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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Steve Voigt – “Old Street Tool: The Planemaking Legacy of Larry Williams & Don McConnell”
Legends are made, not born. And in the realm of wooden-bodied planemakers, there are few names as legendary today as Larry Williams and Don McConnell. 30 years ago, it was nearly impossible to find a newly made wooden plane on the market. It seemed that this type of tool was relegated to the dustbins of woodworking history, with only antiquarians and curmudgeons holding fast to the old style. Sure, there were some Krenov-style planes around, but these were not well-suited for heavy work. But through extensive research and a passion for history, these two craftsmen brought wooden-bodied planes back into the hand-tool mainstream.
A planemaker himself, author Steve Voigt shares the inspiring story of Williams and McConnell and their business, Old Street Tool. From their roots as carpenters and furniture makers who saw a real need among woodworkers for wooden bench planes as well as molding planes, these two teamed up to usher in something of a golden age for wooden planes. Today, many successful makers owe their success – and initial inspiration – to the pioneering work of Williams and McConnell.
In exploring their legacy, Voigt shows how being students of history steered them to appreciate and adopt classic plane designs. “They didn’t set out to invent a better plane, as so many modern makers have tried to do,” he writes. “Instead, they started from the assumption that the 18th century was the peak of the development of the wooden plane, and so they sought out high-quality antique planes and examined them exhaustively, until they understood and could reproduce every essential feature.” By leaning on the ways of the past and learning from them, Williams and McConnell opened the door for future generations to grow in the craft.
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