Cooper's Howel

Object/Artifact

-

Porter County Museum

Name/Title

Cooper's Howel

Entry/Object ID

1900.7.15

Description

Wooden cooper's howel, a specialized carpenter's plane.

Use

A cooper - a skilled craftsman who made casks or barrels - used a cooper's howel to cut a shallow groove into the inside edges of barrels' ends so their lids would fit properly. The plane's semicircular shape mirrors the round opening of a barrel, and its partially exposed blade makes the cut.

Context

This plane is from Homfeld & Wiese, a cooper shop that operated in Valparaiso from 1878-1883.

Acquisition

Accession

1900.7

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1880

Exhibition

Against the Grain