Creation Date

1840 – 1910

Description

Wooden bench plane / joining plane 2.75x 3 x 16 inch block of wood with handle, blade and wedge. Used for smoothing the tops of boards. Text scratched into the side reads:"Made by John Swenson in Boston Mass. about year 1847 arriving from Sweden. Donated by son Frank T. Swenson Glenwood, Minn." We could not find any records for this artifact, but a similar plane notes that John Swenson started farming in Minnesota at close of Civil War having enlisted in the Army from State of Illinois. Lived in sod cellar for 13 years near Lake Hazel, Benson, Minn.