Its fabulous to see an original Industry great such as Bing here! Welcome…
I have pondered the Planer question from a different angle…that of the attitudes to its use when it first replaced the adze and hand-plane…
I mean:-
In relation to the advent of the shaping machine…there’s a great amount of resistance to the new in our industry, and it took a long time for the very same guys who decried the shaping machine to come around to say “Its just a big planer, in the right hands a great tool.”
Maybe planing with a Skil would have been seen the same way, like, new-fangled?
Then again, maybe the craft was not seen as so “Soulful” in the '60’s, before acid, dope and the independent backyard shapers?
I’ve seen old photos of some of the early big production houses, sometimes a row of shaping stalls with “Ghost” shapers toiling away. The Skil 100 would perhaps have been a huge contributing factor in big production.
As with the Father of Compsand Thread…Its just a historic point of interest for me.
Really great question that I’ve often wondered about, been reading through the legendary surfers site, there are some great yarns and a lot of history on Veltzy, Simmons, but I’ve not picked up any direct references who first used a planner first.
I just now saw this discussion. Yes, Dale Velzy did use a Skil 100 planer on Balsa boards. Here is a link to Dale’s equipment that I still have, including a picture of Dale’s planer. He had 2 Skill 100s in the 60s when I worked with him, both slightly modified to make them easier to change cut depth. He told me that they worked well on Balsa, and I shaped a Balsa for fun with him about 1970 or so. The one pictured he gave me in 1969 and was used by me at Wave Trek for about 10 years. I wouldn’t mind using it again but I don’t know where I can find new blades as the old ones are very dull.
I just now saw this discussion. Yes, Dale Velzy did use a Skil 100 planer on Balsa boards. Here is a link to Dale’s equipment that I still have, including a picture of Dale’s planer. He had 2 Skill 100s in the 60s when I worked with him, both slightly modified to make them easier to change cut depth. He told me that they worked well on Balsa, and I shaped a Balsa for fun with him about 1970 or so. The one pictured he gave me in 1969 and was used by me at Wave Trek for about 10 years. I wouldn’t mind using it again but I don’t know where I can find new blades as the old ones are very dull.
Hey Snake, while looking on e-bay for a Skil I came across these blades for sale for $90. Apparently they still have them. Someone else may know where to find them cheaper, but here’s the link:
I have a copy of a BW photograph (Leroy Grannis, I think) with a young Velzy and another guy working out on a big balsa blank. They are actually using hand planes in the photo, but, among all the shavings is what appears to be a Skil planer. Could be another brand, but definitely an electric planer… The photo looks to be from the 50’s.
In fact, The Old Man’s Skil 100, which I inherited, well, it came with a cute little T-shaped metal gizmo that had two small carriage bolts attached such that you could sharpen 'em yourself on a stone or a wet wheel.
The former is what I did for over a year before he’d let me use it.
Thanks for the note but the blades have been sharpened several times over the years by both Dale and myself. I remember him telling me about sharpening it with a stone of some sort but I never saw it. I haven’t used that planer in awhile since the blades were so worn down. When did he give you the planer? You must have gotten the other one he had.