Happy Birthday James.

This is the last child in a family of three. The other two were completed before Christmas - this one is arriving in time for a birthday.




Other than the incredibly figured Rosewood - there are a few interesting features to this A5 type smoother. The first is the bed angle - 52.5 degrees. This is the highest angle A5 I have made to date and I have to say it is really comfortable and well balanced in use.




The other feature is the front bun. There is a radius across the front of the bun instead of being flat like most of my other A5’s. This radius is also on the A1 panel and the XSNo.4. It makes for an extremely comfortable grip when you cup the plane across the front (as I do).

I have been working on re-designing a familiar plane, and this front radius found its way into the new design. Now that this A5 is done - it confirms that I will absolutely keep the radius on the new plane.

Here are a few more photos.




I sent this photo to a friend of mine and he commented that he wanted to eat it (thinking caramel & chocolate). I emailed him back adding that not only does it look edible - but it smells edible too.







I included this photo because it clearly shows the radius across the front of the bun. It also shows the rough layout lines for shaping the front bun. These lines are really rough guides - the final shape is much more complex than these lines would suggest.

Here is a shot of cutting the shoulders for the over-stuffing. This is (still) a pretty nerve wracking cut.

A collection of recent planes

The last couple of months have been really busy. In that time, I have had the good fortune to work with some sensational materials - and not only wood this time!

First we have another Honduran Rosewood burl filled plane - a No.4 smoother. This one has a 2" wide blade bedded at 52.5 degrees.











I never get tired of working with Honduran Rosewood burl.

The next plane is an African Blackwood filled A5. This plane has a 2" wide blade and a 50 degree bed angle.



This plane was another reminder that the coldness of steel can still work with a warm wood like African Blackwood. The first all steel plane I made was infilled with Ebony and I could not imagine another infill material working as well. This plane proved me wrong.






This was my first experience working with Damascus steel. I have wanted to try it ever since seeing Brian Buckner’s stunning Damascus steel sided planes in Feb. 2005 at a Planemakers gathering hosted by Popular Woodworking. I contacted Brian to see if he would be ok if I used Damascus in a plane - I did not want to step on his toes. Thankfully - he kindly agreed.

This is a No.4 smoother with a 2" wide blade and a bronze lever cap and lever cap screw. The ebony infill is quartersawn. This plane was tougher than I thought it would be. I started this one as a “spare”. The infills were installed and I was pondering the lever cap. I had fit a Naval brass lever cap and screw and then other more pressing work took me away from it. It sat on my bench for a few weeks. I looked at it several times every day and could not decided if I liked the Naval brass or not.

Then the phone rang.

And the plane was no longer a “spare”. I sent the below photo to the customer. The Naval brass lever cap is on the far right. I quickly duplicated the image in Photoshop and simulated a stainless steel lever cap and a bronze version.



The customer preferred the bronze and I have to say - I am so thankful, because the plane really does look the best with a bronze lever cap.



This next plane is one of those planes that will likely stand out in my memory after I retire from planemaking. The infill is Desert Ironwood, and while I have used Desert Ironwood before - this Ironwood is truly remarkable. Watching the color and grain come alive as I was working on it was amazing. I was pretty excited when I found this piece of Ironwood - but I did not expect it to be this striking.

It is also tricky wood to work with. It is extremely hard but there is a brittleness to it not unlike Madagascar Ebony. Add in all the burl and figure and it was a slow, nerve wracking process. In the end though - it was totally worth it.













This next plane is a Birds eye Boxwood XSNo.4 smoother. Steel sides and a 52.5 degree bed angle.


The infill was soaked in oil for 4 days and left to dry for a week or so. It is finished off with a coat of paste wax.





And last, but certainly not least - a curly Rosewood filled SNo.4 smoother. 1-3/4" wide blade, 52.5 degree bed angle.





I have 4 new planes in the works. One uses a crazy material, one is a variation to a plane that I have been dying to make for several years, and two are planes that have been on the list and am finally getting around to making. 2011 is shaping up to be an amazing year.

Completed A2 jointing plane

Monday was a “gut-bustin” lapping day - but well worth it. It is still amazing to watch the somewhat rough looking sides transform into perfectly polished sidewalls. De-Smurfing is another highlight... seeing the relationship between the wood and metal for the first time. Here are some pics of the finished jointing plane.
















I filed 4 mouths on Tuesday - it was about all I could muster after lapping the plane. The other 3 planes are quite spectacular and I will be posting photos of them in the next few days.