Project Information
The infill on these planes is **************************************** eucalyptus, though the character of the wood is so different in each that you might not know it. Ron Hock supplies my irons, but I do everything else in making my planes.
I also follow my own nose in designing them, as you probably guess, and I readily acknowledge that my nose doesn't take me down the pathways of traditional plane makers. I also acknowledge the risks inherent in the design of these planes: Drop one of these babies and you might crack the bun or even lose that lovely fillip on the tote that sits so nicely on the web between thumb and first finger when you work this plane.
I have no idea where I got the idea for the bun. I only know I don't like the knobs I see on most ordinary planes, and the word "clunky" comes to mind when I think of the buns on Norris infills. As for that lovely fillip, I can tell you that my wife and I spend Sunday afternoons at a particular spot on the ocean just north of our home on the central coast of California, watching the shorebirds skitter over the wet sands looking for their afternoon snacks.
What do shorebirds have to do with anything here? Take another look at that fillip. Can you see the head and bill of maybe a avocet (that is, one with a short bill)? How about a godwit, also with a short, upturned bill? How about a lowly duck?
I call these planes my shorebird planes.
I also follow my own nose in designing them, as you probably guess, and I readily acknowledge that my nose doesn't take me down the pathways of traditional plane makers. I also acknowledge the risks inherent in the design of these planes: Drop one of these babies and you might crack the bun or even lose that lovely fillip on the tote that sits so nicely on the web between thumb and first finger when you work this plane.
I have no idea where I got the idea for the bun. I only know I don't like the knobs I see on most ordinary planes, and the word "clunky" comes to mind when I think of the buns on Norris infills. As for that lovely fillip, I can tell you that my wife and I spend Sunday afternoons at a particular spot on the ocean just north of our home on the central coast of California, watching the shorebirds skitter over the wet sands looking for their afternoon snacks.
What do shorebirds have to do with anything here? Take another look at that fillip. Can you see the head and bill of maybe a avocet (that is, one with a short bill)? How about a godwit, also with a short, upturned bill? How about a lowly duck?
I call these planes my shorebird planes.