Speaking in a foreign tongue

Wood breaks away in shearing motions as an iron edge passes through the rough timber. “Swish, swoosh” echoes through the shop and feather weighted strips of wood seem to nearly dance, as if to the rhythm, gradually floating to the floor. This experience is given with the use of hand planes. While I was a child I always remembered two rusty Stanley planes resting on a shelf in the shed. Being rusted and dull only added to my distaste for them. “They don’t work!” was my constant cry as a child. And because of my short-tempered attention I left them alone for years. But how did they work? That question never left me. It is almost too simple of a question to answer now. A sharp blade is set at a controlled height and moves along a piece of wood lifting the cut section up and away from the work piece. The key word here being “sharp.” Such a concept never crossed my young mind. After watching an episode of The Woodwright’s Shop I was enlightened and immediately began to rummage through an old drawer. After a quick search, I found a dirty oil stone that would do the trick. Ten or twenty minutes passed of me fumbling around with that plane iron and oil stone when I finally said, “Good enough” and slipped the iron back into the plane. What a triumph! It worked! After so many years of mystery I was alleviated with an understanding. Forevermore a hand plane user.

-          Erik