Thanks to everyone who responded to my scraping question. I'm currently
building a walnut dining table for a customer, and I'm faced with
flattening almost 50 sq. feet of gnarly-grained top. I'm wavering
between hauling the top (it's 1 1/2" thick and ooh so heavy) off to the
local wide belt sander guy or (gulp) buying a #112. Figures this plane
would turn into a priceless artifact just as *I* need one. As far as I
can tell, there really isn't anything else available that has a long
enough sole to make flattening wide expanses less exasperating. The LN
scraper seems a little too petite. I have a #80 that has gotten me out
of a few scrapes (yuk yuk), but I don't think this is up to the task
afore me.

Also, someone pointed out that I forgot to do my bio before asking a
question. Well, here's a quicky:

I was born.... (just kidding).

I make furniture for a living, and I work in a converted barn on our
farm south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Someone asked about my name: I
was Colin Lewis and my wife was Raquel Montoya before we got married. 
We took each other's names, so now we're both Montoya-Lewis. I'm not a
collector, but tools do seem to figure largely in my life. 
-Colin
-- 
*************************************
Montoya-Lewis Woodworks
Albuquerque, New Mexico
http://www.rt66.com/~colinml/index.htm

At 10:10 PM 7/9/97 -0600, Colin Montoya-Lewis wrote:
>Thanks to everyone who responded to my scraping question.

.  Figures this plane
>would turn into a priceless artifact just as *I* need one.  A
>*************************************
>Montoya-Lewis Woodworks
>Albuquerque, New Mexico
>http://www.rt66.com/~colinml/index.htm
>
****************************************************************************
***********

And fer the uninitiated,

, Colin is simply re-iterating the corollary to the oldtool axiom #2

"They ain't makin (some of) em any more"

which is well worth re-iterating, particulary to SWMBOS.......

"buy 'em well before you need them" 

and a sub-corollary ( known to only those who have bought neat spokeshaves
only to find out they're really leatherworking tools.... BUT, unlikely to
wash with the S/O, so remains as a mantra mumbled or chanted only by those
so afflicted.....)

 "buy' em before you know what they are"

Eric C
who was gonna use "SWMBO" but opted for S/O in deference 

Colin Montoya-Lewis wrote:
> 
> Thanks to everyone who responded to my scraping question. I'm currently
> building a walnut dining table for a customer, and I'm faced with
> flattening almost 50 sq. feet of gnarly-grained top. I'm wavering
> between hauling the top (it's 1 1/2" thick and ooh so heavy) off to the
> local wide belt sander guy or (gulp) buying a #112. Figures this plane
> would turn into a priceless artifact just as *I* need one. As far as I
> can tell, there really isn't anything else available that has a long
> enough sole to make flattening wide expanses less exasperating. The LN
> scraper seems a little too petite. I have a #80 that has gotten me out
> of a few scrapes (yuk yuk), but I don't think this is up to the task
> afore me.

Welcome!! The recent FWW that had a 112 on the cover showed the author's
long bed variation of a 12 1/2 scraper. He basically removed the
existing
sole and stuck the body into a larger wood framework. It sounded like a
good idea to me, and if I ran into a 12 1/2 I'd do the same with it. How
about trying to rent a YB infill jointer from one of the better heeled
denizens of the group? B^) B^) 

Seriously, from those who own an infill jointer, would it be suitable
for this type of work? I assume we're talking about flattening while
minimizing tearout so that further work to get a finish surface with 
either a scraper or a YB smoother would be minimal. 

WRT the cost of the 112, ya gotta predict the market, of course! B^)
I'm not sure it'd be the best way to flatten a large expanse (vs. using
a good jointer) but is easier to keep things flat than with a 80 or
even a 12. A 12 is a pretty good alternative, though. Paddy's ex one
does a wonderful job B^) B^) B^).

Colin wrote:


>I'm wavering
>between hauling the top (it's 1 1/2" thick and ooh so heavy) off to the
>local wide belt sander guy or (gulp) buying a #112. Figures this plane
>would turn into a priceless artifact just as *I* need one. As far as I
>can tell, there really isn't anything else available that has a long
>enough sole to make flattening wide expanses less exasperating



How about one of those VERITAS scraper inserts for your hand plane,
available from Lee Valley. You can even mount it in a #8. I have one
and it seems to work OK, but will admit that I haven't really used it
much yet. Does anyone else have one, and do you like it? My, guess is
that the insert isn't as good as a #112, but then its less expensive and
easier to find.

Any body have any comments?

Tony Williams

Ontario
Canada
>