These fanciful solid brass whale-shaped instrument maker's finger planes show up from time to time on eBay and auction houses. Made in the early 1980's by Otner Botner in Rhode island, they're eagerly snapped up whenever they appear on the market.

This Otner Botner plane is in excellent shape and in fine working order (although the blade probably needs a sharpening). The brass body has been cast in the shape of a whale, with the steel bar for the wedge acting as the whale's eye. The violin maker's finger fits comfortably in the whale's tail (which, oddly enough, is the front of the plane as well as the back of the whale.) Of course using it this way has a tendency to "choke up" the throat, but that's the fate of many of these small lutherie tools. Regular "emptying" of the plane's throat is all that's necessary to keep the chips and shavings at bay.

This particular Otner Botner whale plane is 1-3/8" long X 5/8" wide X 7/8" high.

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

5pcs various small Mini brass planesviolin making tool

US $69.00

27d 12m

One Rare Brass flat bottom Plane violin making Tool

0 Bid

US $.99

4d 9h 2m

5pcs various small Mini brass planesviolin making tool

US $69.00

5d 7h 8m

5pcs various small Mini brass planesviolin making tool

US $69.00

29d 17h 45m

brass Mini planecurve undersideviolin making tools

US $19.00

26d 15h 23m

5pcs various small Mini brass planesviolin making tool

US $69.00

23d 15h 34m

brass Mini planecurve undersideviolin making tools

US $19.00

21d 22h