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Readers Gallery
MORE from Fine Woodworking's Tools & Shops Issue #153
For Fine Woodworking's first annual Tools and Shops special issue, we asked our readers to send in photographs of some of their best shopmade tools to feature in the magazine's Readers Gallery department. Because of a limited amount of space in the pages of the magazine, there was no way we could print all we received. The following six homemade tools impressed the editors, and we want to share them with you here online.
Russ Filbeck
Filbeck, an instructor at Palomar College and avid chair maker, crafted these three spokeshaves (each 1-1/4-in. wide by 11 in. long by 1 in high). Starting with a rectangular piece of wood, he used a bandsaw and coping saw to remove the rough stock and then carved each to its final form. The cocobolo spokeshave (top) is of a traditional design, while the curly maple one in the middle has its handles lower, inline with the blade -- an idea he got after seeing Brian Boggs' spokeshave. He further modified the design with the boxwood spokeshave (at bottom) by placing the handles in front. "Having the handles in front and inline with the cutting edge really improves the usefulness of the tool" say Filbeck. All three spokeshaves have an oil finish.
Photo: Erika Marks
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Russell Krysiak
While studying basketmaking in France, Krysiaksaw a folding gouge his instructor had made using an Opinel locking mechanism. Upon his return home, Krysiak, a metalsmith turned furniture maker, fabricated these two butterfly paring chisels. Each chisel took 12 hours to make. The rosewood-handled chisel is 8 in. long with a blade width of 1 in.; the brass-handled one is 9 in. long with a blade width of 1-1/4 in. Both chisels are made of 01 tool steel.
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Brian Buckner
Buckner not only enjoys making furniture but also building a wide range of hand tools. This chisel plane (1-1/2 in. wide by 5-1/2 in. long by 2 in. high) is made from a rough iron casting with the pattern based on the Stanley No. 97. The plane also contains cococolo, cast iron and bronze in its construction and has a shellac finish.
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Brian K. Coe
Coe, a cabinetmaker, based this continental-style long jointer plane (3-1/2 in. wide by 27 in. long by 3 in. high) on a 1756 original. The plane, made of from flame birch and finished with linseed oil, features relief and incised carvings, punched decorations and inlays of bone, ebony, walnut, cherry and holly on the top and sole. "The carved thumb pad and finger mortise of the rear grip date back to Roman times," said Coe, "but it is suprisingly comfortable in use."
Photo: Wes Stewart
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James S. Leamy
An avid collector and student of antique planes for the last 20 years, Leamy started to make wooden planes when he realized that there were many originals he wanted for his collection that he could never afford or find. This apple centerwheel plow plane (10 in. wide by 10 in. long by 6 in. high) is based on a late 1800s plane made by the Sandusky Tool Co. of Ohio. Secondary materials used in its construction include ivory, brass and steel. The plane has a varnish finish.
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Chris Gochnour
Gochnour, a devoted user of handplanes of all types and author of "Low-Angle Block Planes" (FW #153, pp. 40-47), makes many of his own planes because finding antique ones can prove challenging. He made this English miter plane (2-1/2 in. wide by 11 in. long by 3 in. high) from a raw, unmachined St. James Bay casting. Using a small combination mill/lathe and basic woodworking tools, he built the plane out of cocobolo, bronze and steel. It is finished with padded shellac.
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