Hand Plane blades & moving north

[vandenboom]

Craig Clancy asked for input a few months ago on the minimum tool set he should take with him in a move to Alice Springs. Well, my wife and I are faced with a similar turning point in our lives, as we are moving to East Arnhem, near Nhulunbuy in January - plan at this stage is to go for 3 years. We don't know what we will be living in yet, so I don't know if I will have a shed, so I am working on the assumption at this stage that I won't be able to take much.
So I am going to spend the next few weeks making some good hand planes. I wanted to do this 18 months ago and ordered some blades from a chap called Helmut who coordinates group buys on another forum, but the blades still haven't come through.
At the very least, I need to make a large smoothing plane and jointer. I already have some smaller planes (Stanley #4, 120) that are well setup and work fine. Can anyone point me towards a source of suitable high quality blades? I am even wondering if I just buy replacement Lee-Nielsen blades from Carbatec?
Thanks. Frank.

[DarwinStrings]

"Yo manymak Frank", East Arnhem is always a interesting place for a Ballanda to live for a time. The only place near Nhulunbuy I can think of is Yirrkala, home of that Yunipingu mob. Better take your fishing rod I'd say. Can't help with the plane blade but I would suggest you look for a copy of 'Why Warriors Lie Down & Die' by Richard Trudgen, it will help you understand the way thing are around there a little better. I assume that as you will be there for three years at some point you will get to Darwin so please drop me a PM to get my details then drop in to sit in the shed for a while. Yalala Frank.

Jim

[sebastiaan56]

I have a couple of Helmut's blades in the back of the cupboard waiting for the time and energy. I'll check the widths when I get home this afternoon. Great blades! Yours at cost plus postage

[vandenboom]

"Yo manymak Frank", East Arnhem is always a interesting place for a Ballanda to live for a time. The only place near Nhulunbuy I can think of is Yirrkala, home of that Yunipingu mob. Better take your fishing rod I'd say. Can't help with the plane blade but I would suggest you look for a copy of 'Why Warriors Lie Down & Die' by Richard Trudgen, it will help you understand the way thing are around there a little better. I assume that as you will be there for three years at some point you will get to Darwin so please drop me a PM to get my details then drop in to sit in the shed for a while. Yalala Frank.

Jim

Jim - you clearly know all about it. I will be living at Yirrkala, wife working in Nhulunbuy and I will flying in/out of HOmelands schools througout the week. As a teacher in a Melbourne school I have just come out of a 30 minute meeting discussing uniform. Somehow, I don't think we will be having that conversation in Yirrkala. I have read the Trudgen book - as you say, it provided a valuable insight.
I will definitely be in touch when I am in Darwin - thanks for the offer.
Frank

[vandenboom]

I have a couple of Helmut's blades in the back of the cupboard waiting for the time and energy. I'll check the widths when I get home this afternoon. Great blades! Yours at cost plus postage

Sebastiaan - wow, that's very generous of you. I would be very interested in that. Frank.

[DarwinStrings]

Good on you Frank for taking on a job so remote, if my arms were long enough I would pat you on the back. As for knowing a bit about it, you would have to go around with blinkers on up here to miss the little bits of Yolngu culture I have learnt. Those few words of Yolngu Matha I used in my post will become very familiar to you quickly up there.

Jim

[seeaxe]

Frank.
Thats a long way north - I just googlearthed it and refreshed my ailing geography about where everything thing is. If you a bit further north you might end up on Martins oil rig???

Good luck with your northern adventure.

Cheers

[vandenboom]

Lots of people ask us if we are anxious or nervous about what we are embarking on, as neither of us have lived and worked in this sort of setting before.
The only thing I am anxious about is whether the accommodation the NT education dept provide for us includes a shed, and how big it is!! I have also spent some time gazing at my guitar building equipment trying to visualise how much of it I can get up there within the meagre relocation allowance they offer. My better half keeps coming up with household things that we "need to take" and I keep blowing them into the non essential 'nice to have' category.
Frank

[AidanHarris]

I got some replacement baldes from Paul, i think the company is called acadamy saw blades (tools are not near me at the moment) hes from QLD from memory and the blades are amazing. Not sure if hes still making them but there definatly worth looking into.

Aidan

[rocket]

That band saw is going to blow that relocation budget Frank, so there's not going to be any room for the better halfs nick nacks.
Cheers,,, Rod

[vandenboom]

That band saw is going to blow that relocation budget Frank, so there's not going to be any room for the better halfs nick nacks.
Cheers,,, Rod

You would actually be surprised ROd. The 17" Carbatec band saw has a smaller footprint than my small band saw or drum sander. It's all in the height, but doesn't use much area. It actually takes up less floor space than my wife's sewing machine, so you know what that means!!!

[vandenboom]

I got some replacement baldes from Paul, i think the company is called acadamy saw blades (tools are not near me at the moment) hes from QLD from memory and the blades are amazing. Not sure if hes still making them but there definatly worth looking into.

Aidan

Thanks Aidan - this must be what you are referring to
www.hntgordon.com.au/paulwilliams.htm

Just spent 30 mins drooling over the hand planes on offer...
Frank

[sebastiaan56]

There are two, 60mm wide 110 long x 8.5 thick, 50 x 110 x 6.5mm. Hollow ground, really sharp, D2. I think I paid $25 and $40 for them so the current asking on the UBeaut forum is close enough. Yet another project I will probably never get to.

PM me if you want them,

[vandenboom]

There are two, 60mm wide 110 long x 8.5 thick, 50 x 110 x 6.5mm. Hollow ground, really sharp, D2. I think I paid $25 and $40 for them so the current asking on the UBeaut forum is close enough. Yet another project I will probably never get to.

PM me if you want them,

Sebastiaan,
You may get to this project one day and I know you were trying to help me out. I just ordered a couple from Paul Williams at Academy Saws - a bit dearer than what you are offering but it will let me do what I need to do.
Thanks again for your generous offer. Now put those home made planes back on your project list. Frank

[sebastiaan56]

You sound like the missus Frank.... then there is the clocks for her family, the outdoor setting, the TV Console.... you get the idea. Seriously, Im sure they will work out fine and I will have the project on my "gunna" list. I have some nice Olive and Beech I bought for these projects

[Clancy]

Hi Frank,
I just unpacked my planes & things from the move to Alice - stunning place!!
The guitar widow thought of me when looking for a house (before I came with the kids) and got a place with a workshop!
I thought I'd have to put up a shed, instead I've got 3x4m of tiled floor, tinted windows and a whopping great evaporative aircon mounted in a wall.
I hope you turn out so lucky with your new place.

The only internet I've got access to at the moment is my mobile phone, so I'll put up a thread once telstra gets it's sh*t together & connects the house broadband.

Good luck with the move & enjoy those new planes.