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I made the bend in this cap iron by heating the end with a gas blowlamp then clamping it in the vice and thumping with a lump hammer.

MACC Models have gauge plate (O1 steel) in a large number of thicknesses and widths. As supplied in the annealed condition it can be sawn, drilled and filed but it is harder to work than mild steel (as stated by Trevanion). It is suitable for "backyard" heat treament, unlike some other tool...

Pete, I marked the holes with an awl - I just "eyeballed" the spacing so it is a bit irregular. The fork seems like a good idea.

Thanks for all your comments. I made a pouch for the thumb shave today. It is my first attempt at leatherwork and the stitching could be neater :)

Thank Andy - I shall order a copy of that booklet and I'll be on the lookout for any information on ancient spokeshaves.

Thanks CC - very interesting historical information.

Yes Tony, it is an Isaac Sorby drawknife with 10" long cutting edge.

Thanks Andy - I have seen the tools at the Mary Rose exhibition and because of the very dim light conditions I couldn't get good photos. If I can obtain better photos and dimensions I fancy have a go at making some replicas.

This is a reproduction of a tool found at Coppergate, York (No.2984), believed to date from the 9th to 11th centuries AD. I have based it on a photo and information in a book: Anglo-Saxon Tools by Dennis Riley. It is effectively a small draw knife that could be carried in a pocket (in a...

A block plane would do it.

I have received an Ultex 1000# fine diamond sharpening plate mounted in a beautiful hand made walnut case. This is a truly splendid gift and I am very pleased indeed. Thanks very much for this Dr. Bob. Many thanks to Phil for organising and keeping this event going.

Thanks for the link Andy and thanks to everyone for your comments. I have tried pulling as well as pushing and I found that pushing works much better. When pulling, the hand gets in the way of the shavings and makes ejecting them with a finger a slower operation as it is necessary to shift the...

I have received mine but I am being good and have not opened it yet.

Thanks Andy. I enjoy making and trying these reproductions. I had a very interesting conversation with Bob and I have sent him one of the two Ebbsfleet plane replicas I have made so that he can try it for himself.

It may a design evolution from a handle into something ornamental. Other ancient planes examples have more functional handles or something in between.

That occurred to me too so I made a second plane with an iron with edge shaped to match the curve of the groove. It seemed to work slightly better but I think the main advantage is that the cutting work is shared by more of the edge so perhaps there will be a longer time between sharpenings.

At the London International Woodworking Festival in October I met a gentleman called Bob Williams who is a retired archaeologist and also a woodworker and tool collector. Bob told me about a plane found at Ebbsfleet, Kent, England during the building of the HS1 railway line. It is believed to...

I have these two 17" wooden jack planes. The one at the back is by W. Greenslade, Bristol and has the wider mouth. The other one has no visible maker's mark. The are certainly effective for removing a lot of wood quickly.

Thanks ED65. The smoothing plane has the Wearing adjuster - it works well but a minor drawback is that you turn the knob anticlockwise to advance the iron. A left handed thread on the shaft could correct this but left handed taps and dies do not seem to be available in very fine thread sizes...

The designs for these planes are by Robert Wearing and were published in The Woodworker magazine in 1961. The planes were made by my late father and I found them may years later and restored/completed them.