Would This Be Called a Plane Till?

[David Keller NC]

I was able to find one comprehensive reference. However it is from the UK and Maple is not one the species noted:

http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/corr...ls_by_wood.pdf

Maple was the wood I was thinking of as well. But, to be safe and not damage any old blades, I wonder about something like Corian for the slotted strip that holds the blades? Too bizarre, or not?

That's a fascinating article - thanks for digging it up. I'll definitely bookmark it. One "complaint" about the article is that it seems to ignore a pretty important factor in the corrosiveness of a specific species - tannic acid content. I suspect that's why Oak is identified as one of the lowest pH values. I'd definitely be curious as to how the authors measured that - my guess is that it was soaking wood chips in water and measuring the pH of the liquid.

My thought about maple was in regards to its tannic acid content - which is extremely low. This would also be true for basswood and a few others. While Corian or some other artificial substance would probably be way safer in contact with steel over raw wood, I think that's overkill. One way to control the issue would be to just put 2 or 3 coats of shellac or laquer on the "keepers" before installing them.

[Greg Crawford]

David,

I hope you're right about maple, because I made my router bit holders and saw till with it. Kind of tough to get any coating in the holes without going way oversize and ruining a decent fit. I used poly on this for the durability, to stand up against heavy metal objects making frequent, but hopefully gentle, contact.

How about wood holding moisture? Does anyone have any experience or definitive answer about this leading to rust problems, especially in something like a router bit holder or drill index? Since saw tills have been around a long time with no mention of problems, my guess is the moisture isn't an issue.

[Jeff Willard]

I consider it a till, but would it really be called a till, shelf, cabinet or what?

You made it-you can call it whatever you like(Bob?). And nobody can tell you that you're wrong.