Wayne Andersons pinnacle chariot plane. Any one of 5, actually.
I would like the damacus over brass siderails, stuffed with ivory,
but I'd settle for heavy carved brass and ebony.
When we are all safely dead and long gone, these tools will be remembered and in the worlds top museums as solidly among the peak of plane craft ever accomplished on earth.
(for Gods sake don't tell him I said this heeheheheh)_
The saddest fact is, he is now making plain jane planes to satisfy a lower echelon market, because people do not realize how special these tools truly are.
Long ago it was Brian and Wayne and me. The Pep boys of handmade tools. We started kind of together and every detail of every tool was shared in advance and along the way between us. I was the "Old Man" who started first, so had lots of advice and some materials to share at the beginning. But Brian (the big loveable lummox kid) soon rose to a design height we marvelled at. We all stole design details back and forth from each other all the time, but Brian most of all. His brain just "went out there" into style and elegance no one had ever seen.
Then Brian disappeared into other things. One day just gone from us.
But Wayne kept at it. He went strictly into planes because that was what the market wanted at the tool shows. He wanted to make a job out of it because he was tired of working at the machine gun plant (who could blame him)
He went on a big run of miter planes because miter planes were in huge demand with no one making them anymore, and they were selling really well.
He did crazy over the top fantasy planes too, in exotic materials in super showy forms. Something for the "collector who has everything". (They didn't have anything like that, I guarantee it. )
There were smoothers smoothers smoothers made over the years. Every putz and his cousin from out of town wants a smoother.
But the few little chariot planes that came and went? And hardly anyone cared?
These started at a design level 2 miles above any other plane maker in history, and only got better from there. Just breathtaking. My brother, my hero.
I want one of Paul Hamler's #36 miniature transitional planes (my BIG brother in this life),
and one of John Maki's miniature Norris planes. John never made more than one of each though so odds of that are non existant.
I already have a silver Knowles patent miniature from Raph (not a misspelling) that I treasure. Thanks again Ralph.
Then for ordinary tools.........
There is a Stearns adjustable sole spokeshave I would like to have. Always wanted one and keep "just missing" them.
I need a great saw vise. Acme would be top choice, but barring that, either homemade heavy iron, or even a modern Grammercy vise. Those are pretty heavy. There is nothgn worse than a lightweight saw vise.
yours Scott
