a note to Rob and the forum

[Ken S]

Rob,

I was reading Christopher Schwarz's Handplane Essentials.  Page 110 is an article called "Blesses are the Grinders".  The article discusses sharpening the blades of Record plough planes.  Chris refers to one of his favorite books on toolmaking, Memories of a Sheffield Tool Maker, by Ashley Iles.

Knowing you are from that area, I thought the book might interest you.

Ken

[Rob]

Thanks Ken...I'll look that one up.  Ashley Iles tools are a bit of a legend here in the UK. Here's a little piece on the company. Thanks for that :-)

In the autumn of 1949, a pattern maker named Ashley Iles gave up his day job and set out on his own to make and sell tools.

He began by renting a small workshop in Sheffield for five shillings a week and ended up with a factory making carving and woodturning tools with a brand known worldwide.

Today the company is run by two of his sons, Tony and Barry, with the help of Tony's wife, Christine, who as Company Secretary, looks after the administrative and clerical details.

[Ken S]

Rob,

The Ashley Iles story sounds like the one about the Canadian civil servant (Leonard Lee) or the buyer for Garrett Wade (Thomas Lie-Nielsen).

There is an article in Fine Woodworking where the author recommends dressing a crown on the grinding wheel.  The crown lessens the area rubbing against the tool.  That helps keep the steel cooler.  The idea goes through Joel Moskowitz who supposedly learned it from one of Ashley Iles' sons.

Your wheels seem well chosen.  I would still recommend the Norton 3X 46 grit.  The friable 80 grit is a nice wheel, for those who are not fortunate enough to have a Tormek.  I haven't used me 80 since buying my first Tormek.

Apparently the Ashley Iles book is out of print, at least on this side of the pond.  You might have better luck finding it "over there".

Good grinding, and keep us posted.

Ken

[RobinW]

Used copies of 'Memories of a Sheffield tool Maker' are available on Abebooks with prices including shipping from the USA from £42 and a store in UK has one at £110 plus shipping. Good as the book may be, I think I would rather spend the money on some tooling or wood!

A few months ago after comments on this forum I did get Leonard Lee's 'The Complete Guide to Sharpening' which I really enjoyed. After seeing the state of a brother-in-law's chisels, I gave him a copy too for his birthday after I had resurrected his tools on my Tormek. (He's never had tools like it!)

[Rob]

£110 would buy two BGM-100's!!  Nuff said :-)

[Ken S]

Here in the hinterlands we have something called "interlibrary loan".  A request is placed at the local library, and distributed to many libraries.  I have found some very unusual books that way.

Ken

[Rob]

what a great idea.