Wood shavings porn

[Igor Petrenko]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gN--2-Sr6SQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gN--2-Sr6SQ)

[Jeff Wittrock]

Gotta be trick photography. It's really a bounce dryer sheet :)

[Chris Griggs]

He's probably training for one of the japanese planing contests. Those are a real thing right? (Stu, Stan, Sam... you guys can probably tell us what the writing in the video says)

[Gary Herrmann]

Yeah Chris, that was my first guess too. Still kinda cool though.

[Rob Dickson]

So that's how they make three-ply toilet paper!

[Sam Takeuchi]

He's just demonstrating this type of super thin planing on yellow cedar. A lot of text that appear in the video is not that important. It's just text explaining basic plane adjustment, like correctly conditioned blade and sole result in straight and thin shaving, etc. It appears to be a part of his blog, so probably his blog would provide more context into what he's doing here (other than making shavings).

[Jim Matthews]

This kind of thing chaps my hide - all this attention to the finishing step, never any emphasis on how to get to this point in an expedient manner.

It borders on the ridiculous.

[Sam Takeuchi]

This kind of thing chaps my hide - all this attention to the finishing step, never any emphasis on how to get to this point in an expedient manner.

It borders on the ridiculous.

That's not the point of this type of activity. It's more of a demonstration of one's ability to fine tune and squeeze performance out of a plane. It's not even about woodworking, it's about the user and tool. It has nothing to do with material prepping.

In a realistic woodworking environment, no one's going to do that.

[Sam Takeuchi]

I found his blog (http://pub.ne.jp/craftWAKU/?cat_id=148164)　(some pictures are self explanatory, but the rest may seem repetitive without knowing the context). He made that plane body out of purpleheart and over a number of blog posts, he wrote about problems and issues he was having, and few videos he has on youtube are kind of demonstration after each issue was worked out.

[Jason Coen]

This kind of thing chaps my hide - all this attention to the finishing step, never any emphasis on how to get to this point in an expedient manner.

It borders on the ridiculous.

Then don't do it. He's happy and you're happy.

[Paul Saffold]

Not your average borg lumber either. I'd guess it goes for a pretty price.

[Jim Matthews]

Then don't do it. He's happy and you're happy.

Here's my point - there's a fetish associated with this that spills over to basic instruction and it steers many of us toward this ultra-fine approach to tuning planes.
It's a distraction that detracts from learning the process of actually making things; if you can't get this kind of performance from your basic tool kit (and few can)
pursuit of this won't get you closer to making things. It will get you to the point where you can make gossamer shavings, but as has been pointed out above, that's something other than woodworking.

You'll not see lengthy dissertation on scrubbing large planks or ripping long boards to a line - far more useful and rarely mentioned.

[Nelson Howe]

I don't know, but I think that is pretty cool.

Nelson

[Andrew Hughes]

Yellow cedar one of my favorite woods.I was getting vertical grain Ayc form easy creek in Oregon.Some of the boards had more than 30 lines per inch.Not very expensive about 8 dollars a board foot.Keith the supplier has not been selling for over a year now hard times.I built custom entry gate and used the scraps for jigs guide blocks saw fences and drawer bottoms.Super stable stuff.I can relate to the video I too enjoyed hand planing it for no reason.smells great too.

[allen long]

Then don't do it. He's happy and you're happy.

I agree with Jason.

Woodworking (especially the sickness of Neanderthal woodworking) is a HOBBY. Hobbies are for entertainment and tend to defy logic by nature. Woodworkers come in all shapes and sizes (And believe me, I have been most sizes at one time or another - starting at thin and ever-expanding to large).


That said, there are woodworkers who collect fine tools they would not dream of actually using.
Others who who strive to make their tools shine and sing to the highest degree possible (they call us engineers, usually).
Some who are interested in churning out item after item for funcion.
And yet others who turn out only masterpieces that take many months to complete.
Some of us like to attempt to make tools of beauty or exceptional quality for our own pleasure, gifts or bragging rights.
Take a look at Leigh's plane at http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?198325-A-plane-I-made-as-a-retirement-gift It is a an absolute beauty.


Point is, there is room for all kinds. I personally think the video is cool - and I am a little envious. Admitedly, I myself have been drawn into the obsessive tool tuning rabbit hole - much of the blame and thanks goes to the Neanderthal forum.

Jim Mathews does make an excellent point though in that I have certainly been distracted from my own original hobby of making mixed media sculptures. I originally started lurking in the Neanderthal forum to better tune some of my hand tools for working the wood portions of my sculptures. I have been sucked into the never ending vortex of pleasure and pain that is Neanderthal tool collecting and tuning.

Bottom line, though, is that I love it ALL!

Here's to every woodworker and every part of woodworking in all its obsessive forms!

[David Weaver]

Interesting sharpening video attached as a follow up to that planing video. Two stones, burnish the edge on the second one when it dries out, a good way for people with stones that aren't as fine as they'd like to squeak out an extra level of sharpness.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nXoe4dFgqME#!

[Pat Barry]

Thanks for posting the video. I found it to be completely fantastic and real. Obviously this person knows his craft and is a master at it. That kind of quest for perfection is beyond me but highly admirable.

[Sam Takeuchi]

Thanks for posting the video. I found it to be completely fantastic and real. Obviously this person knows his craft and is a master at it. That kind of quest for perfection is beyond me but highly admirable.

After finding his blog, I read through several pages of it and this guy is obsessed with tuning his planes to make super thin shavings, seems like good days he's able to make 4 to 5 micron shavings. Apparently that would have been contest winning shaving a couple of years ago, but the current winner is at 3 micron (so I gather).

Interestingly, he has large number of woodworking projects that are quite complex. Not sure how he does all that woodworking, plane tuning on top of having a pretty busy career. Must be highly motivated and dedicated individual.

[Jacob Nothstine]

This is also a fun plane video.

http://abouna.smugmug.com/Commercial-Work/Benchcrafted-Videos/11365604_kfQbhP#!i=817154226&k=9ndXW&lb=1&s=A

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

That was great, Jacob!

It reminds me a bit of what it felt like to use Konrad Sauer's panel plane at a LN event.

I get find results with my fettled old junkers, but part of me drools over those nice handmade panel planes.

[Jared Walters]

Reminds me of a snakeskin almost.