Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>The only problem I can see with using mesquite is that you have to go through a lot of gnarly stock to find a clear straight grained block big enough to build a plane with.

So, you may ask, why isn't mesquite a traditional wood for making planes? Well, if you were in a location with a lot of mesquite to make your planes from, there's a good chance most everybody would be building most of their structures out of adobe, not timber framed and planked, so you would have found a different business to make your fortune. If you were back East, you would have used a locally available wood, and not something you had to have shipped from the wild, wild West, at a high cost and very low reliability. Basically the same reasons Ohio, et. al., didn't build planes from purpleheart or any of the other woods that Steve Knight has proven so successful.

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

Tom MacGregor

>I asked wooden planemakers Clark & Williams about using mesquite. They said it would be an excellent choice due to its properties, but that the difficulty in getting reasonable quantities of good stock in the right sizes prevented them from trying it.

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

John in Kerrville TX

>If you are talking about 1 or 2 let me know. I can probably send what you want, you pay the freight.

john (deep in the heart of mesquite country)

Not for a plane...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>But, I'm making 2 spokeshaves out of it. Wreaks havoc on plane and spoke shave blades just to let you know. It's a fun and insteresting wood to work with.

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>Thanks for the generous offer, but I think it would be lots of trouble at your end, given that I live in Canada. Unless USPS can ship collect, you would have to use UPS, and they charge $35 or so for brokerage at the border. Got caught once, never again. At least USPS' brokerage fee is something like $5, a lot more reasonable...

I do appreciate the offer, though...

Take care,

DC

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

John in Kerrville

>We could always work out some kind of trade. I always have planned on making a wooden plane out of it, but have just been too busy in other two careers (teaching and repairing houses).

I'll leave it up to you. I am not worried about whether or not UPS ships collect. I send stuff to my daughter in France very frequently, so I do not faint at the $$$ amounts.

john

Re: Anyone ever used mesquite for a wooden plane?

Paul Kierstead

>I have imported a lot of stuff from the US into Canada, so let me tell you about brokerage (I have called both previously):

Both FedEx and UPS basically have 2 brokerage schedules; a fixed cost and variable cost one. For things which go plain 'ground', they employ the variable cost one, which can amount to very serious bucks (I have paid over $100 until I learned better). It varies on the value of the enclosed items. The fixed cost one is used for 'expidited' or equivilant. For FedEx, I think it is about $7 and I think free for UPS. Of course you still have to pay our 15% tithe, but that is unrelated to shipping. For many many items, the brokerage+ground shipping will be more then brokerage+expidited. For very cheap or very heavy (or ideally both) ground can still work. The variable rate info is available via phone and maybe the website.

Word to the wise: More valuable shipments can get complicated, as you will have to fax a permission to make them your broker. I you hassle them, you can get this in before they need it, other wise you overnight package tends to become 3-days.

Canada Post (i.e. USPS) plain parcel is something like $5 brokerage and plus it is cheap, so it is often a very good alternative if you are in no rush. If you do their courier service you are on you own, since it will show up Purolater, and I don't know their schedule.

Once you import enough things, you tend to learn how the scheme works.

Hey Dennis..

HC Sakman

>what's up with your typing?

You're full of surprises, hope to meet you some day.

Chico...

Here's the solution

HC Sakman

>Denis,

Let John USPS it to you and when you receive it, check the stamp and send him a MO.

Voila!

Chico...

Re: Here's the solution

John in Kerrville TX

>If I send it as a gift, doesn't that eliminate the taxes? I do not want any money for it.

john

I was thinking about that...

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>I have the right to send someone anything I want, if there's no money changing hands, I could send it by regular mail, no? No brokerage fees and such?

If so then I should offer something in exchange... Tell me if there's something that's common here that I could send you in return... Well, this is not common, I've been told, but I have some beech in the 3 1/2" by 5 1/2" size, air dried for about 10 years, apparently quite rare in that size, perfect stock for a woodie...

If you're interested in something else, tell me, I'll see what I can do. Maybe we should go offline so as not to burden this site, though...

DC

Should be fixed now...

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>Something screwed up my cookie, or so it seems...

BTW, your spelling ain't much better, buddy... :)

DC

Hmmmmm....

HC Sakman

>Hey, it beats Ernie's spelling! LOL! ;-)

Chico...

Re: Hmmmmm....

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>There's nothing wrong with Ernie's spelling. He just has a malfunctioning keyboard from all those prairie dust storms, and a virus in his spell checker.

Re: Hmmmmm....

HC Sakman

>That's got to be some virus Bill!

Perhaps he should receive a new keyboard and an anti-virus software from SS.

Chico...

PS: "SS" is Secret Santa

And beautiful

Don in Northern Arizona

>Deepens color with age.

Re: I was thinking about that...

John in Kerrville TX

>I sent you an e-mail.

john