silk purse thumb plane

[bridger berdel]

I showed a young woodworker friend a few plane tuneup pointers. As a thank you he gave me a thumb plane that he couldn't get to cut (gee, thanks...). It had several machining defects, on top of being a cheapo to begin with. I persevered, and managed to get it to work, but wound up running out of travel on the cap screw. I replaced the iron with a thicker iron, made from some random cutter I had, which looked a bit like a spade drill bit. I shortened the stem and soldered on a $1000 (old Peso) coin, domed up with a ball peen in a scooped out block of wood, to make a sort of squirrel tail. the thicker iron had the added benefit of closing up the mouth a bit.

now it works pretty nicely.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413rhaJ8k1qhrm32o1_400.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413rhaJ8k1qhrm32o2_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413rhaJ8k1qhrm32o3_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413rhaJ8k1qhrm32o4_1280.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413rhaJ8k1qhrm32o5_1280.jpg

[Maurice Ungaro]

Ha! What an incredible save! Nicely done, sir.

[Sam Takeuchi]

This is really nice. I'd even buy it if it was being sold. Extremely well done.

[Brian Kent]

Hey, nice job sir.

[bridger berdel]

thanks for the kind words. it was a fun little build, especially as I didn't spend a cent... everything was either out of my scrap bin or gifted. hmmm.... actually I did get the coin as change from a purchase made in Tijuana sometime in the '80s, so I suppose I'd have to say that one had a cost.

[Matthew N. Masail]

That is super cute

[bridger berdel]

it fills a niche for me as a pocket plane and for now it is getting a fair bit of use. that and the sentimental value exceding the money value add up to it not being for sale. it's a pretty easy project, and these small thumb planes can be picked up pretty cheaply.

[Joshua Byrd]

That little plane looks awesome now! I love the idea of using the coin as a palm 'grip'. I've become a copper penny hoarder specifically to use them in making things like that. Haven't used one yet, but now I've got another use thanks to this thread. :)

[Jim Koepke]

Great save. There are a few of those little guys in my shop. Most of the time they sit idle and my #102 gets the call.

jtk

[george wilson]

What is 1000 pesos worth? And,I find it curious that the coin says $1000,when the $ sign is for USA dollars. In fact,the $ sign was started out being a U and an S superimposed,standing for US(A)!!

Nice job on the plane.

[Tom Vanzant]

The symbol for the Mexican peso is very similar to the symbol for the American dollar.... one vertical hatchmark for the peso, two for the USD.
1000 pesos is worth approximately .75 USD.

[Bernadette Semilla]

Haha, fantastic. I love the touch of character the peso lends.

[Jim Koepke]

In fact,the $ sign was started out being a U and an S superimposed,standing for US(A)!!

Interesting explanation. I have heard many others. Most common is the design of the Spanish coin with pillars holding a banner that shapes an S.

See more theories of the origin here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_sign

I didn't pay much attention to the Peso, but do recall at one point it was about 4000 to the dollar.

jtk

[bridger berdel]

I got that coin as change for some purchase in tijuana in the eighties sometime. shortly after that the peso devalued and new coins were issued. I'm pretty sure that that coin is no longer legal tender in mexico- but at the time I'm thinking that it had a value somewhere in the vicinity of a dollar or two.

It's a nice hefty slug of brass, about the mass of two $1.00 coins in the USA now.

[Michael Ray Smith]

I recently picked up one that looks a lot like that one as a toss-in with another plane I bought. The blade on mine is marked Craftsman. I doubt I'll put that much work into mine, but your end product is gorgeous!

[george wilson]

There is a similar little,but recent plane like that on Ebay collectible tools for about $12.00. I don't know why it is collectible as it is new. But,if anyone wants one,it is there.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

Ah, when our coins used to actually clink when you dropped them. Glad that you found a use for them.