Scarf Joint - Planer Sled

[Taffy Evans]

Yes Martin all those moving parts are a worry , But to set it up is a simple/complicated matter of sitting the jig on the saw table and pushing in the alignment pins and clamping it down. The adjustable pin at the end is to allow for different size pegheads.

[MBP]

How romantic Kim.

lovely old cast machines and tactile sounds of the planer.

Romantic Ro? Well possibly. But when it comes to hand planes its a sentiment shared by craftsman around the globe, well at least those who know how to tune and sharpen the tool properly anyhow. Likewise with old iron, next time your near a pro wood shop, poke your head in the door and take a peak over the top of the 4 side thicknesser, wide belt sander or perhaps a CNC router shining in the forefront and chances are you will see the dull shades of a huge old 30" Wadkin or something alike sitting in the shadows which, regardless of how precocious his floor space has become, the owner could not bring themselves part with even after 3 or 4 shop machine upgrades over the years.

There's a two reason for that Ro. The first is simply that for those few occasions when such a saw is required these days, there is nothing on the market that can do the job quite so well.

The second is that it weighs so bloody much that no one had been game to even try to move it...and that is a big part of why it does the first thing so very well.

Cheers

Kim

Kim I actually agree with everything you have said.
We have one of these big old band saws you talk about. It is a 36" and about 9ft tall. It is a great machine. Not sure what it weighs but it would be a lot. It is a chore to adjust the table angle as it alone weighs so much.

I know the sound of a well set up block plane and enjoy using one more than any other tool other than a custom made chisel I have from a guy in WA.

The point I was trying to make is that so long as it is flat then it will glue. I still use a handplane and handsaw for it but I wouldn't care if someone used a chain saw if it was flat.

I dont think hand planes will ever be a forgotten tool or lost skill as they are irreplaceable.

[Taffy Evans]

Hi Ro, the bandsaw you describe sounds like the first one I had, back in the day.
I had to get a Brambles crane to lift it over the house and onto a concrete pad out side the workshop and I built a roof and walls over it after. I had to spin the wheels to get it going otherwise it blew the fuses in the house. I later dismantled it and made it into a overhead pin router. See the sanding machine in the foreground, David a Goliath.

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