Sauer & Steiner

A pair of Norris rebate mitre planes

2008-05-07T11:01:00.033-05:00

Well here they are - the “mystery planes” I have been teasing about.

Here is the deal... in 1941, Norris was commissioned to make a plane to be awarded as the first prize in a furniture making competition. The recipient of the plane kept it in new condition all these years. It was sold at auction in 2006 for over £16,000. Shortly after the auction - I was commissioned to make a reproduction of this plane with one change - infilled with ebony (the original was infilled with Brazilian Rosewood).

It was a fantastic and challenging commission to say the least. The only reference I had was a series of photos and two dimensions - the overall length of 13-5/8" and the width of 2-3/8".

Norris clearly emptied the bag of tricks on this plane. The handle tilts to the left and right just like the Stanley No.10-1/4 - but it also pivots left and right.

I was also excited to try a wedged plane with an adjuster. The screw that passes through the keeper engages a brass insert in the wedge. The mechanics of this is very cool. The brass insert is offset and when the screw is tightened - it acts as a drawbore - driving the wedge tighter into the body of the plane. Very cool indeed!

After studying the photos I agreed to the commission. I also decided I would make a prototype to work out any unforeseen bugs. I did not want to “prototype” the commissioned plane. Infilling the prototype with Brazilian Rosewood seemed like a logical choice.

Everything worked without a hitch for the most part - and keeping the prototype ahead a few steps certainly helped refine the building process.

The mouth was one aspect that I really had to psych myself up for. I use what can only be described as an antiquated method - but it has always worked for me, and I did not see any reason why I should re-invent the wheel now. Here are a series of photos of cutting the mouth.

I still use a hacksaw to cut the mouth on shoulder and rebate planes. The difference with this plane is that it is 2-3/8" wide as opposed to the widest shoulder at 1-1/2". I was a little nervous.

My friend Steve had stopped in a few times as I was working on the pair of planes and he asked how I was going to do the mouth. I handed him the hacksaw. His only comment was “ I gotta see this!” I guess his response freaked me out a little bit more, so I decided to cut and file the mouth on my own (sorry Steve). I was not sure I would be able to handle an audience if I messed it all up!

As it turned out - it worked perfectly and I felt bad for not inviting Steve to be there for it. He was on hand as I was finishing it up though - and I handed him the triangular piece of waste from the sole.

Here are a few detail shots of the mouth being done;

Two of three cuts are done - the last one is the “easiest” :)

Here are some further photos of the two planes.

I should also mention that I have decided to sell the Brazilian Rosewood filled prototype. This is only the second prototype I have sold - all the others live on my bench. This plane is marked KP30-08 on the bed - KP stands for “Konrad Prototype”. The price is $9,000.00 Cdn.

Phew!

2008-05-06T15:39:00.008-05:00

My apologies to everyone for the missing website during the last several days. And also my deepest thanks to everyone who phoned, emailed and posted their concerns about the situation. It seems my domain name registration had expired - thankfully - it is up and running again.

Cheers,
Konrad

A very rare piece of wood finds a home

2008-04-24T16:38:00.001-05:00

I will admit it - I am quite spoiled with some of the infill wood I have. Genuine Brazilian Rosewood tops that list - but a while ago, I ran into a piece that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a small section of burl. There was not much, and I had to really work to get enough for an XSNo.4.

And even after it was roughed out- I was not 100% sure I had captured enough of it. About a month ago, I started the plane. As I was working away I realized this piece was spectacular.

What sometimes happens is the figure and curl of the wood disappears as you cut it down and fit it to the metal shell. This piece was the reverse. With every cut - the infill kept getting better and better. There was a great light patch of wood on the rear infill that I really wanted to keep. I cheated the rear infill as far to the right as I could to capture as much of that patch as possible. You can see the patch in the photo below.

The front bun was equally spectacular - despite its small size.

This piece of burl was a very rare find. I cannot promise to find another one like this - but there are a few other large pieces that look promising. I just feel lucky to have found this piece.

The front view & a wicked keeper

2008-04-20T17:32:00.006-05:00

The next photos will be of the finished planes - I promise.

Two wedges & a handle

2008-04-19T14:43:00.005-05:00

No - this was not a “scaling” exercise in Photoshop.

2008-04-18T12:32:00.001-05:00

They really are that big!

These are the irons for a rather unique pair of planes I have been working on for the last 12 months. One iron is for the commissioned plane - the other for the spare “prototype”. The pair should be completed in the next few days - stay tuned...

Magic drawer No.13

2008-04-09T15:50:00.018-05:00

An hour ago, the 16th and final drawer was installed. What a feeling. I have been working on the last 4 drawers for a week or so. One of them was a monster at almost 12" deep. Drawer number 13 was pretty significant - it was the first one where all the dovetails fit right off the saw. Drawer No.14 had one corner that needed a bit of paring, but 15 and 16 (the monster drawer) were also off the saw. I took a pile of photos of drawer No.16 being built - it will be the subject of “Some thoughts on dovetails - part II”. The “Red-Robbie” pulls are just temporary until the African Blackwood pulls are done.

Here are a few pics of the three banks of drawers in the kitchen.

I think I can hear Jill blissfully filing Tupperware. Next up on the home reno front - back to the sunroom...

sweet rebates!

2008-04-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

First off - let me apologize for not posting anything for a few weeks. I have been pretty busy in the shop - working on some very cool planes and some “other work”. I will be posting about it in the next few weeks.

I have recently completed a set of 4 rebate planes - 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1-1/4" widths. The sides and sole are 01 tool steel and the infill is Brazilian Rosewood. It has been a while since I have made a set of these - and I have to say it was a lot of fun.

They are a matching set in that all the Brazilian Rosewood came from the same piece - but I tried to maximize some of the figure by using it where it will be most visible. The 1-1/4" rebate is a good example with that wonderful swirl at the front.

Most of the wedges have either some burl or curl in them.

Introducing the No. 141-1/2L

2008-03-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Back in June of 2007, I had the good fortune of meeting two people on my “list”– Jim Leamy and Paul Hamler. It was a little overwhelming – Paul had his brand-spanking new scraper plane insert – and Jim… well – he had an army of plow planes. Jim and I were set up beside one another – and after the 10th plow plane my jaw started getting sore from hitting the floor. They were amazing – and no offense Jim… but the pictures on your website do not even come close to representing your work. I was pretty smitten to say the least. A funny thing happened as I was standing there admiring them. I really wanted one, but not necessarily to use. It was a strange feeling. I love fine tools – but they have always been purchased because of their exceptional function as well as their aesthetic. I guess this is a testament to Jim’s work, because this time function was a secondary consideration.

During the show, I must have walked over to “planet plow” at least a hundred times –daydreaming of what I would want if I were to commission one. It was harder than I thought. The one plane that really captivated me was the Sandusky center wheel plow. Ok – that was the plane – now what were the specs in this little dream? The Brazilian Rosewood version was fantastic. Brass fittings… or nickel plated? But ooh – the ebony and nickel plated version… sweet. Between visits 56 and 57 I noticed something else – these were all for right handed users. I wondered if plow planes could be made for us sinister folks? So shyly – I asked. Jim’s eyes lit up – a good sign. He told me he had never made a left handed plow – and seemed a little excited about me asking about it. Now this was starting to get really exciting – the possibility of Jim’s first left handed plane. And this seemed to open my mind a bit more – to other woods that might not be as common. The first one that came to mind was African Blackwood. Again – I asked Jim if he had ever made a Blackwood plow. He hadn’t. Hmmm… the plane was starting to spec itself!

Over the next couple of months, Jim and I stayed in touch quite regularly – talking about possible configurations of materials. Brazilian was still on the short list as was Ebony – but Blackwood has a special place with me, and in the end – won out. Jim really thought the fittings should be plated and not brass – and I was quite happy to go with what his gut was telling him.

On January 10th, the first email arrived – he was starting the plane! Shortly after, pictures started rolling in. The first was aptly titled “swiss cheese”. There was a great little touch happening in the background of all the pictures – there was a different CD case, and I am assuming to show me what he had been listening to that day. As the update pictures arrived – the CD case changed. It was amazing to watch the plane come together. Here are a few of the images Jim sent – in chronological order (starting with “swiss cheese”);

One of the coolest touches is the number stamped on the plane. Jim called several times during construction – and one of them was to discuss the number system. He explained that the Brazilian Rosewood or Boxwood Center wheel with ivory tips was number 141. An Ebony center wheel without ivory tips was a number 142. Without missing a beat, he said “your plane can only have one number really – 141-1/2L” I wish he could have seen me beaming with excitement on the other end of the phone. My only comment – a resounding “perfect!”

I could wax on for several more pages, but I know enough to get on with the photos of the finished plane...

Some thoughts on dovetails - part I

2008-02-28T12:40:00.001-05:00

For the last several weekends, I have been working on our kitchen drawers. I have just crossed a major milestone - there are more drawers completed than remain (only by 1... but it still feels great!). So I have had “dovetails” floating around in my head quite a bit lately.

There was in interesting thread about dovetails in one of the forums a week or so ago. The thread was titled “Skinny pins in hand cut dovetails”. After reading most of the thread - I started thinking on my own dovetail evolution - and the whys and how's of it. I have also had a bit of an epiphany moment sparked by that thread, and it has to do with the relationship between process and efficiency. I am fully aware that I may to step on a few toes with this one - and I am fine with that.

My goal with woodworking and planemaking is to become extremely efficient while continuing to improve my accuracy... and in that order. I make my living in the woodworking field - I have to be efficient. So everything I do is motivated by using the fastest method even if it means a slow initial learning curve - complete with bumps and errors. Sharpening is a perfect example. I made a very conscious decision to learn to freehand sharpen because once you know how - it IS the fastest way to sharpen. Sure, it made for a lot of frustrating sharpening sessions and the dizzying parade of sharpening jigs were quite tempting - but I can honestly say I am glad I stuck to my guns and learned to do it freehand. I am now fast at it, and don't hesitate to stop work to restore an edge. I will write more on freehand sharpening in another post.

Back to dovetails & efficiency. I believe that the dovetail joint is a functional mechanical joint that can be extremely beautiful if well executed. There are a lot of times when dovetails are used and they are not seen - and in these instances how it looks is less important (though they still need to be tight fitting and designed for mechanical strength). The drawer is usually to blame for all the discussion about dovetails - skinny pins vs fat pins, machine cut vs hand cut, spacing, angles, pin lengths etc. This is because these dovetails can be seen, and rightly or wrongly, have come to symbolize the quality of the piece they live in.

I decided that I would hand cut my dovetails for several reasons (in no particular order). I like the somewhat random and irregular look of handcut dovetails - they tell me that a person spent time making this - and I like that. I like skinny pins - especially in contrasting woods - they make everything look lighter and more delicate. I like irregular spacing. I tend to put narrower tails on the outside edges and gradually increase them as they get closer to the center. It means I don't need to do as much math and is really quite fast to lay out. Here is an example;

The tails on the top and bottom are 3/4", 1/16" pin, 1" tail, 1/16" pin, 1-1/4" pin. It makes for a somewhat rounding effect.

Once I made the decision to hand cut my dovetails it meant I needed to be as fast and efficient as I could be. To me, this means the goal is to be able to fit the dovetails off the saw - no paring. My friend Karen was over a few weeks ago and we were talking about this as we stood in a sea of kitchen drawer parts. I commented that I was going to cut to the line and not intentionally cut inside and then pare to the line. If I overcut and there was a gap - so be it. I would not scrap the drawer but live with it. I explained that I felt this was part of my learning process and working towards maximum efficiency. She gave me an affirming nod and agreed. As we continued to talk we realized that there are many woodworking schools out there that teach to cut well inside the line and to pare to get the right fit. Looking at that now - it seems a little off - it is teaching a process where the outcome is consistently a 10 hour dovetailed drawer! It may be beautiful and perfect - but the process strikes me as questionable - not to mention it is unrealistic to expect a client to pay for a drawer that took 10 hours to make. I would much rather endure the pain, suffering, and disappointment of a few gaps here and there knowing that I am slowly, over time, getting closer to dovetails that fit right off the saw (I am aware that I am building drawers for my own use and not for a client - so I do have the luxury of “learning” through my work). So with that in mind - here are a few examples of dovetails I have produced spanning my entire woodworking life.

This was the first furniture project I made with a drawer. The front is cherry and the sides are pine. Drat... it is a bit out of focus:)

These are the drawers on my left handed, shaker inspired bench. There are 10 drawers in all. The sides are 5/8" basswood and the fronts are 3/4" mildly curly soft maple. They are still a little clunky - but the spacing was starting to feel right on these.

This is a drawer in a table I built for my sister and her husband as a wedding gift. Skinny pins have arrived and are here to stay! 1/2" maple sides, 3/4" walnut front. Note the African Blackwood pull... I shaped them by hand... no lathe:(

Which brings us to the most recent dovetail project - the kitchen drawers. I have just finished 5 more kitchen drawers - here is a shot of the stack.

There was a magical moment that happened while building these 5 drawers - I did actually cut a set of dovetails that fit right off the saw. It is pictured below.

There are a few wee gaps - but after they were glued and planed flush, they were gone. And after this set - there was another set of 1/2 blinds and two sets of through dovetails that fit off the saw. This was most encouraging and confirmed to me that this longer road was the right road to take.

And hey... I have 7 more drawers to practice on!

Another (fun) deviation

2008-02-21T02:45:00.001-05:00

I was in Toronto on Tuesday - visiting with some good friends - Anson and Joanne. I was also delivering this little Blackwood infilled XSNo.4. This plane has a few unique features worth noting.

The sole of this plane may look pretty typical - but the material is quite unique - it is pure iron. There is a very skilled blacksmith in town here - and during one of my visits, I asked him if there was a material that would be “rust proof”. He said he had some pure iron from France that might be suitable. So he gave me a piece to try.

This plane is going to spend a good part of its life restoring a boat on the east coast - so rust was a primary concern. I used brass pins to hold the infill in - to eliminate another potential rust area. I used a steel pin to hold the lever cap - I was concerned that a 3/16"D brass pin would not hold up over time.

The pure iron sole was a real treat to work with - much softer than the 01 I usually use. It felt more like bronze than steel. It piened beautifully! I suspect this won’t be the last pure iron sole I use.

My own R2 unit

2008-02-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

Lucas has turned into a bit of a Star Wars nut - almost as bad as me really. We have this funny little game we have been playing for at least a year now - Lucas recites a line from any of the movies (except episode 3 - we heavily censor that one!) and I have to guess who said it. When we started - it was your basic stuff;

“I'd rather kiss a wookie”

“Laugh it up fuzzball” and,

“Blep-bloop-bloop bleep” (in the voice of Lucas - his best R2 impression).

But with each rerun, he is getting more sophisticated in his lines - he has actually stumped me! The other day he observed that R2 is one of the few characters that is in every movie and that R2 is always saving everyone. It was a good observation - and I decided to rename a recent purchase “R2”.

I recently purchased a moisture meter which is capable of accurate readings in exotic woods. I know what all of you are thinking... how has a planemaker gone on this long without one? I will get to that - and the meter really just confirmed what I already knew (I will admit, there was a slight sigh of relief though). I have wanted a good moisture meter for a very long time now - but I could never find one that had all the right stuff. Here are some of the issues. Firstly - I could not use a pin style meter - try getting those pins 1/2" into African Blackwood... heck... try getting them out then! So I needed a pinless meter - but most of them are pre-calibrated for domestic woods and will not work with Exotics. The problem is the specific gravity of most exotic woods is so much higher than even our hardest domestic hardwood that the readings will not be accurate. Enter the CT808 pinless meter from Electrophysics!

This meter allows the user to compensate for specific gravity - from 0.2 up to 1.5. This changed everything! Take cherry for example; the specific gravity of black cherry is .50 roughly half the density of water (which is 1.0 - and the reason it floats). I set the gravity setting on the meter to .50 and took a reading in a cherry board - 7% moisture. I then took the meter to a piece of African Blackwood - 15%. The trouble is - when I adjust the specific gravity to 1.2 (the correct gravity for Blackwood) - I get 7% moisture. The ability to adjust the relative gravity was the key I needed.

So I ran around the shop checking everything. The first piece I checked was an old piece of Brazilian Rosewood. Specific gravity of 0.8... moisture content... 6%? That can't be right. Changed the gravity to 1.0 to check my recent Ebony purchase - 8%... Blackwood - 1.2... moisture content 7%... ok... is this meter even working? So I adjusted the gravity back to .50 to test a piece of cherry I know is wet... phew... 18%.

All is right with the world - my wood really is that dry.

Thanks R2.

Blep-bloop-bloop bleep

Desert ironwood No.4

2008-02-11T12:23:00.001-05:00

This is the first time I have ever had the pleasure of working with Desert ironwood - and I have to say - it was really, really cool stuff to work with! This was also one of the rare occasions where I used supplied wood from the customer. Which brings up an aspect of planemaking that is by far the most challenging... finding appropriately dry wood. This wood prompted the purchase of a moisture meter specifically designed for exotic woods. I will be writing about the meter in another entry - but the quick answer is this ironwood had a moisture content of 7%.

The wood itself is extremely dense - with a specific gravity of 1.20. To put that into perspective, pure water is 1.0 - so this stuff will sink. Here is a site that has technical information for most of the domestic and tropical woods.

Working with Desert ironwood reminded me of working with African Blackwood and Honduran Rosewood. It planes well - but will wear an edge quickly, works beautifully with rasps & files and can be sanded and polished to a stunning finish. A little stinky to work with though.

This plane has bronze sides, a 2" wide, high carbon steel iron and a bed angle of 52.5 degrees.

A Yataiki saw arrives.

2008-02-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

For years now - I have owned, used and struggled with various Japanese saws. Specifically Dozuki's. Struggled because I could not quite get the hang of using them. I always thought it was because I had spent too much time using western style saws and could not change my habits. So my few Dozuki's hung on the wall. I looked over at them from time to time - and even tried them every now and again - with similar disappointing results.

I was lamenting this situation to a good friend a while ago and he offered to send me one of his saws to try out. The saw arrived on January 7. Now this is not just any saw - it was made by Yataiki. I was pretty overwhelmed when it arrived - partly because of my track record with Japanese saws - but mainly because of who had made it (and has since retired from sawmaking).

There were quite a few details of the saw that really caught my attention. The first was how fine the teeth were - about 19 ppi. And the set... or should I say lack of set - there is virtually none to speak of. The blade is extremely thin - and absolutely perfectly strait.

There is a texture to the blade that is quite remarkable. The blade is tensioned by tens of thousands of little hammer strikes and then burnished. Yup - this was not an average saw.

The saw stayed in my shop for many days as I contemplated using it. Normally I don't wait to long to try out a new tool, but this one was different. I emailed my friend to let him know it had arrived safe and sound, but also to get any advise on using the saw. There were many emails sent back and forth all of which were helpful and set the stage for the first use. There were a few key pieces of advise - a relaxed grip, don't try to muscle the saw and let the saw do the work. A "relaxed grip" was described like holding a hammer. If you hold a hammer too rigidly, the striking (vibration) will hurt your arm. The grip should be relaxed enough to still control the hammer, but loose enough to keep the vibration from your wrist and arm. That was a brilliant piece of advise!

I practiced using the saw in my head - trying to anticipate how it would work. I had a few "free" hours on Jan 16th and decided to work on a few kitchen drawers. I took a deep breath - and finally tried the saw. I was not prepared for the results - it was perfect. I mean truly perfect! The start of the cut was smooth and clean and the saw tracked flawlessly leaving a clean and very thin kerf. And it cut fast. I was using the saw to cut the tails on the 1/2" hard maple drawer sides.

As I was using the saw, I noticed I was feeling for the straightest pull stroke - making sure I was not introducing a twist or lateral forces on the blade. The lack of set makes this really really easy to do. I cut a few kerfs and they all turned out perfectly. There was one kerf that did not follow the line perfectly, but instead of trying to correct for it - I let the saw cut along the started path. The words of my friend not to muscle the saw were ringing through my head at this point. In the end, that kerf was only off by a degree or two - all part of the story of hand cut dovetails.

I decided to stack four, 1/2" thick drawer sides together and try a cut or two. Pictured above is that first kerf... just as perfect as all the others.

And another shot of another 4 drawer sides.

Here is a shot of the 4-up drawer sides in my Tucker vice. A really nice feature of this vice and set up is that I can rotate the vice so I am sawing perpendicular to the floor.

Now for the really sad news. As I mentioned earlier, Yataiki is now retired - he is no longer making saws. As far as I know - he did not have an apprentice. If you ever have an opportunity to try one of his saws - or a handmade saw from another maker - you owe it to yourself to try it. I feel incredibly blessed to have been given this opportunity to use one of his saws.

I walked through a very dangerous door today.

2008-01-31T10:21:00.000-05:00

Today started off as a pretty uneventful day - I headed out to pick up some plane materials. As I was pulling into the parking lot - I noticed a sign on a nearby window "True North Cycles". As I got out of the car, I was trying to figure out where I knew the name from. I went about my business and as I returned to my car, checked my watch.... yup - I had a few minutes to spare...

I walked in to a very cool spaces filled with bike parts and some rather magnificent completed bikes in a showroom. Then a guy wearing a toque and a Volkswagen hoodie comes walking out from the back room. A good sign. After quick introductions - we dove right in.

Hugh Black (the guy has to be a dude with a name like Hugh Black!) is the man - a custom frame designer and builder. This place was awesome. He invited me to the back where the frames are made. I have to say I was totally out of my element - but I knew enough to be impressed. There were frames all around me - in various stages of construction. Hugh handed me a titanium frame - it weighed less than a lever cap!

And here is the danger part. I am often accused of not playing fair - sending photos of Rosewood & bronze, Ebony and steel. Well, today I can honestly say I know how that feels. How does one resist all that aluminum, Titanium and carbon fiber goodness hanging all around? I mean come-on... look at that gorgeous orange frame! The bug has bit hard and my drive home was filled with visions of frames dancing in my head.

Then I realized where I had seen the True North logo - Hugh had made a bike for my cousin Jake.

A refreshing return to tradition

2008-01-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

Part way though this plane I realized this is the most "traditional" infill plane I have made to date. It was great to return to the roots of British infill planes. This is a 16-1/2" long A1 panel plane - infilled with Brazilian Rosewood, 01 tool steel sides and sole and a bronze lever cap and lever cap screw. This combination of materials is the epitome of British infills.

I was also reminded why Brazilian Rosewood was the infill material of choice - it is one of the finest woods to work with. The front bun on this plane was roughed out in 2003 and I have been waiting to use it ever since. I knew the figure would be good... but this really knocked my socks off!

One of the challenges of having such a great piece of wood for the front bun, is continuing it to the rear infill. The black streaks that run through the rear infill and handle certainly tie it all together.

Coming off the heels of two large jointers - lapping this plane was a real treat. For what it's worth... the lapping music of choice was Ministry & I used 12 sheets of lapping paper.

Reducing a perfect piece of Ebony from this...

2008-01-04T18:52:00.000-05:00

To these!

With 18" left over. The narrow piece is 1-1/4" thick - perfect for handles. The other piece is 3" thick.

This was a 2 day process - and I have become much better at just starting into it (as opposed to staring at it for 4 hours!). I still stare at it (planning my attack)... but start cutting much more confidently. It certainly helps to have such fine material - there was very little waste from this piece.

Pictured above is another piece of Ebony I worked with. This was also an exceptional piece - the only waste being the bits between plane parts.

Onto the African Blackwood!

more stainless steel & Ebony

2008-01-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

I have just completed the finishing touches on another A2ss. This one is 22-1/2" long and was quite different to build than its big brother. Working with the stainless was certainly more time consuming - but otherwise it felt very familiar - like the other 22-1/2" A2's I have built. It worked out wonderfully - here are a few quick pictures of the pair of jointers.

Oh, a few people have asked about the "green mallet" in the background. I will be commenting on it shortly - there is a great story behind it.

Run-on blog entry

2007-12-22T17:36:00.000-05:00

When I was in grade school, I was often reprimanded for my amazing run-on sentences. In that spirit - here is a blog entry to clean up some loose ends before the holidays. These photos were taken over the last few weeks.

We are in the middle of a rather humongous snow storm right now. Riley has been tobogganing off the back deck most of the day - he is the snow lover in this house! The photo above is taken from our kitchen window looking at the studio.

Speaking of kitchen windows... we finally have some trim. If you begin to sense a theme that starts with "the shoemakers kids..." you are right - it runs pretty rampant over here. This was a great weekend distraction to finally get this (mostly) done. Mostly because I still need to make the 2" thick eyebrow that goes on the top - but at least we aren't looking at yellow foam anymore!

And yes I know - where are the doors and drawers? Keep reading...

The walnut floor is now installed in our sunroom - we are thrilled with the results. A local sawmill made the flooring for us and my friend Steve helped me install it - thanks again Steve. Once the finish is cured (about a week), we will cover it up with a layer of brown paper and 1/2" thick foam mats so I can start working on the trim and built-in cabinets.

And speaking of the sunroom cabinets... I just picked up the 100 Bd/ft for all the window trim and face frames for the built-ins. This is local cherry I picked up from an Old Order Mennonite saw mill. I have been working with Leonard for several years now and his service and disposition are amazing. The MC is down to 9% and in a few weeks I should be able to start dressing it.

We have a new addition to the Sauer family - Smokey. Riley has been asking for a cat (or dog) for several years now and we finally caved. When we went to pick out a kitten, this little one marched over to Riley and crawled into his lap. It was a pretty easy decision. The second positive sign was he used his litter box within the first 20 minutes.

And finally... 2 years later than expected... I have just finished the first prototype kitchen drawer. We wanted traditional looking drawers but with the modern convenience of drawer glides. Welcome to tandum Plus drawer slides from Blum! As soon as we saw these - we were sold. They are some of the finest drawer glides available and were very easy and straightforward to install (once the drawer was built). The only concession was the 3/8" step in the sides - but other than that - they look like traditional drawers... well... until you open one! They are silky smooth, full extension and have a self closing mechanism for the last 1-1/2".

It has been a while since I have hand cut dovetails. I was reminded of 2 things. How much I love my Imai chisels - and how much I love woodworking. I should also mention that the drawer is just dry fit (not glued) and there is no finish on it. The front is walnut and the sides and back are hard maple. The bottom is 1/4" baltic birch plywood. The pull is a spare from the shaker style bench (the one with the Emmert). I will be making Ebony or African Blackwood pulls for the doors and drawers.

Here is an under the hood shot. The orange bits are actually quick release levers - when you squeeze them, the drawer lifts off the hardware.

That about wraps it up. Thanks to everyone who has stopped in or added a few comments. I may live to regret this - but if there are any subjects you would like to hear about just let me know.

Merry Christmas everyone - and a Happy New Year.

Konrad, Jill, Riley + Lucas

Cap iron free No.4 update

2007-12-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

It appears that this plane works just as well without a cap iron as a similar plane with one. Which leaves me with a few questions that need answers... but I will leave that for later.

Here are the No.4 specs:

- 7-1/2" long sole
- 2" wide, high carbon steel blade (by Ron Hock)
- 52.5 degree bed angle
- .004" mouth opening

I tested the plane on some flame birch first - pictured above. I use this particular piece of Birch all the time - it is not an easy wood to plane. This No.4 did not have any problems at all - tear out free and no chattering to speak of.

Then I tried it on some pretty strait cherry without adjusting the iron at all. It produced similar shavings with ease.

The big question is.... can I justify yet another smoother for myself?

Abs of destruction - Part II

2007-11-27T17:17:00.002-05:00

As soon as both sides were done, I took a break and finished the chamfering on the heel and toe of the plane. It was a perfect distraction from lapping. Here is a shot of the setup. Unfortunately - it went pretty quick so I had to return to lapping sooner than I would have liked. All in all the lapping went better than I expected. I used 32 sheets of 80 grit A275 paper. That does not sound like much except when you consider a smoother uses 4.

Lucas was on hand to help me unwrap the plane once the lapping was done.

And was quite excited to try the handle. I think the plane is as heavy as he is:)

So without further delay - here are a few shots of the lapped plane. If you click on them - a larger version will open.

Dan - this last shot is for you.

I am stopping at this stage - it will be coming to Boston as is. The sole is not "finished" in that I need to lap it again with a finer paper between the stages of filing the mouth open.

Abs of destruction - Part I

2007-11-26T17:11:00.000-05:00

With other equally appropriate titles like;

"Sometimes, there is not enough angry music!" and,

"Gonna cave and buy a surface grinder."

Drilling for the lever cap was pretty uneventful except for the sheer size of everything. I spent more time finding a place to stand than actually drilling!

Grinding the dovetails and the cross pins took several hours - I think I am going to need a new wheel. Then, it was time to tape the infill and start lapping. I could not procrastinate any longer.

And then I discovered a glorious benefit to building a 28-1/2" long jointer... the weight of this plane is so significant - I did not have to apply much downward pressure when lapping. All I really needed to do was get it going, steer and then stop it. No small task - but not having to push down really helped.

All the extra time spent getting the piening block perfect has certainly paid off. The sole is about half lapped, the far side is well on its way, and this side is completed. With any luck - the lapping will be finished tomorrow - stay tuned.... !

The next logical plane

2007-11-24T12:39:00.002-05:00

The XSNo.4 has been such a wonderful plane to use - it was only a matter of time (and a customers willingness) before I tried a full sized No.4 without a cap iron. This plane has a bed angle of 52.5 degrees and a matching shorter, rounded iron - to match the XSNo.4. The iron is high carbon steel, 3/16" thick and 2" wide.

I am quite excited to file the mouth and try it out - a few more coats of French polish and I should be good to go. Stay tuned...

Here is a detail shot of the amazing grain in the front bun and then the rear infill. Brazilian Rosewood is a truly remarkable wood to work with, and I fully understand why it was so heavily harvested. When I am roughing out plane parts, I always try to find a section that has those amazing, telltale black lines.

NM

2007-11-23T14:33:00.001-05:00

hollow grinding Nirvana

2007-11-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

That may sound a little extreme - but it is accurate.

While I was in Calgary I had the good fortune to stay with a friend. During one of our many tool fetish moments, I noticed a pale blue wheel in his grinder. So I asked about it. He said it was the best grinding wheel he has ever used - it does not produce any heat. That was a pretty tall order - so I asked if I could give it a try. I have a 1725RPM Baldor grinder with 2 Norton white wheels on it - both 60 grit. They are fantastic wheels, but they can produce heat and even burn steel if you are not careful.

This wheel is completely different. The first thing I tried was a huge high carbon steel iron from a jointing plane. I gave it a pretty light touch and was amazed at how much metal it took off. I did another pass and pressed a little harder - expecting to feel a little warmth in the iron. I felt nothing and started worrying that my caloused fingers were loosing sensation. The blade wasn't even warm! I was going to take another heavy pass, but realized that I had already completely re-ground the iron. Holy smokes this thing was fast!

So I grabbed another iron, and had similar results - fast cutting and no heat to speak of. Then I realized I was using some pretty stout plane irons - I wonder what would happen on a small chisel? So I tried a little 3/4" "blue chip" that was in pretty rough shape. I started again with a light touch. Fast cutting - no heat. I pressed harder... even faster cutting - still no heat. At this point I was totally sold - this was fantastic! So we finished up the chisel and a few other tools that needed some work. There was not a single instance where I felt any warmth in any of the tools we were working on.

I ordered one of these wheels (Norton 3X, 46 grit) from Joel at Tools for Working wood in NY.