Paul Womack shares with us the benefit of his labours in counting the
teeth of toothing planes, a work in progress since 2006.

This brings to mind the reaction of some members of the List, myself
included, to instructions, contained, it is vaguely remembered, in an
ancient (1920s?) woodworking journal regarding the home-construction of
a toothing plane or, at least, something containing a toothing plane's
iron. Some of us were more than a little dismayed as the instructions
opened with something to the effect: "Trot off to your local ironmonger
and buy a toothing plane iron for 1/6." The anticipated joy of
constructing one's own tool was cruelly crushed in the breast at the
outset. We just do not see, these days, toothing plane irons hanging in
a bunch off a nail at our local ironmonger's store. I resigned myself to
the fact that never would I attempt inlay or veneer work unless I
acquired whatever electrically driven mechanical monster had taken the
place of the toothing plane. I have since resigned myself to the fact
that never will I attempt inlay or veneer work, not having all that many
years left in me.

However, however and however, some little while ago I discovered on the
web sites of Pinie Cz of, I deduce, the Czech Republic, and
E.C Emmerich of Germany United advertisements for wooden bodied
  toothing planes and their irons. They're still out there, Son. The
  only other information I recall is that the Czech plane-makers bed
  their toothing irons at 80 degrees whilst the more conservative
  Germans bed theirs at 70.

Regards from Brisbane,

John Manners
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