Irons

I don't know what metal working capabilities Norris had either pre or post war to make its own plane irons, though irons can be found with just the Norris stamp , or with the Norris stamp on one side and a manufacturers stamp on the other. Blades with the Norris stamp have some appeal for collectors. I have read that the blades prior to WWI do not have a Norris Stamp, though the cap iron is stamped.

The post war irons appear to have the same Norris London stamp as appears on the lever cap, on one side, with Robt Sorby stamped on the other.

Prewar planes were apparently supplied with irons from other makers as well as some marked only Norris London after WWI.

I have attached photos of the front and back of two prewar irons and cap irons and one post war. Click on an image to enlarge it.

The original supplied iron on the prewar iron is usually around .179. The post war is around .152 inches.

I don't know whether the irons are any better or worse than other manufacturers of the day. I like saving the original iron for resale purposes, so I make my own - usually .189 (3/16 inches) is a great thickness for my planes, but you would want to make a wooden blade as a template and check to see what would fit before you ordered the steel.

HOME