Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 37

Sharpening the plane

Sander


Yesterday I shaped the boom from a piece of Douglas fir; this was principally done with a hand plane and finished with a hand sander.


My plane is a Record No 4, 9 inches in length, with a 2 inch blade which holds its edge for yonks. After 5 hours of planing the blade remained sharp! That says a lot for a plane that was manufactured prior to 1998, after which date the handles were no longer made from rosewood, but were moulded from resin. I split the upright handle several years ago, but I wouldn’t exchange my plane for another. I liken it to Goliath’s sword; for in the words of King David, “There is none like it.”* Yes, my plane is one of many that were mass-produced, but mine is unique, because it is valued by me as David valued Goliath’s sword.


Split Rosewood Handle



The other useful tool I used for shaping the boom was my homemade hand sander. This was designed by Don Elliott who produced a booklet on building Matt Layden’s Paradox. The sander is 15 inches long and it is fitted with a 3 inch (75 mm) wide grit pad made from the abrasive belt of a handheld belt sander.


Close-up

Sander Handle




*Goliath’s Sword – 1 Samuel 21:9



Links


Record Hand Planes

http://www.recordhandplanes.com/

Don Elliott

http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/09/don-elliotts-illusion.html

Belt Sander Reviews

http://www.beltsanderguide.com/reviews/