Shrink Ray

Thought I would share a few interesting new tools received as a gift from my Aunt and Uncle. Clearly handmade, the level of detail and workmanship involved is astounding. I would love to meet whoever made them, for they evidently take great pride in what they do. While they may not be on Paul Hamler's level, they capture the spirit of craft perfectly.

This Lump hammer rests on a five pence piece, about the size of a Dime to those across the pond. Note the facets along the cheeks tapering from the centre out towards each face, identical to the real thing. There is even a short pencil line simulating a wedge driven into the eye!

'1250' is stamped along the blued top in minuscule lettering, could this refer to the full size weight? I know you can get lump hammers with 1250g heads so it seems plausible.

Proportion wise this Rip saw is the least accurate of the four, but nevertheless a lovely miniature. The wooden components on each tool are made in Beech, strange considering miniature makers usually use a tight grained wood i.e. Pearwood because the grain scales down so well.

Teeth set in a rip profile. Please ignore the shiny spots...maybe I got a bit carried away trying to rip a scale-sized board of lime. Ahem.

When I first picked this little file up I thought 'how on earth have they stitched teeth into something this small?!?' It wasn't until I had taken these pictures the burn marks around the tang became visible...so the edge was done on a grinder. Why? Ah, because the steel was too hard to cut with a file. Logical conclusion: It started life as a needle file.

A darn good idea it is too. Fine double-cut teeth of a needle file translate extremely well, they are after all exact scaled copies of their bigger brothers. If this file was 'blown up' to full size it would probably be a Coarse. 

This one just has to be my favourite. As a self confessed plane-nut it really really floats my boat! I'm more versed in western planes but I believe this type to be a Continental horned smoothing plane, right handed. 

Apart from the fact I love all things planey, you can actually take it apart! This is where the skill of the maker shines through quite literally - the section cut out between the bed and the abutments are so thin light passes through them. Even the Iron is ground at an angle that looks about right.

Having learnt my lesson from the rip saw fiasco I dare not use it on anything, but my oh my how I'm tempted...the wedge is a perfect fit and the iron can be set and adjusted (using a conveniently sized lump hammer) as you would on a full size plane. One day.....

Next Post : Chilterns Craft Show.