I found a telephone number for Ashley, called this morning, and left a message that people were discussing his planes on Sawmill Creek.
I found a telephone number for Ashley, called this morning, and left a message that people were discussing his planes on Sawmill Creek.
Ashley Vaughan returned my call just now. He is a hortaculturist in South Carolina who does woodworking on the side. He seemed pretty excited that people were interested in his molding planes. Just from talking to him, I felt that he was a serious and sensitive craftsman. I was able to view a few pieces of furniture that he made on the internet.
Ashley was not able to log in to Sawmill Creek, but thought he would try to reapply. He said he shows stuff on Instagram, which is apparently where Jim Bode saw his work. I think Bill Webber was able to speak to him as well.
Thank you Warren!
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Lovely thread this.
"If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
A telephone....what's that??
Fred, thanks for the concern. We are all good, just trying to revive the economy. I keep a keen eye on the USA reported cases and it's certainly madness no matter which way you look at it. Trust you guys are all fine and I haven't seen any reports of Neanderthals under the weather from this dreaded virus. Maybe all that glue and sawdust we've sniffed or inhaled over the years has protected out lungs :-)
"If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"
What is his Instagram handle?
Yes, I have talked to him. He explained how he tried to be a plane maker but couldn't get any real traction. He had a web page for a while and he had tried to create some association with Lie-Nielsen that didn't work out. The half set of H&Rs were a commission where the buyer backed out. Ashley offered that was probably why the planes were not properly marked. He eventually put the planes on Ebay and that is where Bode bought them.
As an amateur woodworker he makes Federalist furniture and Windsor chairs and seems to enjoy those pursuits. I've inquired about his plane making efforts and his vague reply was "I would like to pursue plane making on a reasonable scale as interest dictates". I think he may have gotten burned out in addition to simply getting burned.
I'm pleased to say Ashley offered the loan of his name stamp and now my set of Ashley Vaughan planes is properly marked. I can also offer they all seem to work properly though that is my very limited experience speaking. I'm happy with them. Here's the lot of them.2006-004.jpg
Interesting follow up Bill.
You might want to write that down so someone 100 years from now will also have the tale of the Ashley Vaughan planes.
It is amazing how often hollows & rounds can be used in everyday woodworking.
My wooden stone holding blocks have gotten a few swipes down the sides with a 3/4" round to make finger holds.
Rounding over corners or making rounded edges is quick.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)