A Plane that Bears the Imprints of Two Manufacturers: The Union Factory and The Phoenix Company

Recently, while surveying my collection of wooden woodworking planes for manufacturers' imprints, I noticed that one of the planes had the imprint of the Union Factory stamped over the partial imprint of the Phoenix Company. The stamps were unusual in that while the Union Factory imprint appeared normal, the Phoenix Company stamp was an inverse imprint similar to those already noted occasionally in the literature.1 The other interesting point raised by the plane has to do with the connection between these two supposed rivals in the plane manufacturing business. However, before addressing the question of their connection, a little information about the plane seems appropriate.

The plane is a Grecian ovolo with bead and is designed to cut a one-inch wide profile in half-inch thick stock. Rosewood rather than boxwood was used for the single boxing, and the iron was produced by the Humphreysville Manufacturing Company. Unexpectedly, with the presence of an inverse imprint, the plane measures exactly 9 ½ inches in length. As shown in Figure 1, the Union Factory imprint on the plane is the "A" stamp2 while Figure 2A is the same photograph but rotated 180° to make the Phoenix Company imprint more obvious. Figure 2B is the same as Figure 2A but with the ends of the three line banner stamp of the Phoenix Company highlighted in black and some of the lettering such as, "HCOCKV," (the location Hitchcockville) highlighted in white. The visible lettering in white is below the surrounding surface as would be the case in an inverse imprint. In addition, the interior backgrounds of the three banner lines shown in black are now raised above the surrounding surface; another feature of an inverse imprint. Figure 3 shows the heel of the plane with the product catalog numbers; "No 214" for the Union Factory stamped over "No 68" for the Phoenix Company. As will be demonstrated later, these imprints and catalog numbers provide some essential clues about why and when the plane came to be so marked.

What then was the connection between these two marks. My research naturally concentrated on the two volumes of Ken Roberts's books Wooden Planes in 19th Century America, since they contain a wealth of information on Hermon Chapin and the Union Factory.3 In 1828, Chapin bought out Daniel Copeland in the partnership of Copeland & Chapin and became the sole owner of a plane manufacturing business in Pine Meadow (now Hartford), Connecticut, called the Union Factory.4 Soon afterward in 1831, William Warner agreed to work for Chapin at the Union Factory for a period of four years during which time Chapin would teach Warner to make bench planes.5 By 1849, William Warner and Hiram Diggs were in partnership making planes in New Hartford, Connecticut, under the "Phoenix Factory/Warranted/Warner & Diggs" imprint.6 However, according to the 1850 U.S. Census, Warner was listed as a toolmaker, and Diggs was listed as a planemaker; both working for Chapin at the Union Factory even though both men were still making planes under the "Warner & Diggs" imprint.7 In 1853, Warner & Diggs moved to nearby Hitchcockville and occupied space for producing planes in the building where Lambert Hitchcock had manufactured his famous stenciled chairs until he declared bankruptcy that same year. It was at this time that Warner & Diggs changed its imprint to: "Phoenix Company/Hitchcockville/Warranted." Also occupying space in the same building and at the same time were the two brothers-in-law of Lambert Hitchcock, Arba and Alfred Alford, who manufactured planes as the Alford Plane Company. In October of 1861, Alfred Alford bought out the Phoenix Company and continued planemaking operations under this imprint until 1864 when he sold the entire business to Stephens & Co., rulemakers.8

Obviously, the plane in question must have been produced sometime between 1853 and 1864 in order to have the Phoenix Company imprint. For reasons that will become evident later, it is believed that the plane was most likely produced just prior to the business being sold to Stephens & Co. In addition, I think it is unlikely that the connection between Warner & Diggs and Chapin's Union Factory was responsible for the double imprint. Warner and Diggs were out of the planemaking business with the sale of the Phoenix Company in 1864, and the Union Factory catalog number "214" was not used until 1870." So, where was the plane during this six-year period between the latest date that it could have been manufactured and the earliest date that it could have been stamped with the Union Factory imprint? How is the double imprint explained? A little historical backtracking was in order.

Once again, I turned to Roberts for the needed information.10 Besides making planes, the Union Factory was also in the rulemaking business, and as it turns out, in 1844, Lorenzo Case Stephens went to work for Chapin as a journeyman rule contractor. As indicated in the 1850 U.S. Census, Stephens, as well as his son Delos, both worked for Chapin as rulemakers. By 1853, the two Stephens apparently were both working for the Belcher Brothers in Newark, New Jersey, but had decided to form their own company. The Stephens requested that Chapin lease space to them for rulemaking at the Union Factory. Subsequently, L. C. Stephens Sa Co. began business in early 1854 in Pine Meadow. In August of that year, L. C. Stephens & Co. agreed to supply the Union Factory with eight hundred dollars worth of rules per month for two years. Unfortunately, a recession during the years of 1855 through 1857 caused Chapin to renege on the agreement, and Stephens brought suit. After lengthy proceedings, the suit was settled in favor of Stephens in 1857, and Chapin was obliged to pay damages and court costs.