At the time of the above entry, Ezekiel Smith had recently moved to Smithfield, RI. having left Rehoboth sometime in 1849. The information found in this entry offers a rare window into at least one planemaking business during the mid 1800's.

    With a capital investment of $3000.00 and six employees, which may or may not have included Ezekiel, a total of 4000 "carpenter's planes" with an estimated value of $5000.00 were produced in one year. If these figures are correct, the planes were averaging out at $1.25 per plane. Consider that thirty-two years earlier in 1818, Aaron Smith sold one jointer and one smoothing plane with double irons for $4.25.

    The third and forth columns show us that after his annual labor cost of $1800.00 (12 x $150 per month), his next highest cost was for "English & American hardware" at $650.00. We believe this hardware might have consisted of approximately 90% plane irons and 10% plow plane skates & plane adjustment screws, etc.. His lumber cost is $500.00 and his misc. materials and items $200.00. We have no way of knowing what he is using the $25.00 amount of iron and steel for. What we assume to be 3 tons of coal might have been for heating or smelting. It's very possible Ezekiel was forging at least some of the iron plane parts he needed.

    Water is shown to be the major source of power along with hand saws and lathes. If Ezekiel had purchased an existing water powered business on the banks of the Moshassuck, it's possible that the above mentioned lathes were already there, as the only purpose we can see for a lathe in planemaking would be for thread armed plow planes, which to our knowledge were not made by this planemaker.