Good article on reason for use of Beech in plane making..

Rob Keeble

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GTA Ontario Canada
I have always liked Beech wood even before i got into woodworking.

Yet it does not seem that popular.

Well came across this article by some Arkansas old school plane makers and it explains Beeches great properties and why they use it to make their planes.

Thought the guys here that make the odd wooden plane might get some value from the explanation. Its quiet well written and easy to understand.

Hope you enjoy it and give Beech a break.
 
I've always known that Beech is good for tools and such, but is not often used for furniture mainly because it is rather bland looking. Good for kitchen utensils too.
 
Good article! Thanks for posting this Rob.
It was my understanding from reading Garret Hack's book on handplanes that beech was selected by our craftsman of old because it most closely exhibited the properties of the yellow birch used in Europe.
They would select their blanks and leave them to dry for at least 2 years before making them into planes. They also used to boil them to help in the drying process and (correct me if I am wrong) to harden the wood.
 
The beech that was(is) used for toolmaking is European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), which is a different animal (vegetable?) from the beech we're used to in North America (Fagus grandifolia). European Beech is more stable, and doesn't check so much during drying as the NA stuff.
 
The beech that was(is) used for toolmaking is European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), which is a different animal (vegetable?) from the beech we're used to in North America (Fagus grandifolia). European Beech is more stable, and doesn't check so much during drying as the NA stuff.

My mistake Jim, for some reason I had birch in my head. You are correct.
 
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