New Gets

I picked these up a while ago, I finally got them ship shape.

The top one is marked "Made in Sweden" on the face, the shape and ferrule look like Berg, the handle looks like ugly. The bottom one is a Champion that had a good bend, I really like the handle on this one. I bent it back and re-lapped it. I couldn't get all the twist out of it, but the bottom is flat.



NOS Stanley butt gauge, because everyone needs a butt gauge.



My total bill was $10.

Current Work

The Christmas season is the time for family to gather together, open presents, and to sit down to a big meal served on one of my tables.

Bent lamination skirt, shaped quadrilinear column:



The hot look lately is walnut. I'll be glad when cherry comes around again.

In collaboration with David Wigelsworth and Don Kondra:

Plough Plane Update

I got the fence finished, the larger area of registration is a definite benefit. In fact, I would say the extension is essential for this plane, it makes such a difference in control, which makes for more speed and a nicer result.

The way I see it, if it's Veritas, it's gotta be Bubinga...



...and brass.



I use the English spelling for plough. Seeing as Lee Valley/Veritas is a Canadian company, I think they should as well.

New Gets

A few weeks ago I was looking at the Veritas Plough Plane online. It states:

"Attention Left-Handers – If you are left-handed and previously purchased a right-hand plane, we will be pleased to exchange it (including all blades, as they are handed, too) for the left-hand version.... To arrange an exchange, please contact our Customer Service department."

I sent this message to LV Customer Service:

Hi
You have an offer for those left handers who bought a right handed plough plane to swap it for a left handed one. I am a right hander who would be interested in buying a used RH model from you, if it's available.

The reply?

Thank you for your inquiry. We have checked with our management and you are in luck - we do currently have 1 used Veritas® Right-Hand Plow Plane on hand. If you are interested in purchasing it, we can offer it at a 30% discount.

The result?



This tool is a blast to use. I still need to put a fence on it, but after a blade honing some soft maple made it sing. What a fun way to cut a groove.

The discount gave me permission to pick up the full lot of cutters.



It is a beauty, the trademark knurled brass is an eye pleaser. It feels small, but I guess it is the SMALL plough plane. If that's the case I'd say hold out to see if there will be a large size released. That being said this claustrophobic feeling goes away when you use it.

The fence is comfortable in the hand. The collet system ensures effortless, secure fence locking dead parallel to the skate. Innovation is a Veritas priority, and this is a great example. The depth stop works well, and the wave washer under it's knob makes for controlled adjustments.



The lever cap is captured, and the blade guide knob keeps the blade positioned against the machined bed side and properly aligned with the skate.



Overall the plane is very nicely made. The hardware are jewels, the blade adjustment knob is a diamond.

This plane will not cut a blind groove. It will cut a beautiful groove when used with the grain. I am making a pair of highly figured walnut boxes with sliding lids. There was an acceptable amount of chipout in one direction, but the other way desroyed the board. Owning the left handed version is necessary in this situation. This gets pretty expensive, especially since the cutters are not interchangeable, meaning two set would need to be bought. However, if handtools are your candy, this one is delicious.

Current Work

Display Case
Cherry, Soft Maple, Glass

Five Minute Bench 6

I had some curly oak left over, so I made a goggle box.
Thanks to Roy Underhill and his method of using his DT saw to mark, my pins are skinnier than ever.



One of my favorite aspects of woodworking is that there is always something more to learn. You develop a new skill, then move on to the next. Hence, the handsawn dovetail with mitre.






>

Five Minute Bench 5

I've been hanging on to this small leftover piece of curly red oak for a long time, I'm glad I did.



It's pretty cool stuff, the curl is as tight as you would find in maple.



It's almost good enough to be called fiddleback.



I had a thin sheet of cork kicking around, and I decided to place some under the rasp till to protect the drawer bottom from them. I really like the effect, it deadens the sound when the handle bumps the bottom. I may extend the idea to the rest of my bench.

New Gets

I was in Lee Valley last week, and I bought their new Miniature Shoulder Plane.

It comes in a fitted case, and includes a corrosion inhibiting foam pad.









It worked very well straight out of the box, and even better after a honing.



Did I say miniature?



I like this plane. It's very fingertip controllable. It's well dressed, the stainless steel body well polished. The sole shows faint machine marks, but I haven't removed them and probably won't. The controls are minute to the point of difficult to use, but that's the point. I would have like to have seen the trademark knurled brass fittings or the Veritas logo somewhere, but the $31.50 tag cancels all complaining. A Canadian made plane at that price is remarkable at any size.

Lee Valley has reported no layoffs during the recent economic downturn. That coupled with the somewhat bizzare nature of this plane makes me wonder if this was a make work project. Stanley did it in the 30's when people were kept on to paint plane frogs orange.


There is one problem with a tool that looks like a toy.

New Gets

Barry (The Dude) over at owwm.org recently completed his second run of machinery manufacturer mugs.

I bought three this time, a Walker-Turner, a Yates-American, and a Crescent.



I got a little fancy with the Yates mug, the reverse features my photo of my Y20's stripped down logo plate.



Dollar for dollar, I think that the top production enhancing tool in the shop is a cup of strong coffee.

Krenov Plane

I made myself a wood smoother last week.

I used the vacuum bag to laminate a Lignum Vitae sole to the Cherry body.





I bandsawed the cheeks off, then cut the ramps on the mitre saw.



I'm making a pair, exactly the same, but one with a standard bed angle of 45°, and one at the Norris angle of 55°.

I lapped the iron bed with sandpaper on granite, working my way up to 220 grit. Checking it with a square as I worked it kept it perpendicular to the sides.



I tricked it out with an ebony wedge and crosspin. For kicks I treated the cheeks like a piece of marquetry,the circle in ebony, the three in lignum. It's the same length as a Stanley #3

Assembled:



And working:



I'm pleased with the results, the BEM in that photo came out like glass.

Five Minute Bench 4

New Gets

I snagged some decent deals at a local antiques store. I wish more of them carried tools.

I needed to pick up a coping saw for some trim work this weekend, I was thrilled to get this vintage Disston for $5.



Ooooh, it's a double strike.



Millers Falls countersink, $2, #5 gouge, $1.



It's an Addis. :)



Cool vacuum gauge, if it works I'll use it with my vintage Welch pump.



I've got a thing for old gauges (and old wristwatches). The crescent moon pointer and chaper ring are seen in my pair of DeVilbiss gauges.

Five Minute Bench 3

These practise pieces are fun, I'm really seeing improvements in my accuracy and speed.

Veneer Day

I finished up this curly eucalyptus veneer closet door today. This was fun, a long joint in challenging veneer. I applied it directly to the old door, which was a 1/2" shorter than the vacuum bag.



The veneer was ornery, curly and heavily wrinkled. I spritzed the two pieces with a glycerine/water mixture and pressed it between two heavy sheets of MDF. The next day it was dry and flat enough to joint. I clamped it between two straight pieces of plywood and jointed them straight with a hand plane. I then drew the joint together by hand and used green masking tape to hold it while it went through the vacuum bag.

Five Minute Bench 2