Interesting plane...

Re: Interesting plane...

Ernie Miller Topeka

>So do people e-mail call and snail mail you askinf what a tool is and then you bottom feed off them? I notice that you allways have lots of pictures of neet tools and figure it's because people find you instead of you finding the tools. No offence implied as I have no idea what you pay for you tools and doubting that you are taking advantade of any one. So are you going to reverse engineer this one? By the way what is the toad sticker on the cover of the may catalog bottom left.

Re: Interesting plane...

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>That is a neat plane Rob, and I look forward to hearing more about it. Looks like a #8 to be sure, but the maker and age are the real interesting questions eh? Where'd you find it? Canada? E-bay? C'mon, how 'bout a hint. ;~)

Hopefully Bob Nelson will come to our resue on this one. How 'bout it Bob, do you know?

Todd O.

Like the tote!

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>By golly, that tote looks like it could have inspired the LV planes! Though Rob's totes are a LOT more elegant looking.

Interesting how far back the iron seems, compared to the Stanley jointers. Halfway from a Stanley's "front-weighted" to a woodie jointer's rear placement.

OK, Rob, how's that for some speculative fodder?

Re: Interesting plane...

Rob Lee

>Ernie -

Yes - we do get a lot of mail, but I prefer not to buy tools from customers - it's better to refer them to an good dealer. I can't "afford" to get a good deal from customers....

Most of our tools are donated, bought from dealers, auctions, or flea markets...

As for what we pay - it's probably more than most...as we may "need" the tools for a cover, or an R&D project, and can't afford to wait.

Sometimes we get lucky and buy an entire collection. We have a full cooper's shop, blacksmith's shop, and an entire turn of the century hardware store (fixtures and all displays), just to list a few. I just bought several leatherworking tool sets last week - will make at least two catalog covers, and a calendar shot...

We probably have several hundred skids of antique tools all told...

This particular plane is definitely not one for reproduction, or even one for inspiration... it's cleverly made, but functionally brutal. As if it had been designed by a committee.....

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Like the tote!

Rob Lee

>... as I said above - this one's no inspiration...

To start with - not a single part of the plane is cast....

Cheers -

Rob

I dunno...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Handle and knob look decidedly plastic on this 'tube...

Ugly!!!

Davy Barr

>I don't know about y'all, but to me that thing's as ugly as sin.

Re: Like the tote!

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>One of Ernie's channel iron planes?

Re: Ugly!!!

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>You're kidding right Dave? You really think it's ugly? I like it, but than again I like unusal things.

Say Rob, er, umm, er, about those pallets of antique tools. Do you ever plane on say, well shall we say parting with them?

Todd O.

Russian??????

Brad in Ottawa

>In would be in line with the earlier Pinko discussions...

If that were the case then I don't know if liking the tote would make you a sympathizer by some of the definitions put forward but at the very least it would indicate bad taste :)

Brad

Bingo!

Rob Lee

>

Re: Ugly!!!

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Todd lets form a conglomerat and have him refer them people to us.

That thing remindes me of

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Down under Andrew's bench. That thing DID hit every branch of the ugly tree on it's way down.

Re: That thing remindes me of

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>That would be down under Angus with the bench that hit every branch of the ugly tree (though plenty of people call me all sorts of other names - even Andrew sometimes!).

I'm pleased that Rob Lee has stated the ugly Russian clunker is "not one for reproduction, or even one for inspiration" and while I (by necessity) have fairly poor taste in tools, even I wouldn't stoop as low as letting that thing contaminate my ugly but much appreciated and very functional bench (or the matching ugly but functional tool storage cabinet).

cheers

Angus Barclay

Skids?!!!

Rob Brophy Niagara Falls

>Hi Rob,

"several hundred skids of antique tools"

You are painting a sad mental image reminiscent of the ending of the first Indiana Jones movie where the Arc of the Covenant is sealed forever in an anonymous crate in a huge warehouse. :-)

Are there any plans in the works to display some of these tools? "The Leonard Lee Woodworking Tool Museum" has a nice ring to it!

Take care,

Rob...who is patiently waiting for the boys in Ottawa to make his backordered shoulder plane!

For the love of wood don't let Rubbermaid see that

Eric Hedberg

>Any of you in the manufacturing world probably remember the 1980's "value engineering" wave. Break a product down to it's essential "function" and cut cost on everything else. Looks to me like Rob has found a wayward prototype from one of those exercises. Eliminate castings you eliminate cost, machining, and lead time (give me that rolled metal), a spot weld here and there, a couple of plastic handles out of the catalog etc....... I mean really, whats so complicated about a wood plane? ;-)

Eric (suffering an 80's engineering flashback)

Re: Interesting plane...

Dale Stansbery

>A little paint and that thing will look like a million bucks.

Only if the paint is green

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>

Re: Interesting plane...

janderr

>so does it work! i'm thinking of selling my stuff that doesn't, like my #45 & #46

Re: Skids?!!!

Rob Lee

>Rob -

You don't know the half of it - get Doug O. to tell you...

Our "bulk" warehouse has something like 3500 full skid positions...Indiana Jones is about exactly right!

The first step we have to take is to catalog the collection. I'd like to then assemble 15 or so travelling exhibits, which would rotate from one store to the next (have to do something "commercial"). Ideally, we'd like to have a 5,000-8,000 ft2 museum - but there never seems to be "extra" space.

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Interesting plane...

Tom MacGregor, Vermont

>I recall having seen photos of similar smoother & jack size planes, super-economy models made in Australia during WWII when metal was in short supply.

Re: Interesting plane...

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Notice he has the price tag turned around so no one can see how much he over paid for it. Of corse in Canadian I'm sure it would make some of us drop from a heart atack even if it was a good buy. I think it is cute and should sit on a Herman Miller coffee table.

First Hand Tool "Library"

Eric Hedberg

>Rob,

How about starting a hand tool library? Users could "check out" tools to use and then return them after 3 weeks, er years, er.... Oh well, it just seems a shame having them take up all that space that could be used to que up the new production.

Eric

(Who'll be watching for the Lee Valley Tools Roadshow)

Re: Skids?!!!

Ernie Miller Topeka

>So now we know where al the good stuff is. I allways thought it would be nice to kick around Todd's barn but now I hear of this stash up in Canada and think that maby there needs to be some sort of trade embargo to keep these priceless treasures from crossing the border My wife thinks I have alot of tools but doubt that they would fill more than one crate. I would like to see you do the traviling meusum I think I would invest in having it stop through this part of the country for a short period of time.