMIT University, 

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mclaren03.jpg (152442 bytes)

Identical steel spacer block on each plane riveted to the back iron. Both planes are fitted with a Mathieson parallel iron, and both have an extremely fine throat opening.

mclaren7.jpg (145054 bytes)
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Slightly different treatment at the rear base, and on the right the "WMC" branding.

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Jas. McLaren stamped on the brass tightening knobs, and front buns of both planes, and the eye of the lever cap on the plane to the left.

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mclaren06.jpg (123583 bytes)

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Parallel sided infill plane by Jas. McLaren, Melbourne.
marked on the front of the bun

mclaren_parallel1.jpg (61357 bytes) mclaren_parallel2.jpg (61623 bytes)
mclaren_parallel4.jpg (39007 bytes) mclaren_parallel5.jpg (119776 bytes)

Link to the HAND TOOL PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA web page featuring some more marked James McLaren planes, and some attributed to James McLaren.  www.htpaa.org.au/mclaren.php 

Copyright © Peter McBride 2004, 2008, 2024