Can someone tell me what this is from?

[Gotcha6]

I found this inside a house we were about to demolish in CLT last Thursday. I can't recall having seen a plane big enough to hold this beast.

 

[McRabbet]

Wow, that is nearly an inch wider than the blade in a #8 Stanley, their widest plane iron (it is 2-5/8" wide). Are there any markings on the blade?

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Possibly an old, custom made, wooden body plane. If the plane doesn't have any markings on it, or none from one of the traditional plane making companies, then it is probably shop made.

 

[Chris C]

Looks similar....

 

[Phil S]

WOW, the members on this site have an enormous wealth of information

 

[Gotcha6]

That's why I bring my questions here. BTW, there was no plane body to be found, just the iron. I feel like if it had been in a wood body plane there would have been no need for the slot. I'll look closer for markings.
All I know is you gotta make a lotta effort to push that much iron through a piece of wood, even for a thin pass.

 

[beloitdavisja]

All I know is you gotta make a lotta effort to push that much iron through a piece of wood, even for a thin pass.

Better make it scary-sharp! Reminds me of those hand plane competitions in Japan where you can find irons much wider than this.

 

[Oka]

Yeah pretty sure thos planes would not plane curly grain exotics as easily as that Fir they were planing, Still pretty awesome none the less

That's why I bring my questions here. BTW, there was no plane body to be found, just the iron. I feel like if it had been in a wood body plane there would have been no need for the slot. I'll look closer for markings.
All I know is you gotta make a lotta effort to push that much iron through a piece of wood, even for a thin pass.

 

[Gofor]

May have been from one of those long planing boards barrel makers used to shape the staves. They were basically a long (6' ?) wood-bodied plane propped "upside down" at an incline with the toe on the bench. The stave edges were then dragged over the plane instead of the plane being pushed over the work. Due to the curve, it took a wide blade and long body to true the edge for a full sized barrel. Just a guess.

 

[Jeff]

Just a guess.

Maybe Mark is on the right track. Here's a Cooper's jointer plane for making barrel staves with a 3.5"w blade. The coopers in Williamsburg have them but I haven's seen the details.

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/CoopersJointer.html

 

[junquecol]

Could be from a floor plane. Hardwoods and softwoods used to be planed and scraped by hand. No power sanders.