In an effort to bring the enjoyment, peacefulness and smile back into shaping, I am giving my power planer a break. Starting with my personal 9'5 Log (in progress), I am going to shape using exclusively hand tools. It's not an effort to be more environmental, or to save electricity at all. I started working on by new board with just a hand saw, a surform, and a block plane... it was slow at first, but I soon realized that it was the best time that I've ever had shaping. No noise, no mess, no rush.
So for the time being, I'm going to pursue this new found method of simplicity. Most the reason I shape is because it's relaxing when the surf is flat.
I've been using Homeblown's Biofoam blanks for a while now, not entirely because of the whole environmental thing, but it's such an easy medium to work with. No itchy eyes or skin. These days, I can pull out a blank, throw it on the racks, turn on some tunes, work on it for a while, dump out my bucket of shavings, dust off the front of my t-shirt, and be done. It's been such a perfect set up.
The first electricity-free log should be heading to the glass shop soon. I'll keep you posted...
Keep Stylin'
-Dave
