Planemaker Wayne Anderson has developed a beautiful infill smoothing plane that is – for custom work – remarkably affordable at $600.
I ran into Wayne this weekend at the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association meeting in Medina, Minn., and he showed me his latest tool. It was purchased immediately at the meet, but Wayne said he had another one just like it with cocobolo infills ready at the shop and was happy to build more.
The reason the plane is only $600 is that Wayne eliminated some of the time-consuming work that doesn’t improve the cutting performance. Instead of making the sidewalls curved, Wayne makes them straight on this plane. Also, he eliminated the “overstuffing” on the the sidewalls. Overstuffing is where the wood is rabbeted away so the wood is flush to the exterior of the sidewalls.
Each one of Wayne’s planes is a little different in the details, but all of them perform magnificently. I have owned one of his small smoothers since 2006, and even though I have been trying to cull my tool set down to the bare bones, I cannot bear to get rid of my Anderson plane. It just works too well and looks too nice.
If you’ve always wanted a new infill but couldn’t manage the price, this is your chance. Get in touch with Wayne at AndersonPlanes.com.
— Christopher Schwarz