Rehabbed tools

[Aaron Kline]

Thought you'd all enjoy some pics of my recently reworked tools. I used crotch walnut from a gunstock blank for the new transitionals. I got the handles and knobs from Mike in Katy. They've been a joy to use, but I plan to put brass wear strips at the mouth to prevent them from getting chipped. The other picture is of my tool cabinet, a shop class project. Solid hard maple and walnut with slightly curly maple cabinet doors. The clock is ambrosia maple and those brackets were my first attempt at hand forging.

http://www.freepichosting.com/Albums/421573196.html

[Tom LaRussa]

Thought you'd all enjoy some pics of my recently reworked tools. I used crotch walnut from a gunstock blank for the new transitionals. I got the handles and knobs from Mike in Katy. They've been a joy to use, but I plan to put brass wear strips at the mouth to prevent them from getting chipped. The other picture is of my tool cabinet, a shop class project. Solid hard maple and walnut with slightly curly maple cabinet doors. The clock is ambrosia maple and those brackets were my first attempt at hand forging.

http://www.freepichosting.com/Albums/421573196.html

Very nice work, Aaron!

It's a nice feeling when you really start to get to know your tools, isn't it?

I especially like the little smoother.

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of playing with your pics a little bit so they can be posted directly to SMC.

Here they are:

[Tom LaRussa]

Here are the last two of Aaron's pics. (Couldn't fit them all into one post.)

[Aaron Kline]

Thanks, Tom. It is a joy to see and use the tools you make. Thanks for posting the pics also. A teenager that doesn't know how to post pictures on the internet? Anything is possible thesedays. Why do you think I don't like power tools

[Bob Smalser]

Lovely work....the totes are really exceptional.

[Steve Wargo]

for the sole of a transitional? And crotch walnut to boot? I would think that you'll have problems not only keeping it flat (from expansion), but I think that the resistance to dent and dings and the constant sliding back and forth will be a problem. I could be wrong, but the look great. Sorry, but it's been a few weeks since my last post and needed to get in.

[Aaron Kline]

Steve,
I thought walnut would be a bit soft,too, and was going to cover the bottom with curly maple, but after using them for a while now, they hold up fine. I've used the jointer on ambrosia maple and walnut and it does quite alright. I tend to work mostly with softer woods anyway, like catalpa, sassafrass and that.

[Marc Hills]

You did a beautiful job, Aaron. That walnut is truly unique. I think the brass wear strip just ahead of the throat should be fine.

I especially like the little smoother.

I agree. Are you going to add a Stanley 35 to your collection? For some reason that smoother, with its stepped rear tote, always struck me as a particularly beautiful plane. Done in walnut, it would be stunning.

[Aaron Kline]

I'd been thinking of a stanley 35 before I got the 23. I paid 4.83 on it for ebay and shipping was $8! It works nicely, I just have to fiddle with it sometime to get a .001 shaving. Curly walnut would look awesome on a 35, though. For my next venture, I want to get a cheap trans. jack plane and make a panel raiser out of it.

[Bob Smalser]

Most old timers woulda wanted straighter, q-sawn grain less prone to movement than the walnut you chose...but the glues were poor and they had to flatten their soles by hand.

You have so many more options for keeping that sole flat and resoling, that I see no reason not to use figured wood if it pleases you.

[Tom LaRussa]

Steve,
I thought walnut would be a bit soft,too, and was going to cover the bottom with curly maple, but after using them for a while now, they hold up fine.

If you can, save yourself a little walnut from the same batch you used for the rehab. Then you can use it down the line when you need to resole, which shouldn't be for quite a while anyway.

BTW, just thought I'd mention that it's not just the wood I like about that little smoother. You did a very nice job shaping it.