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If you visit many of the woodworking newsgroups or forums (like WoodNet), you’ve probably heard of Steve Knight.  He makes wood-body hand planes (“woodies”).  Most everyone that owns one of Steve’s planes has found them to be exceptional in their performance.  If you go to his web site (Knight Toolworks), you’ll see an assortment of types and styles of planes.

Now personally, I don’t really like the looks of Steve’s planes.  To me, they always looked too “boxy” or clunky.  But, I’m always on the lookout for a good smoothing plane, so I ordered one of his coffin smoothers.  Compared to other new hand planes, the price is pretty competitive.  And, after all, looks aren’t everything, are they?

As is Steve’s trademark, the plane arrived with a test shaving and a wood block over the mouth to protect the edge on the 1/4″-thick iron.  Call me obsessive-compulsive, but I removed the iron and honed it just a little.  The bevel is wide enough that you can hone it by hand without a honing guide.  And Steve already did a good job of flattening the back of the iron, so I didn’t need to worry about that.

If you’ve never used a traditional wood-body plane, it takes some time to get the hang of setting the blade depth and tightening the wedge.  Some strategically-placed taps with a soft-faced mallet will get everything right.  And this plane has an adjustable mouth that helps eliminate tearout.  Once I got the blade seated properly, I was able to take full-width, whisper-thin shavings off of mahogany.  One of the guys in the shop saw what I was doing and seemed intrigued, so I offered to let him take a few swipes.  We both agreed that the plane may not be the most beautiful thing to behold, but it sure does a nice job of smoothing.  It’s purpleheart body and ipe (Brazilian walnut) sole add plenty of heft, which is what you want in a smoother.  It helps carry the momentum of the stroke as you’re planing.  And in spite of it’s boxy look, it was comfortable to use.

This plane has a set screw on both sides of the plane to help align the iron and keep it in position.  Veritas® has the same feature on their planes.  I wonder who thought of it first and if Steve will get a letter from a Veritas attorney? 

My only other comment on the Knight smoother pertains to the adjustment screw for the mouth.  It would have been nice to have some sort of thumbscrew or knob to make the adjustment.  Steve uses an allen screw which forces me to hunt around the shop for an allen wrench when I need to adjust the mouth opening.  I guess I just need to keep my shop more organized!

Overall, I was pleased with the performance of the Knight smoother.  Pleased enough that I plan on keeping it within easy reach next to my other planes.  I plan to use it on my next project.  Nice plane, Steve!

According to BBC News:

“Rolls-Royce has recently launched a new apprentice programme at its Goodwood site to help train up young recruits in some of the leather and woodworking skills used in its cars.”

I’m glad to see some companies doing whatever is necessary to develop the skills to keep the “artistic” crafts alive.  Can you imagine the skill and craftsmanship required to fit leather and wood into an automobile?  I’d love to hang out there for a few weeks.  Imagine what you could learn…

Olympus just announced a revolutionary technology that uses compressed wood in place of plastic for some of its products.  You can see their prototype camera in the left photo.  According to this news release from Olympus:

“The processed wooden material has the feel and grain pattern of natural wood, but is much harder than engineering plastics such as ABS and polycarbonate resins. Strong enough to be used to create the outer casings of electronic products, the material can enhance the aesthetic value and pleasure of ownership that those products provide.”

As a woodworker, I find this exciting.  Woodworkers have always been looking for ways to add the warmth of real wood to their computers, keyboards, etc.  There are photos all over the internet that show wooden keyboards, mice, and computer cases.  I’ve even seen where guys have built wood cases for their iPods. 

Hopefully, we’ll see more products with real wood cases as the technology becomes more widespread.

I’m not a golfer.  I tried to golf once.  Or twice.  Using borrowed clubs.  From a friend that had never been on a golf course, either (they were his Dad’s clubs).  We hacked all day.  I beat him, but lost count of the number of strokes it took.  Fortunately for us, it was on a little public course with noone else around.

In spite of my lack of talent for the sport, I have heard of golf legend Byron Nelson.  I remember hearing about and seeing the Byron Nelson Classic on TV.  Mr. Nelson passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94.  The Dallas Morning News reprinted a story they ran on Mr. Nelson on May 11, 2005.  Turns out that he was a prolific woodworker for about the last 30 years of his life.  He considered it a blessing.  And he was a perfectionist, according to his friends.  You can read this story here.

The world will miss him. 

Mr. Nelson, if you’re listening, here’s hoping you can get in a good 18 holes today before piddling around in your shop.

I like math. As a matter of fact, geometry and trigonometry were my favorite subjects in high school and college. It helped that I had the best teachers. And I find myself using math every day, especially in the workshop.

It always amuses me when my kids work on their math assignments and say, “Why do I have to learn this stuff?!”  Of course, my wife and I try to name all the practical reasons, but they just don’t get it.  But when they’re in my shop and want to build something, I just stand back and grin as they try to figure out what’s half of 5-1/2″. 

When I come up with ideas for shop projects, I spend a fair amount of time with paper and pencil.  I try to work out all the problem dimensions and angles before I head out to the shop.  Sometimes, I’ll “build” a rough model on the computer using something like SketchUp. 

What about the guy who wanted to build some stacking sawhorses?  How do you figure out the correct angle for the legs so they stack properly?  I read this on the rec.woodworking Usenet newsgroup.  Here’s his amusing blog entry (and comments) on his thought process and math calculations he went through to get a good design.

What are your thoughts?  Are we doing enough to teach our kids the practicality of math in everyday life?  Do you wish you had paid more attention in math class?  Post your comments.  I’d like to read them.

If you’ve tried to duplicate the trim profiles in an older home (over 100 years old) or repair antique furniture, it can sometimes be a challenge. Some of the old trim or furniture moldings can’t easily be duplicated with today’s router bits.  But there are a couple of ways to get around this problem.

First, Lee Valley just came out with a complete set of router bits that duplicate many of the cutter profiles that used to be available for the old Stanley “55″ plane. This plane was marketed by Stanley as “A Planing Mill Within Itself.” It had replaceable cutters of various profiles (“55″ of them) that you could use to create an endless variety of edge profiles. 

And if you can’t find one of those profiles that’ll work for you, Clark and Williams in Arkansas is still making traditional wooden molding planes the old fashioned way. If the traditional profiles won’t do the job, they’ll make a custom profile for you. Now admittedly it’s no small investment to own their planes, but if you do a lot of restoration or custom work, you’ll appreciate what they can do.

Larry Williams of Clark and Williams has been getting some press coverage lately. He was designated the 2006 Arkansas Living Treasure by the Arkansas Arts Council and the Department of Arkansas Heritage. You can read more about it here. 

Most of us enjoy woodworking strictly as a hobby. Some of us make a buck here and there selling an item or two once in a while. Not many of us have a five-year waiting list for our custom furniture — at 91 years of age.

Sam Maloof has made a name for himself with his unique furniture design and craftsmanship. This article in the Billings, Montana Gazette sheds a little light into the character and makeup of this true craftsman.

Visit the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for the Arts and Crafts web site here:

Some homes have dining rooms large enough to hold 8-foot tables, a mammoth sideboard, and a floor-to-ceiling china cabinet — and still have room to spare. Other homes, townhouses, and apartments might share a dining area and kitchen. In the next issue of Woodsmith (Issue No. 167), the Designer Project Tall Kitchen Table will look great in just about any size room — whether it’s a tiny breakfast nook or tucked away in the corner of of a larger room.

The Glass-panel Display Cabinet is another project with a small footprint that doesn’t take up much space. Glass panels and a couple of glass shelves provide a great way to display your family’s heirlooms. And, as our Heirloom Project, you can bet it features traditional joinery and several unique details that help set it apart.

Finally, a Weekend Project like the Curved-front Bookcase should be simple to build with joinery that’s not too complicated. We used quick-connect fasteners to hold it all together. And iron-on flexible edging solved the problem of hiding the exposed plywood edges on the curved fronts of the case.

Look for Woodsmith Issue No. 167 on newsstands soon. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can get a free sample issue here.

I had an interesting day last week visiting on-site during construction and filming of the ABC-TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This is the first home they have built in Iowa, so my wife, Cathy, and I decided to drive the hour and a half north of Des Moines on a sunny, autumn day and check out the action.

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Every year for a few years, I would ride along with my Dad to attend The Woodworking Shows in Columbus, Ohio.  We’d arrive a couple hours early on the first day to get a good parking spot.  There was a McDonald’s within walking distance where we’d usually get our breakfast sandwich and large coffee before heading back to the fairgrounds.

We’d stand in line and usually strike up a conversation with the other early birds.  It always amazed me how us woodworkers are generally a friendly bunch.  When the doors opened, we’d spend hours just walking around looking at products and listening to the sales pitches from vendors touting their new gadgets.  We’d walk out with our sack of goodies and armload of literature and call it a day.

Have you been to one of The Woodworking Shows recently?  If so, tell us about your experience.  Did you see any new products that you hadn’t seen before?  Did you take advantage of any special deals from any of the vendors?  Did you attend any of the classes?  What was your favorite part of the show?

If you haven’t been to a show yet, check out The Woodworking Shows web site for a calendar.

If you live in the Des Moines, Iowa area, the show is coming October 13-15 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.