This post is part of a series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Twenty. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.
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Björn Svantesson – “Bridging the Gap: An Exploration of Scandinavian Pre-industrial Planemaking”
Before industrialization homogenized the form, wooden handplanes were works of art. Made to inspire admiration, and perhaps show off a bit, a joiner or carpenter’s planes were canvases for their skills. Made to fit their own hands and needs, and embellished with intricate carved details, they embodied the synthesis of form and function. By the mid-19th century, mass-production began taking over the production of these tools, and those distinctives were lost.
In Issue Twenty, author and woodcraft teacher Björn Svantesson seeks to revisit the practice of making beautiful, personalized wooden planes in the Scandinavian tradition. Studying planemaking for his masters’ thesis in Sweden led him down a deep rabbit hole of design and execution. He reproduced a number of beautiful museum pieces, using a researcher’s approach to the problem. How exactly did these artisans make these planes? And how fast could they do it?
Utilizing the tools and techniques of the period, Svantesson recreates the process of planemaking with an eye towards efficiency. He notes, “It was surprising to me just how little time was necessary to finish each plane,” finding that getting into the groove of the work made for an enjoyable task and a beautiful outcome. It is possible for a tool to be both graceful and effective – the perfect combination.
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