In reply to Tom, who wrote ..
> I think you missed a couple of important points in your admirable discussion
of plane handle design. Your presumptions probably come from the shape of your
hands and how you use them, and my responses come just as much from the shape of
my hands and how I use them, including non-woodworking things I have done in the
past.
Actually, while I do prefer the longer flat of the Veritas handles, it was the
my research that discovered that I was not alone in this, and that this was (1)
due to the way the plane was pushed (rather than held), and (2) that this method
was shared by a great many distinguished woodworkers. In other words, the handle
shape is associated with ergonomics of pushing rather than the shape of one's
hand.
> ".... But its a mistake to think that forward force is transmitted to the
Stanley handle only in the lower part of the handle, or that the main effect of
the apparently greater lean forward is to throw pressure
> downward."
It would be interesting for others to make some of their own observations in
this regard - particularly when the iron begin to dull a little.
> "Although I began planing with Stanleys, I find that over the years I have
made more and more use of old woodies, and find that the natural left-hand grip
for these is much more natural to me. A woodie must be held with the palm over
the top of the plane, thumb pointing back toward the right hand and little
finger closest to the front. There is no curl under. Most of what the hand does
is to push downward;"
That is exactly what I described about the knob on a Veritas-Bailey metal plane.
You are supporting my observation.
> "In this context, consider the grip used by Frank Clausz in your photos,
finders together and stacked one over the other, curled toward the back. This is
a hand trained on horned planes, and it is used mostly for lifting the plane for
the backstroke. He is using a high-knob plane and might be even more comfortable
with a front knob shaped to the likeness of the German horn. This is just
guesswork, of course."
I cannot find a video of Frank using a horned (ECE) smoother, but here is a
video of Kari Hultman with hers ..
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=9AqI6P12uGg
What is relevant, in the context of plane ergonomics, is how she uses it. It
seems to me that her backhand pushes on the heel on the horizontal, while the
front hand (on the horn) does not grasp it for grip or forward thrust, but
stabilises her hand and then pushes down on the toe.
What do others think?
Regards from Perth
Derek
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