Bill Clark & Larry Williams, Clark & Williams
Toolmaker of the Month, 4/2007
I had the good fortune of meeting Larry
Williams last summer at Galootapalooza XI (Russ, Wes, et al always
put on a great event and I highly recommend it for galoots within
driving distance of northern Illinois). Larry, and Don
McConnell took a little detour home from one of their week long
classes and a bunch of us had the enormous pleasure of working with
their amazing planes and as a bonus, got a quick lesson on
tempering.
The planes are stunning on looks alone,
but oh, the shavings! Now I’m not a serious plane guy (well,
not this week anyway..), but after seeing a partial set of Clark &
Williams hollows and rounds, they now occupy a prominent spot on
that perpetual gift list that I pass to my better half and her folks
when gifting occasions come around. So, this month, I give you
Clark & Williams, plane makers extraordinaire!
There's something special about
wooden planes!
(okay,
that’s an understatement even to a guy who isn’t obsessed with
planes!)
They have a tactile quality and beauty
that's unmatched by other tools. To the user, they instantly
telegraph all the nuances of the wood being worked in a way that
metal planes have never been able to match. Their whispering
sound brings a feeling of finesse and a connection to age-old
craftsmanship also plays a very important role in edge holding.
 The
craftsmanship of Clark & Williams planes represents a combined total
of over 50 years of professional woodworking experience.
They’ve spent the last nearly two
decades working side-by-side with a competitive spirit trying to do
each job better and more efficiently than the last. This naturally
brought Bill and Larry to depend heavily on traditional tools and
they have become avid students, collectors and users of old hand
tools. Don McConnell joined the team a few years ago and
brings enormous historical knowledge to an already crack team!
Planes inspired by the plane makers of the 18th Century
Before the beginning of the industrial
revolution and the compromises of mass production there were
thousands of plane varieties and options available to the
cabinetmaker or joiner. Planes could be obtained that were
specifically matched to the methods and materials typically used.
Our intent is to offer those same custom options in planes
skillfully crafted one at a time.
Clark & Williams strive to use
historically accurate details and their planes have been warmly
received by knowledgeable wooden plane collectors at some major tool
collecting events so much so that they’ve been asked by several well
known collectors to date their planes to avoid future confusion!
Each plane is now stamped with the year in which it was made.
Bill and Larry have a fondness for refined details of early British
wooden planes but also work in Colonial and later styles.
In December of 1999
Historic Mount
Vernon hosted the official bicentennial reenactment of George
Washington's funeral. For the event, Walt Henderson - of
Henderson & Vinci Historical Cabinetmakers and Joyners, Leesburg, VA
- was selected to reproduce Washington's coffin and other funeral
implements. Mr. Henderson skillfully met the challenge and
used a number of Clark & Williams tools on this project. In
part, he wrote on June 12, 1997 about the first plane he purchased
from them:
"Please find enclosed...payment for
the finest smoothing plane I've ever laid my hands (& eyes) on!
"What can I say? . . .you guys have
made a tool fit for the most discriminating user (and dare I say!) .
. .collector of fine tools. I'm glad I wasn't able to land that
Jn.Tower smoother at the Brown Auction last October; I might not
have run into you guys, and that would have been my loss."
Having had the pleasure of using one
firsthand, I am confident that you, too, will be impressed with the
quality and performance of Clark & Williams planes.
These tools are made with traditional
techniques. Escapements and other details are painstakingly
made entirely with traditional plane making hand tools. Power
tools are reserved for the rough preparation of individual plane
billets. They do mill the taper of our O-1 tool steel irons by
machine and then carefully heat treat and temper them in a
computer-controlled furnace.
 Clark
& Williams make most of their planes from beech. A wonderful
article on their website explores the reasons that beech is a sound
choice for plane making. And hey, here is the accompanying
picture if you think beech is dull and boring. I think not!!
These guys are an unbelievable
combination of teachers, scientists, craftsmen, and historians.
If there is such a thing as a “white paper” in the world of tools,
you’ll find a collection of them on the Clark & Williams web site.
Topics include wood selection, design considerations, tuning planes,
working with single and double irons, and a veritable treatise on
grinding and sharpening.
Contact Clark & Williams at:
Clark & Williams
P.O. Box 121
Eureka Springs, AR 72632
(479) 253-7416
Email: info@planemaker.com
And do visit the web site (www.planemaker.com).
But put on your thinking cap! These guys know their stuff at a
level that boggles the imagination!
Jim Esten
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
April, 2007 |
