Most days I can be found out at the front edge of the garage involved in a project . That’s where a young guy down the street found me one afternoon last week. His dog had escaped and came to visit me , tail wagging, to see about a pat on the head.
That days project was a very old Stanley wood plane made prior to 1927. It was a yard sale find that sat directly on a concrete driveway when I first saw it , covered in surface rust and grime . It looked so sad that the owner was delighted to let me bring it home for $2.00 .
” What ya doing ? ” asked the young guy as he clipped a leash to the friendly run away dogs collar.
” I’m enjoying myself , I’m going to make this old tool handsome again” was my answer.
His question intruded not just upon my work on the tool, but my thoughts of where this tool had been and what it had done . It interrupted my interest of the craftsman who may have used this plane to create something of beauty and use. The old plane held clues to those observant, about who had used it . Like the two small X’s cut into the metal side and the wooden handle , likely put there by a professional as his personal mark in order to protect it from use by fellow tradesmen that he worked with.
My comment of enjoying myself brought the twitch of a deaf ear and a blank stare…
” Looks like way to much work for me ” said the young guy and I’m certain he was correct . He then left to go to his evening job at a local restaurant washing dishes .
It took a full hour and twenty minutes to turn this old wood plane into handsome again . Not museum piece gorgeous, just “old world” handsome . Another half hour was needed to turn its blade into working sharp again and that old wood plane can again shave paper thin curlings from the edge of a plank just like it did in 1927. I consider this all time well spent ……
Someone else did too as 7 days later they gave me $134.50 for it and I’m certain that’s a lot better than an 8 hour evening shift at the restaurant.
