> in case anyone missed it
>    Its the "so cool" part, that never fails to crack me up.

I got that, Scott.  I've run into at least one too many chaps who
think the Sun rises and sets on Japanese tools, who approach the
tools with something akin to a religious epiphany.

There's no doubt that Japanese woodwork can be amazing, or that
they have some of the best quality tools.  But there is no "mystical"
superiority of the tools or the men who use them.  No mystical
superiority of pull vs push.  Pull suits the posture of working
seated on the floor.

Pretty much, the rest of the world stands at a bench.  Thing is,
planes work either push or pull.  I do have some Japanese planes,
and they *will* push as well as pull.  But the rest of the world's
planes will pull as well as push, won't they?

Big difference between respecting these tools and idolizing them.

Mike in Sacto