More Desert Ironwood

The mouths still need to be filed on these 2 planes - but otherwise, they are completed. The A5 is infilled with Desert Ironwood and is a mate to the Ironwood filled A5 from a few posts ago. They came from the same piece of wood.










A knot appeared out of nowhere in the bottom of the handle. There was absolutely no indication that it would be there when I roughed out the blank... I am just thankful it was not 1/4" to the left or right - that would have made a real mess of things.








There was a great bit of burl on the cheek. It made for a tricky fitting process - but it was well worth the efforts.






This XSNo.4ss is filled with a darker Desert Ironwood - Burl this time.

















It was a rather grey day when I took these photos but there was a bit of light during this last shot. It was tricky to capture, but the lighter flecks look like gold in sunlight.




This last shot is a detail of a plane I am working on. It is a variation that I have wanted to make for several years now. Any guesses?

2 upcoming shows

It has been a while since I have attended a woodworking show, and now I find myself going to 2 this month. Both of these shows have been arranged by the fine folks at Lie Nielsen, who have generously invited many of us small toolmakers to participate in their shows.

The first show is this weekend - May 13th and 14th in St. Louis. It is being hosted by Dr. Kent Adkins in his shop. Kent’s shop was featured in a recent issue of Popular woodworking magazine, and I know I was not the only one with a serious case of shop envy. There is an incredible line-up of guest demonstrators at the show. Ron Brese from Brese Planes, Jameel Abraham from Benchcrafted, Bob Zajicek from Czeck Edge Hand Tools and Matt Bickford from MS Bickford Planes. I am really looking forward to visiting with fellow toolmakers and seeing some of the fine pieces of furniture that Kent has been making.

The next show is being held in Montreal, on May 27th and 28th at the Rosemount Technology Centre. This is likely going to be a smaller show, but I am very excited about this one as well. This is my first trip to Montreal and I am looking forward to finally meeting a few customers in person.

The format of these events is perfect. It is very informal, and everyone is encouraged to hang around, bounce from demonstrator to demonstrator, try out a bunch of fine tools and talk with the actual people who make them. There is always a strong element of education at these events - which is evident by the sharpening station always being busy.

If you are close to either of these locations and have some free time on the weekend, stop by and say hello.