The Incineration Plane

Using a hand plane to shave down a piece of timber is a delightful experience for all, regardless of age, woodworking ability or interest. There is something so satisfying about it. The slow pace of running a plane over a board can even be therapeutic.

Cleaning up shavings, however, is not exactly fun. The curly shavings get lodged in vacuum hoses and quickly fill up bags. Scooping them up by hand into a garbage can is unpleasant, back-breaking work. Planing is fun. Cleaning up is not.

Speaking of back-breaking, another  labour-intensive task is prepping firewood. Searching for suitable wood, moving, and cutting it into appropriately-sized pieces is a big job! However, the reward of all the effort – the warmth and the mesmerizing, flickering flame of a wood fire is magical and hypnotizing.

Minutes and hours can quickly pass by when hand planing, or staring into an open flame. It’s in these tranquil moments that I am able to do my deepest thinking and reflecting, and allow my mind to wander. Many of my great ideas come to me at these times.

I must have been in one of these Zen-like states letting my mind wander freely when I came up with this tool design that provides the two blissful experiences described of hand planing and staring into an open flange while avoiding the two unpleasant associated tasks. Watch the world premiere of the Incineration Plane (3:13)!

Yup – I must have been mindless when I conjured up this idea. It’s not practical, safe, or recommended. I’ve done many crazy things in my woodworking career, and this one takes the cake. Happy April Fools everyone!