Who I am

In my early sixties now, I am a retired federal manager.  Husband, father, life long athlete, amateur underwater photographer and adventurer.  I grew up doing things with my hands.  I am fortunate to have a father raised on an Indiana farm, he passed along his extensive skills in machinery, carpentry, and a "Can do" attitude.  I was performing brake jobs on the family sedan in 5th grade, laying block walls at age 12, and disassembling, studying, and restoring anything I could get my hand on.

I make no claim to being a wood worker.  It is a skill I am working to develop.  Carpenter, maybe.  But I stumbled into the world of antique cast iron hand planes by accident, you can read about this journey in my blog.  My jack-of-all trades background has found expression through restoring antique cast iron hand planes into useful tools and works of art.   I refurbish vintage hand planes as a passion. I enjoy taking an 80+ year old rusty doorstop and restoring it to better than new condition, then seeing it put back in the hands of a woodworking enthusiast. I have the time and means to flatten, finish, hone, and polish these planes to a level that far exceeds what the manufacturers could ever achieve.  

You can occasionally find some of my restored planes for sale on eBay, and will see some offered on this site in the future. 

Additionally, I am busy researching, studying, categorizing, and writing about Fulton cast iron hand planes, Merit hand planes, Craftsman hand planes, and Dunlap hand planes.  These unique, in-house brands sold through the original catalog giant, Sears, Roebuck & Co. beginning in 1904, cut a path through defining times in American retail.  In the world of antique hand planes, much is speculated about these planes, but little is actually known.  It is my goal to fill in the gaps with facts and define their place in the fascinating history of American made hand tools.