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Roy Underhill, caretaker of The Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, N.C., sent me this photograph today from his school.
Curious, don’t you think? What is going on here?
Eight blindfolded woodworkers seated around a workbench with handplanes in hand. If they were younger men, I’d be asking: “Where’s the goat?” But they are too old for fraternity pranks.
So I ask you, dear readers. What is going on here?
— Christopher Schwarz
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This is my smoother. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My smoother is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My smoother, without me, is useless. Without my smoother, I am useless. I must plane my stock true. I will…
definitely setting up by feel – although i can’t understand what advantage there is to taking it apart to that extent.
Wondering when the real schoolwork will begin and the playing around will end? I would give a years wages to have a blindfold on in that picture!!
“Hands on” is one of the reasons we love hand tools, but blindfolds mean we’ll miss out on seeing Megan’s soon to be commitment to Milwaukee…
I know that style of plane – you can set them up without looking. Does Roy believe it can be done better by touch than by sight? The planes do look like there’s some “field-stripping” going on, though!
disassemble the plane, and then put it back together.
Not sure what they’re doing, but it looks like they’re having fun.
They are blindly stripping down and reassembling a bunch of No.3’s from memory, like a soldier would a sidearm.
“Hey, watch where you put that screwdriver!”
Looks like they’re doing the woodworkers version of the military exercise where soldiers have to assembly a rifle blindfolded.
This is my hand plan this is my gun. This is for shavings this is for fun
how long does it take to set a plane up correctly blindfolded?
or how long does it take for everyone to get bloody finger tips?
Learning to use The Force to be their guide when assembling and adjusting a plane.
Or more legitimately, learning to overcome the handicap of sight in plane adjustment, since the finger tips and feel are a better guide.
Tea Party.
A diversion while Roy replaces their chapstick with tallow.
Why, it’s those wiley North Carolina Viet Cong, learning to disassemble their Stanley AK47’s blindfolded…when will they be defeated??
The adjustment is all in the finger tips and they can’t stand the sight of blood on a freshly sharpened plane blade.
Looks like gang-banging if I ever seen it… these people are dangerous!
Looks like they’re learning, or attempting anyway, to disassemble and reassemble their hand planes blindfolded. Now I want to see them adjust the plane blindfolded.
Outtake from “Eyes Wide Shut”.
Can you really tell the difference between an expensive and an inexpensive plane?
What happens in class after Roy lunches at City Tap…
bevel up or down or the angle of the dangle(pitch)
We learned the M1 that way. Got to know our piece. Planes are no different.
Looks like there’s a competitive aspect to it as well. And FDR looks more interested in plane assembly than has ever been captured in a photo before.
“This is my smoother,
This is my scrub.
This likes it easy,
This like sit rough.”
Jonathan
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Trying to lose fingers without watching?
“Gump, why did you assemble your rifle so quickly?” – Drill Sergeant
“Because you told me to drill sergeant.” – Forrest Gump
Dismantle and reassemble your weapon(smoothing plane)blindfolded…..just in case of a power cut.