I got caught

a reply to: rickymouse

Is that what you used to sand the board level?

Japanese hand planes. I juuuust maybe spent some stupid money years ago, because I have a fondness for them. It takes some elbow grease but they're well worth the effort.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: rickymouse

Is that what you used to sand the board level?

Japanese hand planes. I juuuust maybe spent some stupid money years ago, because I have a fondness for them. It takes some elbow grease but they're well worth the effort.

I have some old long hand planes that work well for that kind of stuff. But I have not used them in over thirty years and the blades need to be derusted. The one wood one is maybe thirty inches, a wood plane. Two are like eighteen inches.

I have never used a japanese handplane, I don't even know if I have seen one. I gave away about three old handplanes to people when I got rid of the shop, still maybe have seven or eight various ones. I do like the heavy weight aluminum one the best, it doesn't rust and it does work well. Most times I use my power hand plane jointers, and planers for doing wood work, I guess I got kind of spoiled and like power tools.

My grandfather got into woodworking and making small handicrafts. He was into trying the wood that he found around the farm. He discovered that Osage Orange (hedge apple) is actually gorgeous wood that tends to look similar to what you have only much more orangish in tone. The problem with it is that it takes lots of patience because it is very, very hard. It takes a lot of time to work for that reason.

He also found a greenish wood that had been used in the construction of one of the old outbuildings that he would use from time to time on projects.

a reply to: rickymouse

This what they look like and you have to set the blade with a small hammer by tapping it. There is no screw adjustment like Western style
It takes a very delicate touch. I can get shavings that measure down to 8 microns.



Here's a pic of the hammer.




It's only a 4 oz so you can tell it takes a light touch and a lot of practice.


Skip to about 2:30 to see what they can do. There is a competition in Japan to see who can get the thinnest.

a reply to: DAVID64

We spent our first "stimulus" on a new bar top. We had the bar top made from a slab of monkey pod. Went to the guy's shop, hand selected the piece, paid the cash. Definitely a lot of work goes into something like that.

Can't wait to see when the product is finished. To have those skills is amazing. Burl walnut should last forever. Your great-great-grandkids might still have that piece even!

Nice! What color are you going to paint it?

a reply to: DAVID64

Awesome! Make sure to let us know about the finished table

And again best wishes to your wife's recovery.

a reply to: DAVID64

Nice piece of timber that.

Personally I use one of these for slab levelling and other things.

a reply to: DAVID64
I had a wood plane that looked something like that with the wedge. I don't know if I still have it or whether I trashed it when I got rid of a lot of the antiques hanging on the wall of the shop. I don't think I gave it away, who in their right mind around here would want a tool that doesn't have a motor other than me...oh wait, does that mean I am not in my right mind? Well, I guess I have known that for a long time.

I had no problem giving away all those old toy rifles I had to someone, there were maybe six of them. it is hard to get the rolls of caps for them these days. forty years of collecting old stuff and I gave most of it away. The building was costing me about three grand a year to keep with the taxes and power and natural gas bill so I figured I saved about nine grand in the last three years already. Better to give stuff away to people who like that kind of stuff than to toss it in the dump or sit at a rummage sale for a week. I had fun being Santa for a while.

a reply to: DAVID64

Wow! Gorgeous!!!

So was this is base of the walnut tree? 120 yrs or so -did you age it? Really nice job and the burl is fantastic, that is what really sets apart a piece of wood this magnificent. You did it it justice which is no small thing of itself.