Book/dvd on traditional plane making

[Matthew N. Masail]

was wondering if there is a book or better yet a DVD that actually shows how to make traditional planes. I bought a book on traditional plane making and the most there was explained there about actual work was "next, chop out the waste marked in the shaded portion"... for a beginner with not experience that is no help

on a side note I gave a toted smoother a shot, it works great, but you can see I didn't think the whole tote-to-body thing though... not sure if I like it more than a Krenov style.
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[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

For side-escapement planes, there's the excellent DVD by Larry Williams; I don't know if there's anything akin to that for the traditional bench plane.

[Zach Dillinger]

As far as I'm concerned, John Whelan's Making Traditional Wooden Planes is the gold standard for plane making. Unfortunately, its now out of print and hard to find. Amazon has it for $189. It's worth that if you are interested in planemaking.

[Jim McGee]

Astragal Press has a note on their web site that Making Traditional Wooden Planes is out of stock but will be available soon. No telling how soon is.

[Zach Dillinger]

That's great news Jim. Hopefully they are getting another run together.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I hope so too! 180$ is a little much for me right now, but I'd get it if I had the extra$$

[Ryan Baker]

I'm also waiting for someone to do another run of Whelan's book. $180+ is a bit more than I am willing to part with for it. Maybe Lost Art Press will take on the cause.

Matthew, I have that book and know exactly that passage. Frustrating isn't it?

I'd love to see Larry Williams do another DVD on traditional planes. But it probably isn't in the best interest of his company to do so.

[Andrae Covington]

Whelan's Making Traditional Wooden Planes is the best book I know of, but full disclosure: I have yet to make any planes. Besides the traditional one-piece construction, he briefly covers the laminated Krenov style and what he considers the intermediate approach of making two halves and gluing them together. Along with bench planes, the book covers hollows and rounds and other molding planes, dados and filletsters, plows, and a couple or three others. It sounds like Astragal is going to reprint this, I hope so.

I have another nearly unobtainable book that's been out of print almost 30 years... Wooden Planes in 19th Century America - Volume II by Kenneth Roberts. The author acquired the toolchest of a planemaker named Solon Rust who worked at Hermon Chapin's Union Factory. Here are some recent color photos, better than the black & white ones in the book. Anyway, the book includes a chapter on making planes. There are photos of the basic steps, apparently using some of Rust's tools and jigs. It also includes a reproduction of a four-part series of articles on plane making by W.J. Armour that were published in 1898 issues of Work, The Illustrated Journal for Mechanics.

[Jason Coen]

I have another nearly unobtainable book that's been out of print almost 30 years... Wooden Planes in 19th Century America - Volume II by Kenneth Roberts. The author acquired the toolchest of a planemaker named Solon Rust who worked at Hermon Chapin's Union Factory. Here are some recent color photos, better than the black & white ones in the book. Anyway, the book includes a chapter on making planes. There are photos of the basic steps, apparently using some of Rust's tools and jigs. It also includes a reproduction of a four-part series of articles on plane making by W.J. Armour that were published in 1898 issues of Work, The Illustrated Journal for Mechanics.

THAT is the book I've been searching for. I'm interested in the pictures of the planemaker's buck.

[Andrae Covington]

THAT is the book I've been searching for. I'm interested in the pictures of the planemaker's buck.

If you mean what I think you mean ("inconceivable!"), this SMC post by Mike Holden shows a very similar one made by Ted Ingraham (it's the fourth photo). Another photo from a different angle.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I'm also waiting for someone to do another run of Whelan's book. $180+ is a bit more than I am willing to part with for it. Maybe Lost Art Press will take on the cause.

Matthew, I have that book and know exactly that passage. Frustrating isn't it?

I'd love to see Larry Williams do another DVD on traditional planes. But it probably isn't in the best interest of his company to do so.

Yeah.... it is! I find in almost unthinkable that there is so little information about traditional plane making. one of the corner stones of woodworking ever!

Your right it's probably not in their best interest.

[Jason Coen]

If you mean what I think you mean ("inconceivable!"), this SMC post by Mike Holden shows a very similar one made by Ted Ingraham (it's the fourth photo). Another photo from a different angle.

Well, that earned you an Intraweb Gold Star for today! Thanks!

[Andrae Covington]

Astragal Press has a note on their web site that Making Traditional Wooden Planes is out of stock but will be available soon. No telling how soon is.

Two years later...

Astragal is finally reprinting the Whelan books, available in mid-November. You can pre-order now.

http://www.astragalpress.com/John_Whelan_Books.htm

[Jim McGee]

Popular woodworking has this DVD that will be available soon. Building a Traditional 18th - Century Jointer Plane

By Bill Anderson

[William Huver]

I am so glad that this thread has reappeared! I have been watching the Astragal Press website for a couple of years now, waiting for the John Whelan books. I just looked at it again a couple of weeks ago and the 'reprint available soon' message was still there. Thanks for the great news Andrae!!

The new Popular Woodworking DVD sounds interesting too.

Regards,
Bill