Woodworker: Derek Cohen

This plow plane, made from the Australian hardwoods sheoak and jarrah, was built with hand tools to accommodate a set of “new old stock” (old but unused) irons. This particular kind of plow plane is known as a bridle plow, because of the way the fence is attached to the arms to ensure it stays parallel to the skate (the metal plates that ride in the cut). Cohen was inspired by a prize-winning plane made by then-18-year-old Kyle Barrett (of L. Barrett & Sons, Canada) in 2007, who had been inspired, in turn, by a 19th-century plane made by Alexander Mathieson & Son of Scotland. Cohen says this plane was the most difficult tool he’s ever built; he planned its execution for a couple of years before spending 12 weekends building it. It was finally completed in July 2012. The plane took so much time and effort that Cohen made a dovetailed storage box from the same woods to protect it.

Launch Gallery