It's a pruning saw, I have come across quite a few in the UK. Aggressive and lots of set for cutting (ie. pruning) living branches. Some of mine were supplied by the Army and Navy store.
A waney edge board of oak with lots of burr figure. This is a dry board ready for working (cut and stickered 5 years ago). The sapwood is not rotten allowing you to contrast it with the darker heartwood. Most of the bark has come away leaving a nicely textured surface underneath. The board is...
I also did a timber framing course and bought a 1.5 inch Sorby framing chisel. It takes a good edge and has been excellent. I don't think there were many other options back then (20ish years ago) apart from vintage ones.
I enjoyed the plane talk Andy, thanks for taking the time to do it. At what stage when you went to look at these planes did you realise they were so special and not just another lot of "moulding planes"?
Thanks for that Trevanion. Another unusual feature of these bits was a pair of letters stamped on them. I can't remember what as I have posted them already. I haven't seen drill bits marked with the owners initials before and wondered if it meant something else about the bits, Another point of...
Seven imperial sized metal cutting drill bits with tapered shanks. Three are marked "Dormer" but the others are of a similar quality. I won't use them but can't bear to chuck them out. Can anyone use these? Free if you cover postage. Send a PM.
Definitely worth a go, that's a decent size for field maple. Keep as long a length as you can and cut down the pith. You could then cut some quarter-sawn boards for the top if you have access to a big bandsaw. I did this with a cherry log of a similar size.