New body

Some times everyone feels like they need a new body. I spent today making a new body for a moulding plane.

I bought these two at a sale. The blades cleaned up, and are useable.

There was some worm in the bodies, a sole repair on one and a broken wedge. I soaked the bodies in turpentine for several weeks, but this summer fresh worm holes appeared.

I have lots of beech, and was intending to make some new jointers with it. These two are more pressing, so they have jumped the queue.

I really enjoyed making the first one, and looking forward to making the second.

And of course, using them.

Guild of Master Craftsmen

As of today. a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

Customers should have confidence that they can rely on certain standards. Membership of the guild should re-assure prospective customers. 

 

A different kind of hand tool.

Using the Hackett Sub-Sea 3.2ton hoist to raise the new(old) timber racks. The Hackett winch is British engineering at it's best, it works, it has to; designed for undersea work on oil rigs etc. Old faithfull, timber trolley, plays a crucial role also. 

Fine adjustment with a larch beam and oak block fulcrum, on the trolley, to get the bolt holes to line up.

Manual handling with safety and confidence in your tools. Love them; they deliver again and again.

B-yew-tiful

Of course, some timber will not rive. This yew log is one example. It's just too gnarly. The wedges need help from an Alaskan chainsaw mill. Interestingly, the chainsaw also needs help from the wedges, to stop the chain binding. A perfect marriage of the old and the new, the hand and the machine. Rivers Joinery, old and new, mobile workshop, comes to you.

The log has been sitting around for 4-5 years in the dry, so it's fairly well dry itself.

It's been a while since I've used the Alaskan, and a dormouse, or similar, has tried very hard to stash it's hazelnut inside my chainsaw side case. 10 out of 10 for determination, but you never came back for it!

Each board is more beautiful, as we go down the log. Not much use for timber-framing, but it might make a nice table, or two.

The extra bonus, is I get this bit of the yard back!