Collectors preserve history of Dryburgh wood planes

Stratford’s John Huiser is shown as an exhibitor at the recent 30th annual Heritage Fair in St. Marys. Huiser began collecting Dryburgh wood planes 40 years ago and now has 115 in his collection. The bottom photo shows a rare plow wood plane that remains one of the highlights of his collection. Contributed photo

By Gary West

Across Perth County and neighbouring communities, collectors treasure everything from antique automobiles and tractors to vintage construction tools.

Among the more unique items carefully preserved by local enthusiasts are handcrafted wooden planes – tools once essential to carpenters shaping lumber for homes, churches and public buildings.

These are not planes that take to the skies, but traditional woodworking tools used to smooth and shape wood long before modern power equipment existed. In North Easthope Township, one craftsman in particular left a lasting mark on the region’s building history.

John Dryburgh, originally from Dundee, Scotland, began making his carefully handcrafted wood planes in 1837. After training other plane makers, he emigrated to Canada in 1856, first settling in Toronto before moving in 1858 to Lot 29, Concession 10 in North Easthope Township, west of Hampstead.

From 1858-1881, Dryburgh produced wooden planes from his own blueprints on the North Easthope farm. His tools were used in the construction of many century homes, churches and municipal buildings throughout Perth, Oxford and Waterloo counties.

When the Dryburgh farm was sold in 1881, his sons, John Jr. and William, moved to Bright in Oxford County where they continued crafting Dryburgh wood planes until 1905. Their father later relocated to Manitoulin Island, taking his original blueprints with him.

Today, much of that history is being preserved by local collectors Darryl Ehnes of Shakespeare and John Huiser of Stratford.

Ehnes has assembled a collection of 43 Dryburgh wood planes, all made during the North Easthope years between 1858 and 1881. He focuses exclusively on planes produced at the original township location, appreciating the craftsmanship and local heritage tied to each piece.

Meanwhile, Huiser began collecting Dryburgh planes 40 years ago. Now owning farms south of Fairview in Oxford County, he has built an impressive collection of 115 planes. Huiser recently displayed part of his collection at the 30th annual Heritage Fair in St. Marys.

Among his prized pieces is a rare plow wood plane. Though he has received numerous offers from fellow collectors eager to purchase it, Huiser has chosen to keep the plane as part of his extensive and carefully curated collection.

Through the efforts of collectors like Ehnes and Huiser, the legacy of John Dryburgh’s craftsmanship – and a small but significant chapter of local woodworking history – continues to be remembered and appreciated.