HandWorks This Weekend

Independent Tool Makers all over our country have been working toward making ready for the HandWorks Event this weekend. I made my last two shipments to Iowa on Monday. Julie and I will be making our way to Amana on Wednesday. We're looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends as well. Thanks to the generosity of my customers I will have more planes on my bench at this show than any show we have participated in to date. So in this post I thought I would give a bit of a preview.

First off is the Winter Smoother  completed just this past Saturday. This plane's body is made from 0-1 tool steel and has Koa tote and Knob. It's a smallish smoother with a sole 8.125" long and uses a 1.875 wide iron pitch at 50 degrees.

This tool has a patina finish on the brass parts which gives it a very different look. It also gives the brass a no maintenance finish.

This size plane is becoming more and more popular. This tool is nimble enough for edge work yet substantial enough for working the faces of panels.

Another similar tool from the Stainless Steel line of tools is the 812-50S Smoothing plane. This plane also has Koa tote and knob and in this case the figure is curly. As of late we have upgraded the stainless used on these plane bodies to 440C high carbon stainless.

Nothing looks quite like Koa. Whether it has curly figure or not it always has interesting color variations that range from dark to light in contrast. It is lighter in weight than a lot of the dense infill woods that plane makers use, however it takes an excellent finish and feels great in the hand.

This one of my favorite planes and the next one will have Olive wood which is a material that I always look forward to working.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Over the last couple of months I've been working with Tico Vogt of Vogt ToolWorks developing a plane made for use with the new "No Rock" Shooting Board. This plane will of course work in any style shooting board but the ability to fasten to the "No Rock" board makes it somewhat unique and versatile. Like I said this is something completely different from an overall design aspect. I took a "Woodworking Goes Industrial" approach to this tool. The model number for this tool is 125-38SBP but we've taken to calling this plane the "Brute". Weighing in at around 10 lbs. we expect people will be able to shoot 5/4 stock with ease.

And here's a picture of the "No Rock" Shooting Board

The "Brute" plane will be on Tico's Bench at HandWorks this weekend and the plane below will be on my bench residing on a Vogt Toolworks 'Super Chute"

A "Colluser". (definition: Collector and User) See Below.

There will one more older relic at HandWorks this Weekend and you may have run into this relic at other woodworking events. 

Fred is a great supporter and patron of small independent toolmakers and an avid Hand Tool Woodworker. In fact there is not enough room here to list all the great things Fred does that helps the Hand Tool Woodworking World go round. Beside being a great customer Fred also helps fund product development for many small toolmaking shops. In essence he has a great influence on what tools are made available by the small toolmakers. There will be tools at HandWorks this weekend that would not be there without his support and assistance. Thanks Fred!

Hope to see you in Iowa this weekend,

Ron