I am still stuck about what plane to get - I have an old, small block plane that works very well for most of what I've needed (mostly edge trimming), and I've bought the sandpaper for sharpening but haven't used it on my block plane yet. I have another "Junk" bench plane that I can't seem to tune and get working no matter what I do - actually am glad I have it so I can figure things out without ruining anything good. So, to my question, I have a piece of barn wood that was given to me - 1 7/8" x 5 5/8", 8' long - with an opportunity to get more possibly. I got it to use to top off our rock fireplace mantel if we ever get funds to get it built -- but I've been staring at this piece of perfectly straight old wood wondering what it is and what's hidden inside and also thinking of the woodworking bench I don't have... Here are some pix of the wood.
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The flash kindof washed out the color a little bit - don't know what kind of wood? Would this make a good benchtop? What kind of plane would I use to get it from it's current semi-rough state to pristineness (well, as close as a klutz like me can come to pristine). Thanks! dawn v