beech plane blanks

[David Weaver]

What little European beech I have seen is billed as "steamed" to even out the colors. I don't know that it affects the working properties of the wood, but the color seems less lively than in American beech.

Beech logs are easy to come by here. The problem is that they have little commercial value, so most sawmills don't cut or sell it as furniture wood. What little is cut for that purpose is rarely dead quartersawn, which is what most toolmakers are lusting after.

I've often thought of buying a few logs to cut into plane billets with some kind of radial sawing setup (cutting pie like wedges so that every piece is quartersawn). The problem is that I don't even know if there is a viable market to make it worthwhile.

There's demand for plane billets at about $10 each (for 8/4), but in my experience, as many people as have come to me asking for mike digity's information (and there were tons), even at 6.50 a bf plus shipping for 8/4 (which given the scarcity and ability to request width from mike is not much money), not that many people actually bought.

I'm leaning toward the idea that you'd cut a lot of billets and people would order one or two or 5 and not make it worth your time unless you wanted to do it as a hobby. 90% of the people who beg you to make blanks available will disappear when it comes time to actually send you money for blanks.

I sure do think, though, that there is value in individuals getting the beech and using it. For one thing, dead QS beech makes a great saw handle and works well with rasps, and for another (and this is just my opinion) the idea that every planemaker comes out and copies larry's planes and then copies his prices makes it so that it's a far better option for people to build their own. 10 hours makes a pair and the irons and saves $300+ and provides valuable experience with small tight work.

(I'd describe the steamed beech as being more dead, and lively is a good word for the american beech in comparison - lively both in color and feel. Steamed beech feels like a mildly fossilized version).

[Prashun Patel]

I have some 16/4 beech from Horizon and it was actually cheap. Shorts are often sold at a discount. Further, it's the 16/4 thickness that you pay for - not the fact that it's qs; 16/4 square stock is often qs without trying.

[David Weaver]

Good point, a flat sawn 16/4 board makes quartersawn cuts.

Thanks for letting us know that it's inexpensive (I'll edit that bit out of my post), that makes me inclined to try to get some 16/4 to make some long planes.

Did you get it in person, or were they willing to ship?

[Prashun Patel]

That's the beauty of Horizon. I get ALL my wood shipped by them. Caveat though: I usually wait until I can get a pallet full of stuff. They do Internet bundles by UPS though. Bell Forest does it similarly.

[ian maybury]

Just for info as its not going to much practical use, but this the page on beech from a well known UK timber supplier: http://www.johnboddytimber.co.uk/species_beech.htm

[Isaac Smith]

Just for info as its not going to much practical use, but this the page on beech from a well known UK timber supplier: http://www.johnboddytimber.co.uk/species_beech.htm

From that website: Our Prime White Beech is mainly crown cut with rift and quartered stock being produced to order and is not normally available from stock. Our Red Heart stock is a mix of crown, rift and quartered...

I'm not familiar with the term "crown cut". Is that the same thing as plainsawn lumber?

[Chuck Nickerson]

I'm not familiar with the term "crown cut". Is that the same thing as plainsawn lumber?

When my lumber guy refers to "crown cut" he's referring to the outermost slabs from the above drawing; the pieces that have the full smile (or frown) end grain. Plain sawing a log produces quarter sawn, rift sawn, and crown cut boards.