Block plane magic
Jack Guzman from Maine
>I have a friend who isn't a woodworker,or particularly handy with tools at all.We share a love of old blues.He called me today and said he had a plane he got years ago and wondered if I could show him how to use it.He came by this afternoon with a cassette of different versions of an old blues classic done by various blues men, a poster of Furry Lewis(a legendary blues man),and a rusted up made in England stanley block plane of modern manufacture.I got it apart,cleaned up the rust(no pitting luckily)and polished the sole and sides a bit.The blade had never been sharpened but was ground concave.I don't mean hollow ground but concave as in holding a ruler on the edge there was light in the center.I reground it and sharpened it at 30 deg.and then put a microbevel on it with a 6000 grit stone,oiled the blade and adjustment screw,waxed the sole and put it back together.
I put a piece of pine in my vise endgrain up and showed him how to hold the plane and sliced off some clean shavings.Then I showed him how to bevel the edges of the wood and let him try it.He spent the next half hour planing that piece of pine down to a stub by alternately end planing and beveling.He thanked me and said he was headed home to play with his new toy.He said he has a couple other planes at home he's going to bring up for me to look at.
I wonder if I've started something.One can only hope.It sure is fun sharing this stuff anyhow.
Jack
