SMT Infill website

Re: SMT Infill website

R.J.Whelan

>Dan ... unless things have changed Stephen lives in a pretty rural area (upstate NY) and has a dial up connection only. I think somebody scanned some pictures of his scraper plane and maybe his super tuned 4-1/2 Record at the Pond. I think there are some archives of from Badger Pond somewhere on this website.

His in-fill smoother was the subject of a couple of articles: one in FWW or Woodwork (maybe both) and the other in a metal working magazine (someone will probably chime in with the name of that one).

I hope you get to see these planes. SMT is definitely one of the smartest woodworkers (and coherent writers) I've ever met ... rj

Re: SMT Infill website

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>I wanted to see a picture of his adjustable mouth infill plane to see how he did it. Lun did a review on high angle smoothers and it ranked very well.

Thanks,

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

Pictures of the Loopy Infill Plane

Steve Elliott

>Here are some pictures that were posted on Badger Pond:

Re: SMT Infill website

paul womack

>Dan ... unless things have changed Stephen lives in a pretty rural area (upstate NY) and has a dial up connection only.

It's not a problem - since your ISP normally serves your website, you only need enough bandwidth to upload it, once.

BugBear

Re: SMT Infill website *LINK*

Scott Post

>There was a series in Home Shop Machinist magazine of him building one from a St. James Bay casting and adding an adjustable mouth. The issues are "HSM 99 Jul-Aug", "HSM 1999 Sep-Oct", and "HSM 1999 Nov-Dec". Their website only shows back issues starting in 2003 which seems pretty odd. You might give them a call or e-mail to see if they have those issues from 1999.


Home Shop Machinist

HSM Magazine SMT Issues *LINK*

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>I bought the set of three HSM magazines with the SMT articles from:


St. James Bay Tool Company

Re: HSM Magazine SMT Issues

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Don,

I am thinking about buying a casting and was wondering how Stephen did it and whether or not it would be something I could do.

Did he rivet a plate onto the sole of the casting and then have some sort of moveable toe?

Just curious before I go any further and buy the casting, blades, magazines etc

Thanks,

Dan Clermont

Pictures of St. James Bay Plane

Steve Elliott

>Here are pictures of the plane he made using the St. James Bay casting:

Re: Pictures of St. James Bay Plane

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>That's ingenious! So often you hear about infill planes with mouth openings to wide. This solves the problem and makes one think owning a cast plane all that much better. DOn't think you could do that on a dovetailed smoother.

Take Care,

Dan Clermont

From the horses mouth...

Joe Rogers,Northern Virginia

>Stephen has said that in his own woodworking he reaches for the St James Bay smoother first whenever he has the need for precision work. I am sort of surprised with this choice but it may be that he is more familiar with this plane rather than the loopy that impressed Lyn so much.

Sthephen as posted earlier by another very knowledgeable woodworker,RJ Whelen, is one of the most lucid writers I have had the pleasure of meeting.JR

Re: From the horses mouth...

Joe Rogers,Northern Virginia

>That is RJ Whelan. With an A. Sorry RJ.:-( JR

Re: From the horses mouth...

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>"Stephen has said that in his own woodworking he reaches for the St James Bay smoother first whenever he has the need for precision work. I am sort of surprised with this choice but it may be that he is more familiar with this plane rather than the loopy that impressed Lyn so much."

Yep, he still holds that opinion, and I think you do describe much of the reason why. SMT actually has never had all that much time with his loopy plane. Only two were made, one went to private collector and one went, almost immediately, on the road. The latter has sat with me for not quite two years now. Its performance has not diminished in the time I have had it.

Someday, there will be a very few additional ones available. Neither I nor SMT himself know when. SMT is the most thoughtful and knowledgeable plane maker I have ever encountered--and it all shows in both the quality and performance of the planes he makes. The thought he puts into even the most miniscule functional detail is impressive. He is not the most perfectionistic plane maker I am aware of, but he is the best.

Re: From the horses mouth...

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>True Lyn. SMT thinks about anything he does with the same attention to detail. In a different time who knows what he could have innovated.JR

Re: From the horses mouth...

Dan Cllermont in Burnaby

>Lyn,

Hasn't Stephen been calling about his Loopy Infill for the past couple of years ;) and you happen to have call display.

Dan Clermont

Re: From the horses mouth...

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>Before rumors get going, here is the actual scoop on this.

SMT has a vision of the loopy that is presently residing with me as being a plane which will travel between hand tool appreciators, bringing amusement if not joy to all into whose hands it passes. It had already been in several hands prior to coming to mine (and likely benefited from those encounters), and will surely come into several hands after mine. Indeed, William Duffield was the rightful stop for the plane before me, and graciously gave up his place (and has remained ever so patient!) so that I might have it for the first, and then the second plane study. It will be into his hands that it will travel next (except for a possible brief refurbishing stop with SMT).

I will have it for a modest time longer though. There are a few lingering issues that it will assist in resolving after this next study is written up. The bigger thing though is that SMT is building me a loopy of my own (with a couple of custom touches meaningful to me), and we both desire to see how the new one compares with the existing one, and if different, how both can be brought to the same level, if necessary and possible.

The SMT loopy is simply magical, perhaps because in some ways its maker is also. I've had Porshes and Rolex's and other things of fine craftsmanship, but never have I encountered an item that has so impressed me as has the SMT loopy

Your OWN Loopie? Wow!

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>

Re: From the horses mouth...

DanClermont in Burnaby

>Hi Lyn,

I guess that is whyI could never find a website or any info on the SMT infill you did in your first study.

What do you think makes it so magical? Is it the heft? Do you use the adjustable mouth or does it stay pretty much set for a fine shaving?

Would you change the bedding angle from 47.5 to 50 degrees?

Looking forward to your next study.

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

Re: From the horses mouth...

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>"What do you think makes it so magical? Is it the heft? Do you use the adjustable mouth or does it stay pretty much set for a fine shaving?"

I will talk about this more in the write up of the study, but in brief, I think it is largely due to the synergistic effect of every functional choice being carefully and knowledgebly thought through and then implemented in the best way. I know that is a hopelessly general statement, but I do think it sums it up. The plane is a great plane because SMT is someone of the intelligence and knowledge to repeatedly make very good choices, and has the curiosity that drives him to explore factors others wouldn't even give thought to.I really think SMT is much more entertained by discerning and solving the issues, than production.

I like the heft, but as the last (and current) study has shown, weight is not a dominant factor in the success of a plane when working difficult woods.

There is another factor that I think may be pertinent, but I'm not going to talk about it until the next study write up as I'm still analyzing it.

As for mouth size, I think an adjustable mouth is highly desirable to achieve optimal performance. Yes, I do change it according to the wood I am planing. I talked about this in the last study and I will be talking about this again, the tightest mouth does not always leave the best surface.

"Would you change the bedding angle from 47.5 to 50 degrees? "

My loopy will have a slightly higher bedding angle (last we talked, he's shooting for around 49 degrees). I have no idea if that will have been the right choice, but I'll be testing the new and old planes side by side and we'll get a chance to find out if the change makes for any discernable difference (better or worse). Don't get your hopes up for any early report, as SMT is completing this plane at an "artists" pace--something I am content with. So I will see it when I see it.

BTW, mine will have a screw adjustable mouth, something I've strongly desired on all planes with an adjustable toepiece.

Horses mouth?

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Naaa, the real drool is comming from my mouth! Sounds like a very sweet plane in the works.