If this plane could speak.... what would it say?

I bought this Block Plane in 1969, and first used it during my days at Wilderness Surfboards. My little trusty and usually dusty plane has been pushed across every surfboard I've shaped since the day it first was put in my shaping bay at the old Wilderness shop on Cabrillo Bl. in Santa Barbara, and has been in every bay I've worked in since.

That little plane has cut a lot of foam and wood, covered some ground and water, having gone back and forth between Hawaii and California a few times.

Over the years it's gotten a few new friends.  Though I'd gotten a couple other block planes ole number one was not replaced but complemented.... I'll have 3 planes set up each with a different depth of cut so I don't have to mess with blade depth adjustments while I'm working. Makes life easier for a production set up.

Block planes are a shaper's friend. I'm always on the look out for them when out at a garage or estate sale, flea market or swap meets.  Ole number one is the only block plane I've bought new. Don't remember what the asking price was back then, these days a nice Stanley plane can be 100 bucks new. Even refurbished ones can catch $30.

Wednesday the 18th Suzi and I went to the mid week swap meet at the fair grounds. There are usually plenty guys selling used tools, seen a few block planes there in the past but never anything that nice for the price.  

This time I see a box of planes... I stop... look over the box, pick one up and ask "how much for this plane?" The seller comes over looks down at the box and says "why not buy the whole box?" I say "I like this one.. but" seller says "I'll make you a deal you can't refuse... let see" as he counts out how many planes are in the box. " Ok, there are six plus some parts, how 'bout 35 bucks for all of them, you can have the parts too?" I say "deal" and hand him the money before he changes his mind. When I get home with the box I find the parts make up another plane. In all I end up with 7 planes.

I've really quite the quiver of block planes, finger planes and razor planes now. And, ole number one will still be number one. All be it with a number of stand bys.

D.R.