A while back I went to visit the shop of a good friend of mine and fellow wood-worker, Mike Morrison. In my hand I held one of my prized possessions, my James Krenov Smoothing plane. I had purchased it a year or two ago, the day after I read that Mr. Krenov was no longer making cabinets but selling his hand planes. You can search my Archive section for the full story. Sometime last year, I was telling my friend Mike the whole Krenov story and he too decided to order a hand plane from the cabinetmaking Guru. One of the main reasons for the visit on this particular day was to do a kind of comparison; see if they were any where near the same or completely different beasts all together. When I walked in to his shop and finally held the two planes together I was pretty shocked at the differences between the two. Visually, they're clearly Krenovian in appearance, his seemed at first somehow 'denser' or 'sturdier?' than mine; although I thought this may be due to the comfort thing I get from having used mine for a year. On this day we were like two kids on Christmas morning, I'll show you mine if you show me yours! I tried out his on some long grain hardwood he had on his bench top and although it felt like a finely tuned plane, comfortable and yet somehow foreign, it didn't feel like my Krenov. I realised I'd have to spend some more time on it but couldn't on this day due to another engagement I had. I left my Krenov in Mikes very capable hands, (obviously a very close friend, if you leave your James Krenov Smoothing plane in his trust)and he spend a few hours comparing the two planes. He's promised to post a Blog on the findings he had and will post them soon on his site, Morrison Woodworks. Find the link on the side bar. You can also find the James Krenov link where perhaps you too can acquire one of these finely crafted instruments.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Two Krenovs
Mr. Krenov, meet Mr. Krenov
A while back I went to visit the shop of a good friend of mine and fellow wood-worker, Mike Morrison. In my hand I held one of my prized possessions, my James Krenov Smoothing plane. I had purchased it a year or two ago, the day after I read that Mr. Krenov was no longer making cabinets but selling his hand planes. You can search my Archive section for the full story. Sometime last year, I was telling my friend Mike the whole Krenov story and he too decided to order a hand plane from the cabinetmaking Guru. One of the main reasons for the visit on this particular day was to do a kind of comparison; see if they were any where near the same or completely different beasts all together. When I walked in to his shop and finally held the two planes together I was pretty shocked at the differences between the two. Visually, they're clearly Krenovian in appearance, his seemed at first somehow 'denser' or 'sturdier?' than mine; although I thought this may be due to the comfort thing I get from having used mine for a year. On this day we were like two kids on Christmas morning, I'll show you mine if you show me yours! I tried out his on some long grain hardwood he had on his bench top and although it felt like a finely tuned plane, comfortable and yet somehow foreign, it didn't feel like my Krenov. I realised I'd have to spend some more time on it but couldn't on this day due to another engagement I had. I left my Krenov in Mikes very capable hands, (obviously a very close friend, if you leave your James Krenov Smoothing plane in his trust)and he spend a few hours comparing the two planes. He's promised to post a Blog on the findings he had and will post them soon on his site, Morrison Woodworks. Find the link on the side bar. You can also find the James Krenov link where perhaps you too can acquire one of these finely crafted instruments.
A while back I went to visit the shop of a good friend of mine and fellow wood-worker, Mike Morrison. In my hand I held one of my prized possessions, my James Krenov Smoothing plane. I had purchased it a year or two ago, the day after I read that Mr. Krenov was no longer making cabinets but selling his hand planes. You can search my Archive section for the full story. Sometime last year, I was telling my friend Mike the whole Krenov story and he too decided to order a hand plane from the cabinetmaking Guru. One of the main reasons for the visit on this particular day was to do a kind of comparison; see if they were any where near the same or completely different beasts all together. When I walked in to his shop and finally held the two planes together I was pretty shocked at the differences between the two. Visually, they're clearly Krenovian in appearance, his seemed at first somehow 'denser' or 'sturdier?' than mine; although I thought this may be due to the comfort thing I get from having used mine for a year. On this day we were like two kids on Christmas morning, I'll show you mine if you show me yours! I tried out his on some long grain hardwood he had on his bench top and although it felt like a finely tuned plane, comfortable and yet somehow foreign, it didn't feel like my Krenov. I realised I'd have to spend some more time on it but couldn't on this day due to another engagement I had. I left my Krenov in Mikes very capable hands, (obviously a very close friend, if you leave your James Krenov Smoothing plane in his trust)and he spend a few hours comparing the two planes. He's promised to post a Blog on the findings he had and will post them soon on his site, Morrison Woodworks. Find the link on the side bar. You can also find the James Krenov link where perhaps you too can acquire one of these finely crafted instruments.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thinking Outside of the, half-blind, houndstooth, imported, spalted hardwood totin', Dovetailed Box
You Never Know...
Right?
Penicillin, gravity, marsh-mellows.....all kind of 'just happened' didn't they? Walking down a straight path leading you to some bright and shiny, safe haven ahead; great. No worries, perfect. A classic you might say...
Working wood, I sometimes fall into this fuzzy place as I'm sure most of us do. A happy and familiar area of the waiting room where we do things a certain way.
"Well, we've been doing it this way for years...right?"
Wrong.
Working along side, how shall I say, a 'well seasoned' gentleman a few years back and watched in disbelief as he butchered or maimed one thing after another with no idea at least from my end of the pull saw, the fundamentals of a wood shop, I came to some startling conclusions. No wheels re-invented, only a better picture of the wood shop I was working in. He didn't mean any harm and wasn't really hurting anyone, other than the potential of injuring himself; binding wood through table saws and removing safety guards and fences from anything and everything that could have used one. He had been doing it that way for years, proudly positioned over these great old machines his father built from pieces of farm tractors and toaster ovens.
"Must be alright then...right?"
Wrong.
If something seems like it could work in another way, try it.
If it seems potentially harmful, don't.
Wait.
If a light goes on in the back of your mind and you think, hm mm....I wonder if....then do it. Or, at least try it. If you're short for time or your boss is watching from across the work shop then grab a pencil and write it down, and then at each weeks end, go through your 'shop notes' and review. Oh yeah, I wanted to try to do that, this way. Maybe I can try it over here on this piece from my off-cut pile.
With a level head and thinking through the steps, safely, set-up and experiment with tools and techniques.
Follow instructions when-ever you can, and try to understand where you'd like to go.
I usually find myself thinking this way when I'm faced with a challenge and need to use a tool in a different way. For example, this past week I was test fitting a six-foot rabbet joint (named Harvey)that was just a bit too tight for the application. I needed to take a little off the edge. No worries, I grabbed my Skew Angle Block plane, adjusted the iron and the fence and went to it. Not a minute into it I was seeing some tear-out and needed to change my direction of attack. In a perfect world I would have simply reached for my, 'left-handed' version but alas, I, the simple craftsman cannot afford such luxuries of having a left and right version of the same tool. So I tried turning the piece over, end for end, arse over kettle. No luck. In my earlier wisdom I affixed the piece being rabbeted to it's mating piece which happened to be the rail on a bed. O.k. so I couldn't plane it from this way and I couldn't plane it from that. What to do?
"Another, potentially, more expensive tool could have solved my dilemma, right?"
Wrong.
What happened next was an instinctive motion of looking across the rabbet on a horizontal axis and simply turned the plane on it's edge.
"Whoa...Never thought of it like that before..."
Of course; so simple. I used the plane on it's side edge with it's fence ridding high up in the air; proudly peeling off those beautiful shavings of walnut. It worked like a dream. What a revelation and I was indeed walking down that exciting and slightly dangerous, path less travelled. Maybe this isn't a great example of, thinking outside of the box but, I'm trying to demonstrate that there's more than one way to shoe a horse. Or is it beat a horse? Or is it beat a 'dead' horse?
Well, you get the point and I sure do hope you're all enjoying yourselves this week during the exciting and action filled "Wood Workers Safety Week 2008"
Seriously, it is or at least, was this past week. Check it out and play nice with the other wood workers.
Cheers!
Right?
Penicillin, gravity, marsh-mellows.....all kind of 'just happened' didn't they? Walking down a straight path leading you to some bright and shiny, safe haven ahead; great. No worries, perfect. A classic you might say...Working wood, I sometimes fall into this fuzzy place as I'm sure most of us do. A happy and familiar area of the waiting room where we do things a certain way.
"Well, we've been doing it this way for years...right?"
Wrong.
Working along side, how shall I say, a 'well seasoned' gentleman a few years back and watched in disbelief as he butchered or maimed one thing after another with no idea at least from my end of the pull saw, the fundamentals of a wood shop, I came to some startling conclusions. No wheels re-invented, only a better picture of the wood shop I was working in. He didn't mean any harm and wasn't really hurting anyone, other than the potential of injuring himself; binding wood through table saws and removing safety guards and fences from anything and everything that could have used one. He had been doing it that way for years, proudly positioned over these great old machines his father built from pieces of farm tractors and toaster ovens.
"Must be alright then...right?"
Wrong.
If something seems like it could work in another way, try it.
If it seems potentially harmful, don't.
Wait.
If a light goes on in the back of your mind and you think, hm mm....I wonder if....then do it. Or, at least try it. If you're short for time or your boss is watching from across the work shop then grab a pencil and write it down, and then at each weeks end, go through your 'shop notes' and review. Oh yeah, I wanted to try to do that, this way. Maybe I can try it over here on this piece from my off-cut pile.
With a level head and thinking through the steps, safely, set-up and experiment with tools and techniques.
Follow instructions when-ever you can, and try to understand where you'd like to go.
I usually find myself thinking this way when I'm faced with a challenge and need to use a tool in a different way. For example, this past week I was test fitting a six-foot rabbet joint (named Harvey)that was just a bit too tight for the application. I needed to take a little off the edge. No worries, I grabbed my Skew Angle Block plane, adjusted the iron and the fence and went to it. Not a minute into it I was seeing some tear-out and needed to change my direction of attack. In a perfect world I would have simply reached for my, 'left-handed' version but alas, I, the simple craftsman cannot afford such luxuries of having a left and right version of the same tool. So I tried turning the piece over, end for end, arse over kettle. No luck. In my earlier wisdom I affixed the piece being rabbeted to it's mating piece which happened to be the rail on a bed. O.k. so I couldn't plane it from this way and I couldn't plane it from that. What to do?
"Another, potentially, more expensive tool could have solved my dilemma, right?"
Wrong.
What happened next was an instinctive motion of looking across the rabbet on a horizontal axis and simply turned the plane on it's edge.
"Whoa...Never thought of it like that before..."
Of course; so simple. I used the plane on it's side edge with it's fence ridding high up in the air; proudly peeling off those beautiful shavings of walnut. It worked like a dream. What a revelation and I was indeed walking down that exciting and slightly dangerous, path less travelled. Maybe this isn't a great example of, thinking outside of the box but, I'm trying to demonstrate that there's more than one way to shoe a horse. Or is it beat a horse? Or is it beat a 'dead' horse?
Well, you get the point and I sure do hope you're all enjoying yourselves this week during the exciting and action filled "Wood Workers Safety Week 2008"
Seriously, it is or at least, was this past week. Check it out and play nice with the other wood workers.Cheers!
Friday, May 9, 2008
TOOL STORAGE UPDATE
"Well, I've never been a religious man, but it seems as though I've been building an Altar lately..."
The Tool Chest from a few weeks back has found a great home for itself on the floor in front of my full size Tool Cabinet. Funny how it fit so nice there? Coincidence?
Tool storage is something every wood worker should consider; it's a great way to practice a new set of skills or maybe trying out a new design idea. My scrap wood and off-cut pile is getting smaller...Next items are a traditional Saw Till that should nest perfectly on top of the Tool cabinet and after that, a Shaker style Plinth for the Tool Chest to stand in. It'll have two more drawers in the bottom for extra tool storage. Always thinking ahead you know...
Cheers!
The Tool Chest from a few weeks back has found a great home for itself on the floor in front of my full size Tool Cabinet. Funny how it fit so nice there? Coincidence?Tool storage is something every wood worker should consider; it's a great way to practice a new set of skills or maybe trying out a new design idea. My scrap wood and off-cut pile is getting smaller...Next items are a traditional Saw Till that should nest perfectly on top of the Tool cabinet and after that, a Shaker style Plinth for the Tool Chest to stand in. It'll have two more drawers in the bottom for extra tool storage. Always thinking ahead you know...
Cheers!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Keepin' it Together...
New Poll asks readers which fasteners they use most...
After receiving our best feedback to date with the last Poll, I've added a new one today for all of the Working Wood readers out there. 'The Poll', for those who don't actually realise you can scroll down the page via that little arrow over there at the lower right hand side of the screen, is a weekly updated section of the site where devoted readers will answer questions directly related to their wood working preferences. Go ahead now, scroll down and look for it there on the bottom right side. Make your voice heard! Vote...Besides, it's a great way to see if you're working on 'The Road Less Travelled' or simply following the norm. (And no, not the New-Yankee type of Norm )
Today's topic deals with your most used method of attaching or fastening wood together. Do you use Hand cut joinery or store bought dowels, cut nails or cast Bronze screws? Time tested methods are all over the place for you to refer to, all you have to do is take look around.
A Fastener for Every Application
It seems no matter what it is you're building there's a special way of 'keepin' things together'. Maybe you're building a small side table and all of the components are held tightly together by accurately cut hand joinery. Bridle joints and dovetails, aprons cleanly mortised into the legs. A little glue perhaps? Ahh now, which kind will you use my boy? Fish glues or Hide, Polyvinyl Acetate Glue (PVA) or Fast curing Epoxy? Let's leave the glue types for another day and actually look at the different mechanical fasteners used. So, the small side table, with it's apron mortised into the legs. Did you draw bore the tenons, pulling them together for a tight fitting joint that will probably be around for someone else to dissect in 100 years? If you did you use a dowel, where did you get it? A scrap piece or off-cut, left over form the same project? Driven like a pile driver, down through a dowel plate, shearing off the edges making a rounded wooden cone to draw things together. Maybe a store bought dowel of a different species to accentuate the contrasting wood types being used. No dowel? No problem; a cut nail is not only historically accurate to alot of period style pieces, it's a great way to use a mechanical fastener without having to spend the time to cut fancy joinery. A gimlet in hand and twist in a pilot hole, you're done. Simple butt-joints, grooves or dadoes as well can safely be fused together with nails; driven in at opposing angles they can be as strong as any other fastener I can think of.
Maybe you subscribe to the cordless drill and screw methods of work. A 22 Volt, super-charged, impact driving wrist-breaker that can sink 4" screws into hard Maple all afternoon! Perfect! If that's what works for you then all the power to ya! Besides, you'll need the power to keep that thing running. I actually use screws in a lot of my work depending on the project. Take the Cherry Kitchen cabinets I recently finished; pocket holes and yellow carpenters glue all over the place. Did I use them in the small five-drawer table I recently made from Birds Eye Maple and Black Cherry? Of course not, it would have taken away from the piece and stood out like a sore thumb. Nails could have been used for sure, but I chose to join everything with beautifully cut joinery and glued things together. I could always go back and add some dowels later if need be. I don't think it will be necessary but it's nice to have the option.
A little trick I'll share with you here involves using screws during set up and finishing off with dowels. I'll explain further...
Borrowed from the Boat Shop
Having a background in wooden boat building, I've been aware of different techniques used to fasten wood together and expect it to withstand all sorts of harsh environments. Much more than any other piece of furniture I've designed; unless it's being installed on the deck of the Titantic, I don't think we have to worry about the same forces reacting to a dovetailed cabinet as say a traditional North Atlantic Dinghy. When manipulating wooden planks to conform into the tortured twisted form we see as a finished boat we sometimes will use screws like small clamps every few inches along a seam. After sufficient drying times on what-ever type of bonding agent was spread into the joint, once dry we remove the screws and fill the holes with wooden Bungs or an Epoxy mixture. This works well especially when working alone and can't seem to find a way to fit that third hand around a piece to hold it together while the glue dries. Clamps are great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes they simply won't do the job required. So a wood screw driven through like a spike down into a railway tie. Just long enough, until everything sets and then slowly back it out. Never drive them deep enough to damage the surface fibers of the wood grain when removing them. Another thing to consider is where to place them; keep things symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. And now what to do with all of the screw holes? I use the Miller Dowel System to fill them in. The smallest size dowel they have is a great size to fill a #8 screw hole. Carefully pre-drill the already existing screw hole left behind with the appropriate drill bit supplied by the Miller Dowel System. They offer a few different wood species and three different size dowels. When you're done, all you see is a smartly placed dowel along a seam or joint. No one will ever know you were filling a screw hole made during the 'clamping-up' stages of building. A great way to hold difficult glu-ups or anywhere you may want to use a dowel instead of a nail or screw. Let me know how it goes.
The Miller Dowel System is available through mail order from Lee Valley Tools.
After receiving our best feedback to date with the last Poll, I've added a new one today for all of the Working Wood readers out there. 'The Poll', for those who don't actually realise you can scroll down the page via that little arrow over there at the lower right hand side of the screen, is a weekly updated section of the site where devoted readers will answer questions directly related to their wood working preferences. Go ahead now, scroll down and look for it there on the bottom right side. Make your voice heard! Vote...Besides, it's a great way to see if you're working on 'The Road Less Travelled' or simply following the norm. (And no, not the New-Yankee type of Norm )Today's topic deals with your most used method of attaching or fastening wood together. Do you use Hand cut joinery or store bought dowels, cut nails or cast Bronze screws? Time tested methods are all over the place for you to refer to, all you have to do is take look around.
A Fastener for Every Application
It seems no matter what it is you're building there's a special way of 'keepin' things together'. Maybe you're building a small side table and all of the components are held tightly together by accurately cut hand joinery. Bridle joints and dovetails, aprons cleanly mortised into the legs. A little glue perhaps? Ahh now, which kind will you use my boy? Fish glues or Hide, Polyvinyl Acetate Glue (PVA) or Fast curing Epoxy? Let's leave the glue types for another day and actually look at the different mechanical fasteners used. So, the small side table, with it's apron mortised into the legs. Did you draw bore the tenons, pulling them together for a tight fitting joint that will probably be around for someone else to dissect in 100 years? If you did you use a dowel, where did you get it? A scrap piece or off-cut, left over form the same project? Driven like a pile driver, down through a dowel plate, shearing off the edges making a rounded wooden cone to draw things together. Maybe a store bought dowel of a different species to accentuate the contrasting wood types being used. No dowel? No problem; a cut nail is not only historically accurate to alot of period style pieces, it's a great way to use a mechanical fastener without having to spend the time to cut fancy joinery. A gimlet in hand and twist in a pilot hole, you're done. Simple butt-joints, grooves or dadoes as well can safely be fused together with nails; driven in at opposing angles they can be as strong as any other fastener I can think of.
Maybe you subscribe to the cordless drill and screw methods of work. A 22 Volt, super-charged, impact driving wrist-breaker that can sink 4" screws into hard Maple all afternoon! Perfect! If that's what works for you then all the power to ya! Besides, you'll need the power to keep that thing running. I actually use screws in a lot of my work depending on the project. Take the Cherry Kitchen cabinets I recently finished; pocket holes and yellow carpenters glue all over the place. Did I use them in the small five-drawer table I recently made from Birds Eye Maple and Black Cherry? Of course not, it would have taken away from the piece and stood out like a sore thumb. Nails could have been used for sure, but I chose to join everything with beautifully cut joinery and glued things together. I could always go back and add some dowels later if need be. I don't think it will be necessary but it's nice to have the option.
A little trick I'll share with you here involves using screws during set up and finishing off with dowels. I'll explain further...
Borrowed from the Boat Shop
Having a background in wooden boat building, I've been aware of different techniques used to fasten wood together and expect it to withstand all sorts of harsh environments. Much more than any other piece of furniture I've designed; unless it's being installed on the deck of the Titantic, I don't think we have to worry about the same forces reacting to a dovetailed cabinet as say a traditional North Atlantic Dinghy. When manipulating wooden planks to conform into the tortured twisted form we see as a finished boat we sometimes will use screws like small clamps every few inches along a seam. After sufficient drying times on what-ever type of bonding agent was spread into the joint, once dry we remove the screws and fill the holes with wooden Bungs or an Epoxy mixture. This works well especially when working alone and can't seem to find a way to fit that third hand around a piece to hold it together while the glue dries. Clamps are great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes they simply won't do the job required. So a wood screw driven through like a spike down into a railway tie. Just long enough, until everything sets and then slowly back it out. Never drive them deep enough to damage the surface fibers of the wood grain when removing them. Another thing to consider is where to place them; keep things symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. And now what to do with all of the screw holes? I use the Miller Dowel System to fill them in. The smallest size dowel they have is a great size to fill a #8 screw hole. Carefully pre-drill the already existing screw hole left behind with the appropriate drill bit supplied by the Miller Dowel System. They offer a few different wood species and three different size dowels. When you're done, all you see is a smartly placed dowel along a seam or joint. No one will ever know you were filling a screw hole made during the 'clamping-up' stages of building. A great way to hold difficult glu-ups or anywhere you may want to use a dowel instead of a nail or screw. Let me know how it goes.
The Miller Dowel System is available through mail order from Lee Valley Tools.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
FINISHING SECRETS-UPDATE...
The Real Deal; this time...
O.k. so the phony headline on the last post was a little mis-leading. You thought you were going to find out some top-secret finishing techniques I have locked away in some old turn of the century wood working encyclopedias, but no, you only got a mellow-dramatic tale of one small Block Planes journey through wood life in my shop.
I felt pretty bad after hearing from the countless readers who wanted the 'Real Truth' behind my wood finishing procedures. What follows is my advice to you; my secret finishing techniques revealed, with a detailed diagram for a unique and truly state-of-the-art Sanding Aid. I urge you to try this technique on some scrap wood first and then let yourself become comfortable with this method. I don't expect anything in return for this information but please, work safely at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Proper Wood Finishing
The first step in fine wood finishing is to go out and buy yourself the nicest Smoothing Plane you can possibly afford. Sharpen it like there's no tomorrow and take a light pass over all show surfaces of the piece in question. Make sure to overlap each pass slightly. Once this step is complete follow with a cabinet scraper, taking care to watch for tiny tear-out in the wood fibres from the last step. When you feel the heat building up in the card scraper, stop.
Put it aside because I'd really hate to hear that you burnt the tips of your fingers. Now the secret weapon; the Sanding Aid that will change the way you think and work with wood. I'll include specific dimensions at the end of this post. The Sanding Block. An approximately two and a half inch squared piece of hardwood, ( I used Oak for mine ) take this small off cut and reach down onto the floor of your shop. Scoop up a handful of shavings left over from the Smoothing plane earlier. Place the pile of shavings on the work piece and compress it down with the block of hardwood. Rub vigorously around for as long as you can stand it and step back. Look at the gleam rising out of the wood grain! Incredible isn't it. I usually follow this step with an oil and varnish hand rubbed finish. Amazing eh?
So the specs...about 2 1/2" squared.
Cheers.
O.k. so the phony headline on the last post was a little mis-leading. You thought you were going to find out some top-secret finishing techniques I have locked away in some old turn of the century wood working encyclopedias, but no, you only got a mellow-dramatic tale of one small Block Planes journey through wood life in my shop.I felt pretty bad after hearing from the countless readers who wanted the 'Real Truth' behind my wood finishing procedures. What follows is my advice to you; my secret finishing techniques revealed, with a detailed diagram for a unique and truly state-of-the-art Sanding Aid. I urge you to try this technique on some scrap wood first and then let yourself become comfortable with this method. I don't expect anything in return for this information but please, work safely at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Proper Wood Finishing
The first step in fine wood finishing is to go out and buy yourself the nicest Smoothing Plane you can possibly afford. Sharpen it like there's no tomorrow and take a light pass over all show surfaces of the piece in question. Make sure to overlap each pass slightly. Once this step is complete follow with a cabinet scraper, taking care to watch for tiny tear-out in the wood fibres from the last step. When you feel the heat building up in the card scraper, stop.
Put it aside because I'd really hate to hear that you burnt the tips of your fingers. Now the secret weapon; the Sanding Aid that will change the way you think and work with wood. I'll include specific dimensions at the end of this post. The Sanding Block. An approximately two and a half inch squared piece of hardwood, ( I used Oak for mine ) take this small off cut and reach down onto the floor of your shop. Scoop up a handful of shavings left over from the Smoothing plane earlier. Place the pile of shavings on the work piece and compress it down with the block of hardwood. Rub vigorously around for as long as you can stand it and step back. Look at the gleam rising out of the wood grain! Incredible isn't it. I usually follow this step with an oil and varnish hand rubbed finish. Amazing eh?So the specs...about 2 1/2" squared.
Cheers.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
THE SECRETS OF FINISHING WOOD - REVEALED !
TODAY ONLY...DON'T DELAY!!
O.k. now that I've got your attention...what's up with the screws in my ECE (Primus) Block Plane.? Not a straight head or flat head, a square head er,,...a Robinson here across the border. No. It has two, sort of 'softish', poorly machined metal Phillips style screws.? Hmmm....
This really boggled my mind, which obviously doesn't have enough to worry about these days. It seemed to me that this may actually be an error. No, not the name of the kind of screw head it is, but an actual manufacturing error. I think the original design was meant to have heavier and a more universally accessable screw style on the lever cap. After all, it was manufactured by a dependable company that's has been making wooden bodied, European style hand planes for years now. Ahhh, but there lies the question; are they still 'assembled' where they're actually manufactured? This is my question and this is the story. Let me take you back a bit to tell you how I arrived at this mystery.
As it goes recently, I was working with some nice Walnut, putting a chamfer on the edge of a foot-board, bed-rail. I decided to actually take the time to 'mark out the chamfer' in an attempt at giving the bed a slightly modern feel. Funny how a simple detail such as this can change the over-all look and feel of a piece of furniture; allow me to elaborate. Seeing as the rail in question will be the last thing you (my clients) touch before you, or should I say-they, crawl into your/they (you get the picture!) bed. That private or perhaps not so private sanctuary where God knows what takes place; this rail needed to be relived of any harsh or sharp edges. My first thought was to use my handmade rosewood Hollowing plane; a gentle round-over would be nice to the touch. I opened my tool cabinet to reach for the 3/4" Hollowing Plane and there it is, my ECE Block plane, starring at me. I haven't picked this poor old dog up in the past six months I'm sure. In a moment of haste and blind romanticism I lifted up the short, rather plump beach wood vessel from the darkness of the tool cabinet and dusted it off. It felt different from what I remembered; sleeker and a little more refined. I grabbed my Lie-Nielson, Gunsmith styled flat head screwdriver, you know the ones, all pretty with brass ferules and turned out of hardwood. I placed the plane down on my work bench and lowered my hands around it's body; cradling the block, I attempted to un-screw the lever cap..." My God" I cried. "It has Phillips style screws in it!" Shaken, yet determined I went back to my tool chest and found an old Phillips style screwdriver. It was hidden in a kind of suspended animation, lying there quietly under a pile of old Hockey cards I used to have back in the days when I used to use these Phillips style wood screws. I focused at the job at a hand and removed them. Slowly, backing them out of the Beech wood. Turning and twisting they started to bend and tear, a little at first and then a bit more. That Star shaped Phillips head, gleaming and proud, cast into each and every one of it's kind. C'mon, really does anyone still use these things? Apparently so, I thought to myself.
Once I had the cutting iron out of the finely machined plane body, I sharpened it like no other blade I know of. Honing and re-shaping, polishing and rubbing until finally, ready as the day it was born, I put it back into the plane. "Ahh, those damn Phillips screws again." I stumbled through my screw and bolt bins to find a couple of 'Square-Head' machine screws, suitable for the job with no danger of getting stripped. I picked up my old friend and brought it over to my work bench; the walnut trapped, pressed between my bench dogs like an offering of sorts to the newly reclaimed Block plane. I thought about my James Krenov-custom made Smoothing plane and my heavy in hand and perfectly produced Lie-Nielson Bronze #4. I thought about the planes of old, wooden bodies alike. I saw the similarities in the shape and body of the block. I pressed the sole to the crest of the stock and pushed ahead taking that first virgin shaving, peeling it off like an outter layer of skin. It purred almost like an animal, tearing through some prey; and then suddenly stopped. A grabbing-action and choking sputter, followed with tear-out from the stock. I took it back and waxed the sole, adjusting the iron and starting again, it hiccuped and then staggered. I thought again of my finely tuned arsenal of quality made hand tools, ready to use right out of the box. No fussing, reliable; a true joy to use. I walked back over to my tool cabinet and slowly swung open the door, and quietly, almost secretly, placed the little block plane back inside. Until next time old friend, I guess you really do get what you pay for.
**This story was a work of Fiction. If it sounds like a hand plane you have or have ever heard of, it must surely be coincidence. In defence of the Character plane of the story, I do like using my ECE Block plane as well as the larger bodied Jack plane by Primus I have. Just so happens, I didn't like using it yesterday morning to do some fine tuning on the piece of Walnut I have in my shop at the moment. Funny how hand planes can be so cranky at times. Both are available through mail order at Lee Valley Tools and both are very reasonably priced.
"This is a good all-purpose wooden plane at an almost affordable price!"
O.k. now that I've got your attention...what's up with the screws in my ECE (Primus) Block Plane.? Not a straight head or flat head, a square head er,,...a Robinson here across the border. No. It has two, sort of 'softish', poorly machined metal Phillips style screws.? Hmmm....This really boggled my mind, which obviously doesn't have enough to worry about these days. It seemed to me that this may actually be an error. No, not the name of the kind of screw head it is, but an actual manufacturing error. I think the original design was meant to have heavier and a more universally accessable screw style on the lever cap. After all, it was manufactured by a dependable company that's has been making wooden bodied, European style hand planes for years now. Ahhh, but there lies the question; are they still 'assembled' where they're actually manufactured? This is my question and this is the story. Let me take you back a bit to tell you how I arrived at this mystery.
As it goes recently, I was working with some nice Walnut, putting a chamfer on the edge of a foot-board, bed-rail. I decided to actually take the time to 'mark out the chamfer' in an attempt at giving the bed a slightly modern feel. Funny how a simple detail such as this can change the over-all look and feel of a piece of furniture; allow me to elaborate. Seeing as the rail in question will be the last thing you (my clients) touch before you, or should I say-they, crawl into your/they (you get the picture!) bed. That private or perhaps not so private sanctuary where God knows what takes place; this rail needed to be relived of any harsh or sharp edges. My first thought was to use my handmade rosewood Hollowing plane; a gentle round-over would be nice to the touch. I opened my tool cabinet to reach for the 3/4" Hollowing Plane and there it is, my ECE Block plane, starring at me. I haven't picked this poor old dog up in the past six months I'm sure. In a moment of haste and blind romanticism I lifted up the short, rather plump beach wood vessel from the darkness of the tool cabinet and dusted it off. It felt different from what I remembered; sleeker and a little more refined. I grabbed my Lie-Nielson, Gunsmith styled flat head screwdriver, you know the ones, all pretty with brass ferules and turned out of hardwood. I placed the plane down on my work bench and lowered my hands around it's body; cradling the block, I attempted to un-screw the lever cap..." My God" I cried. "It has Phillips style screws in it!" Shaken, yet determined I went back to my tool chest and found an old Phillips style screwdriver. It was hidden in a kind of suspended animation, lying there quietly under a pile of old Hockey cards I used to have back in the days when I used to use these Phillips style wood screws. I focused at the job at a hand and removed them. Slowly, backing them out of the Beech wood. Turning and twisting they started to bend and tear, a little at first and then a bit more. That Star shaped Phillips head, gleaming and proud, cast into each and every one of it's kind. C'mon, really does anyone still use these things? Apparently so, I thought to myself.
Once I had the cutting iron out of the finely machined plane body, I sharpened it like no other blade I know of. Honing and re-shaping, polishing and rubbing until finally, ready as the day it was born, I put it back into the plane. "Ahh, those damn Phillips screws again." I stumbled through my screw and bolt bins to find a couple of 'Square-Head' machine screws, suitable for the job with no danger of getting stripped. I picked up my old friend and brought it over to my work bench; the walnut trapped, pressed between my bench dogs like an offering of sorts to the newly reclaimed Block plane. I thought about my James Krenov-custom made Smoothing plane and my heavy in hand and perfectly produced Lie-Nielson Bronze #4. I thought about the planes of old, wooden bodies alike. I saw the similarities in the shape and body of the block. I pressed the sole to the crest of the stock and pushed ahead taking that first virgin shaving, peeling it off like an outter layer of skin. It purred almost like an animal, tearing through some prey; and then suddenly stopped. A grabbing-action and choking sputter, followed with tear-out from the stock. I took it back and waxed the sole, adjusting the iron and starting again, it hiccuped and then staggered. I thought again of my finely tuned arsenal of quality made hand tools, ready to use right out of the box. No fussing, reliable; a true joy to use. I walked back over to my tool cabinet and slowly swung open the door, and quietly, almost secretly, placed the little block plane back inside. Until next time old friend, I guess you really do get what you pay for.
**This story was a work of Fiction. If it sounds like a hand plane you have or have ever heard of, it must surely be coincidence. In defence of the Character plane of the story, I do like using my ECE Block plane as well as the larger bodied Jack plane by Primus I have. Just so happens, I didn't like using it yesterday morning to do some fine tuning on the piece of Walnut I have in my shop at the moment. Funny how hand planes can be so cranky at times. Both are available through mail order at Lee Valley Tools and both are very reasonably priced.
"This is a good all-purpose wooden plane at an almost affordable price!"
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