Fuel for Thought

In-Van Workshop

In another of my lives, I like to make things. I don't have the room for much equipment, so I try to have a few tools on hand for the times when I can find a driveway or workbench to work at. Technically, that means the shop isn't in the van (just next to it). For this project I was trying out a new plow plane made by Veritas. The plow plane cuts precise grooves, so an ideal trial would be a small wooden box. Using scraps of wood on hand, I resawed half inch boards into quarter inch thick boards with a hand saw. The plane cut tiny mortise and tenons that locked the corners together. The waxy squeak of a sharp plane as it shaves wood is so much nicer than the process of grinding up wood with power tools. I'll have to figure out a way to save the sweet little shavings.

The little desk under the box is another project. It's an old children's desk that I found about the time I found the industrial ream cutter that I delivered to my studio. The desk didn't take much space, so I grabbed it when I saw it at an antique mall. It is a solid piece of furniture and only needs refinishing. It will go into my studio and then I'll see what turns up next.

eb