my Krenov plane

ydb1md · 23 Feb 2007

I emailed Jim & Britta Krenov a few months ago and asked to be put on the waiting list for a plane. Mine arrived today w/ test shavings in the mouth. The wood has a unique smell to it. Maybe it's osage orange? Just my first guess.

It worked great out of the box and even better after honing the blade. I'm not sure if this plane was made recently or if it was one of Jim's users as it looks to have been used a few times -- not that I'd mind, it would be kinda cool.

A few others have received notes from Jim w/ their planes while others didn't. Mine didn't come with a note but it has Krenov's initials on the toe. If you're curious you can check out some pics here http://picasaweb.google.com/ydb1md/Krenov

MarcW · 23 Feb 2007

Hi Dave,

I thought Jim had retired and didn't know that he is in planemaking now. :shock: :wink:

Any chance you tell us what you paid for?

It looks like it could make some shiny boards 8)

Regards,

Marc

Philly · 23 Feb 2007

OMG :shock:
Dave, your best gloat to date!! Fantastic!
So what does it plane like??
More pics Gloatmeister,
Philly

David C · 23 Feb 2007

Very nice to have the real thing.

These planes are relatively easy to make for yourself and are a great project. They work very well if you get them right and you learn lots about planes in the process.

Ron Hock has splendid thick blade/chipbreaker sets which are very reasonable for the quality and thickness.

Quite a number have been made in my workshop.

David

Paul Chapman · 23 Feb 2007

Very nice. Looks like it would be comfortable in the hand.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

ydb1md · 23 Feb 2007

Hello all,

Thank you for the kind words. As you all guessed, the little wooden plane is very comfortable in the hand and does make nice shavings. It was set up with care and attention before being sent to me.

It was very interesting for me to contrast the quality of surface produced by my metal bodied planes vs this wooden bodied smoother. Both planes leave smooth wood but the surface left by the Krenov is burnished and slightly polished, thanks to the wooden body. For some reason, that I haven't yet put my finger on, even though the surface is smooth there are some irregularities. Not flaws or anything that detracts from the surface. Rather, it adds something a bit unique, almost telling you that it's been hand surfaced. Imagine the furrowed surface left by a scrub plane but take that to a barely perceptible degree where every contour is smooth and polished. It might be because of how the blade has been ground and polished. Definitely done by hand and not held in a jig nor is the edge flat to 1 thou of an inch. These are all observations mind you, nothing that I would consider a flaw but more of an endearing trait or characteristic. If you can't tell, I really like this plane. I'll post more pics this evening, for you, Philly. :wink:

Yes, Krenov has retired from cabinetmaking, because of failing eyesight, but he continues working with wood by making wooden planes. You can email and ask to be put on a waiting list through his website http://jameskrenov.com/current_work.htm I believe the current price is $300.

I'm very honored and thankful to be able to own something crafted by Krenov. I'm going to expound more on this at length (and other wood related things) when I begin work on my blog. Even better than being able to own something crafted by Krenov (I could never afford one of his cabinets) is the fact that I can use it in my shop on my creations. I'm already looking at wood from a new perspective.

cheers,