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One of the best things about the WIA Marketplace is getting to talk directly with the tool makers. I asked several of them what made their product special and different from the competition. I had intended to present their answers in just one post, but their responses were so thoughtful, I've decided to spotlight each one individually.
Here is the first tool maker I spoke with at the conference: Konrad Sauer from
Sauer & Steiner Toolworks.Konrad is, in a word, adorable. And while that might not affect your buying decisions, it needed to be said.
I'll let Konrad tell you the rest of the story:
"There are quite a few really great planemakers out there - many of whom I would call friends. I am not su
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re how many of us would consider each other competition but rather recognize that when one of us does well - we all do. There are a few things we are all trying to do. First and foremost - make a highly functional plane (ala plane birds eye without tearout and leave a mirror finish*). After that - we get to 'play' - to impart our own personal sense of what we feel is an artistic expression. I have a foot firmly planted in the original infill design language - the planes I make clearly come from that style. But if you put an original Spiers, Norris or Mathieson beside one of my planes, the lines, shapes and forms are actually quite different.
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One of the unique things I am doing is allowing the customer to contribute to the process. They choose the infill material, the sidewall material, the bed angle, the blade width etc. I even ask for a photocopy of their hand to better match their hand size. Because I work with handtools - making these types of alterations is very easy to do, does not add additional cost and results in a very personal tool for the customer.
I am also 'all about the wood'. The most enjoyable part of planemaking is finding a spectacular piece of wood and figuring out how best to use it. Metal is metal - for the most par
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t a piece of 01 tool steel looks like the next piece. This consistency is great for planemaking - but not very exciting. Wood on the other hand is always unique - sometimes even within the same piece. I have spent the last 10 years investing in my wood collection and I think many of my customers enjoy access to some pretty spectacular material."
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You can read more about Konrad's planes here.
*Konrad references a planed piece of birds-eye maple with no tearout. I saw this for myself. It was as smooth as glass with a mirror-like reflection.