#12 and The Tray

I found a little spare time between school and work so I got to make a couple more handplanes. The diamond tail went to a friend of a friend. He used to own a Hand Gun back in the day and when he heard I was making handplanes he had to get one. Thanks for the support!

I am calling the one on the right "The Tray" because it is modeled after a fast food tray. It has a flat bottom, no concaves whatsoever, just a slight entry rocker and thats it. Its designed maximize planing surface for those smaller mushy days. I am excited to try it out. I mounted a Go Pro mount on it too so check back for some video clips and a review on how it works.

Home Decor

My friend has been kind enough to support me in my artist endeavors over the years. Here are a couple pieces hanging in his new house.

Thanks for the support Todd! These painting look great in your house.

STOLEN ART FROM 33 DEGREES!!!

CASH REWARD FOR STOLEN ARTWORK!!!!! This painting was stolen from 33 Degrees Restaurant and Bar at Shoreline Village in Long Beach. It was painted by a local up and coming artist, Shane Bowman, and is PRICELESS. A $50 cash reward will be given for any information leading to the safe return of the piece. Please repost!

Hats for Harbour Surfboards

Finally found some free time to paint more hats. These 3 hats are up for sale at Harbour Surfboards in Seal Beach. Stop by and check them out!

New Source of Inspiration

Need a new way to get inspired? Go buy a GoPro camera and play in the shore break like when you were 7 years old. This is what you might see.

1st Session with the Bamboo Plane

Swell finally materialized for me to try out my new bamboo handplane that was in the previous post. The plane works great. I was very pleased with the adjustable strap, it felt strong and secure. I think the combination of the channels and the pintail definitely made a difference in holding a good line through the steep sections. All in all I am satisfied. Time to make more!

-Body womping close to home

Photos courtesy of my friend Brian Kucera, check out his other great photos at www.briankucera.com

#11, but 1st Bamboo

This is the newest creation in my world of hand planes. This hand plane is made out of bamboo. I wanted to try bamboo b/c I am intrigued by the aesthetics of its interesting grain configuration. I took 12 squares of bamboo plywood (each one roughly 3 1/2"x3 1/2") and glued them together to make my blank. I rotated every other piece so the grains would be facing the opposite direction to make a checker board pattern. After I shaped the hand plane I soaked it in red wine for 24 hours to give it a darker sort of burgundy tint and I was very pleased with the outcome. I used UV curing polyester resin to seal it. Then polished it up, put on an adjustable velcro strap with neoprene on it and thats it. Its ready to go. Its heavier than any other hand plane I have made but I think the weight and the pin tail will only help in more powerful hollow surf. Just waiting for the right day to use it and hopefully I will have a good review and photos to post later.

The way the end grain looks on the rails is my favorite part!