Lost Art Press

Miscellaneous Wood Planes

Posted on by fitz

misc_wood_planes
Under the above heading there comes what are known as Fancy Planes. There are several manufacturers in this country who make these lines of Planes. Some make better planes than others and we try to procure the best. None of the American makes equal those of the best English and Scotch makers. The Englishman said of American beer, ‘They cawn’t make it you know, they aven’t the Ops,” and perhaps this is true of Moulding Planes, ”We haven’t the Beech you know.” As a matter of fact, for Moulding Planes, Spoke Shaves and similar tools the English and Scotch beechwood is greatly superior to the American, and the best Moulding Planes we have ever seen are those made by Mathieson, of Glasgow, Scotland.

While to a great extent the Combination Planes like the No. 45 are taking the place of the Moulding Planes, they do not by any means cover the entire ground. Where a considerable quantity of a certain kind of work is to be done, the Wood Planes are so much lighter and so much more convenient to handle, that it is not always the best economy to use a Combination Plane for this class of work.

We recently had an instance of this. A mechanic in boasting about the merits of his Combination Plane (a No. 45) stated that he had beaded 5,000 ft. of ceiling on a summer hotel job upon which he had been employed. We did not consider that this was very much to boast of, and think that any man who would use a plane weighing 3 ½ lbs. for six or eight days, when he might have bought a 1 Inch Bead Plane, weighing about 10 ounces, for 40 cents, and with it have done the work in 15 to 25 per cent less time, and with correspondingly less expenditure of strength, is rather closely related to that useful— though humble — animal, with kicking proclivities, long ears, and an unmusical voice.

The lines of Miscellaneous Planes shown here we usually carry in stock. Can furnish other sizes than those given here in many of the styles. Special sizes cost more, it takes time to procure them, and we would suggest that the stock—or listed—sizes be used whenever possible.

Chas. A. Strelinger & Co. – Detroit, Michigan 1897

– Jeff Burks

Update: Roubo, Studley & Handworks

Posted on by Lost Art Press
Don Williams (left) and Narayan Nayar (Mr. Spock) during the Studley presentation Saturday morning.
Don Williams (left) and Narayan Nayar (Mr. Spock) during the Studley presentation Saturday morning.

We just wrapped up two days at the Handworks show in Amana, Iowa, and loaded almost nothing back into the van for the return trip – except for some T-shirts and one box of books.

Dang it was a good show.

With about 31 minutes left until my bedtime, here is a quick rundown of some of our current projects and their status.

Our new 'corporate' sign, carved by David Bignell. Details to follow.
Our new ‘corporate’ sign, carved by David Bignell. Details to follow.

‘To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry’
The layout and editing is complete, with us just cleaning up some typographical errors. Our goal: To get the deluxe book to the printer by the end of June. If we succeed, it will ship out at the end of July.

We are planning on printing 600 and we have sold more than 400 already. If you would like to place a $100 deposit on one, there is still time. Send an e-mail to john@lostartpress.com to get on the list. We hope to have a final price in early June.

The trade edition (which will cost about $60) will follow shortly behind to the press. More details on that as we know them.

Vintage register calipers that Jeff Burks gave me at Handworks. Yes, I suck a turd.
Vintage register calipers that Jeff Burks gave me at Handworks. Yes, I suck a turd.

‘Virtuoso: The Toolbox of H.O. Studley’
At Handworks, we made our first presentation that discussed this project in detail with an entire hour of photos, commentary and details on the tools in the chest and the life of H.O. Studley. If you weren’t there, I’m afraid you will have to wait until we publish the book for full details.

When will that be? Don’t hold your breath. Author Don Williams needs to complete the two Roubo volumes before the Studley book will come out. It will be at least two years before this book is in print. So save your pennies (it will be worth it).

Other updates on books:

‘By Hand & Eye’ by George R Walker and Jim Tolpin has arrived. It looks great and is entering the mail stream now.

‘Art of the Saw: Making Sharpening & Use’ by Andrew Lunn will be released in 2014 – Andrew is scheduled to turn the book over to us at the end of 2013.

‘Campaign Furniture’ by Christopher Schwarz will also be complete at the end of 2013 and released in early 2014.

‘Art of Joinery’ by Joseph Moxon. Megan Fitzpatrick is smoothing over the text a bit to make sure we have all the long “s” characters correct. I really want to get this out before Christmas.

Joiner’s Hats: Yup. We are making these and will have some more details in the coming weeks. If you don’t like baseball hats, you might like these. Or not.

That is the news on the latest products. I’ll post more about our new corporate sign and upcoming projects in the coming weeks.

— Christopher Schwarz

Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce Toolworks builds (again) a workbench to use during the Handworks show.
Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce Toolworks builds (again) a workbench to use during the Handworks show.

Dividing Saw Plates

Posted on by fitz

An easy method of dividing plates of hardened steel, such as saw plates; and also of perforating them, when requisite.
sheffield
Workmen frequently wish to divide a broken saw plate, for the purpose of converting it into scrapers, square-blades, or small saws; this is usually attempted by notching them to a small depth with a cold chisel, and then breaking them along the lines so made. When the plate is very hard, this method will not succeed, and the plate is frequently destroyed in the attempt. When it does succeed, the plate is generally twisted, and buckled, in the operation.

The Editor had a hard plate, which he was desirous of cutting into strips, to make small saws for a working model of a saw mill; this, although too hard to yield to the chisel, he divided with the utmost facility, piercing the ends at the same time, for the purpose of stretching the saws; this was effected in the following manner.

The saw plate was made sufficiently warm to melt bees-wax, which was then rubbed over it, so as to coat it completely on both sides, when it was suffered to cool. Lines were then drawn through the wax on both sides of the plate, with a steel point. It being of great importance that these lines should be exactly opposite to each other, this was effected by making a saw-kerf in the strip of wood which was used as a straight-edge, and the plate being placed in the kerf, the opposite lines were easily drawn. A mixture of sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) and water had been prepared, and suffered to become cold; the proportions about one part of acid to six of water.
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A Legal Anecdote about Secret Compartments

Posted on by fitz

compartment

A remarkable criminal case was once tried before Baron Parke, in which his ruling and sentence were at the time considered extremely hard and severe; upon re-argument before the fifteen judges in London his law was held to be sound, and has remained as a text in succeeding cases.

The prisoner purchased at an auction an old bureau, and finding it rather too long for a recess in which he wished to fit it, got a carpenter to cut off a portion of the moulding at one end. While this was doing, a secret drawer flew open and disclosed one hundred guineas, which had been hidden there; the carpenter claimed half, as the finder of the coin; this was refused, and a single guinea given him, the purchaser taking the rest of the money and appropriating it to his own use. The carpenter blazed abroad the story, the heir-at-law of the deceased owner of the bureau claimed the money, and being refused, gave the purchaser into custody for stealing his property.

The case was tried at the Liverpool Assizes before Baron Parke, who told the jury that the prisoner only bought the bureau, and that that only was intended to be sold, that the money was still legally in the custody of the man who placed it there, or of his heirs-at-law, and that if they believed the fact that the prisoner took the money from the bureau, and spent it, that was larceny in the eye of the law. The jury had no alternative but to find a verdict of guilty, and the judge sentenced the prisoner to three months imprisonment with hard labour.

Recollections of Baron Parke

The Leisure Hour – (London) 1879

– Jeff Burks