After carting around some hand split sections of logs that were cut down at a previous ministry assignment, this woodworker now pictures those as billets for molding planes. It isn’t beech or cherry, but none other than figured maple. Truth be told, I’ve had this wood aging in my shop now for six years and it is time to use it somehow. Thank you Caleb James, Larry Williams, Popular Woodworking, and Lie Nielsen Tools for talking up plane making. I have marveled about molding planes for years. I’ve had an appreciation for those planes dating back to my college days in the late 70’s and now I want to make ones to enjoy. Yes I’ve sharpened the irons on antique ones, but now want to take things to the next level.
So here I go. Even though I’ve been planing to do it for years and purchased books on plane making, I finally bought some mild steel just to give float making a try. I ordered the Larry Williams DVD on making side escapement planes and I sense that Lie Nielsen will get some more business from me. But hey I’ll try making floats first and see if I catch the bug to make quite a few of those side escapement planes.
Here are a couple pictures of the billets. Enjoy! My goal is to have more hollows and rounds in the tool kit!