well I have been in business for 5 years this month. with about 2300 planes under my belt. it's hard to believe I have sold that many and have lasted that long. I have everyone here to thank for it. I sure could not do it myself. I had a lot of help and advice from everyone on the net. so thank you all for helping out.
5 year anniversary
Jun 03, 2004
32 Replies
Hey, thank you...
Congratulations, Steve.
You deserve every bit of your success.
djb
And as a 5th year celebration, how about a nice round of planes.... on the house. Email me for the shipping address.
Congratulations, Steve!
It is tough, but rewarding, to make it in an unconventional manner these ... you can be justifiably proud of what you've accomplished.
Keep up the good work.
Steve Knight celebrates:
You deserve your success. I've got a couple of your planes and they're well made, really nice handling tools.
Charlie Self "The test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind." Jacques Barzun
Day'um dude that's a better run that I had with my spokeshaves.
Kinky!-)
-- John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
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I'm recalling shots of a shed like structure - orange extension cord wrapped around a 2x4 with a rather dented and dusty reflector light - gorilla glue residue, small mountains of various colored sawdust and every where parts ...
Then the various relocations of the shop - how you survived them stumps me? Vacuum pumps, so many iterations of "the ultimate dust collector", bicycles ... Throw in a daughter and wife and it's a mystery how you don't go up in a puff of smoke.
What a long strange trip it's been - so far.
You're a lucky man to be able to do what you love and love what you do. Congratulations!
charlie b
ps - Dave: Want to try some of Steve's planes?
You're gonna have to specifiy which Dave...
This Dave has two of Steve's early ones, a custom made jack/jointer combo with two blades and two frogs (the purpleheart is still purple!) that went from Portland to Melbourne FL to Saskatoon (I was going to a conference and had an associate in Portland that picked it up from Steve for me and brought it with her), and a test version of a scrub plane.
But man, I'm drooling over his current designs. Amazing how far he's come in five years, isn't it?
djb
Sorry about the confusion - trying to avoid using the other "Dave" (sans rest of monicker (sp?)) - not to be confused with Dave the boatbuilder (google Tales of Sag Harbor) - THE Dave in my book
As for Steve's ealier planes - not the prettiest things to behold but looking nice wouldn't make them work any better. The new handles and such are nice but they're easy enough to make and add on - where and how you want them. I've got small hands (but large forehead - which proceeded all the way to the back of my neck) and some of the stock handles feel big and clunky.
Steve's been thrugh a lot with his plane making business but he pereservered through some tough times - with a lot of encouragement and help from this group. More power to him. Look foreward to congratulating him on his 10th anniversary.
charlie b
A very big congratulations, Steve. I have only recently discovered the joys of wooden planes and hope to own one of yours yet. I have been here on and off for a while and still remember when you were pretty much only known here.
Here is a bit of nostalgia for you:
Steve makes his first "successful" plane (but his third ever):
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if you wish.
May you have many more successful years ahead of you.
PK
I'm with you there.
djb
Congrats! Take a minute to pause in some self-reflection. But only a minute, that's all any self-employed individual can afford! :)
Now that sounds lke a plan to this Dave. Congratulations and Happy Anniversary Steve.
Dave in Fairfax
Congratulations, Steve. I still show my planes and the marking knife you made for me to everyone who enters the shop. They're all still going strong, and are my favorite hand tools.
Kevin
Congratulations. I'm glad to have been a tiny part of it.
If you keep working hard, you may be named "Employee of the Month" Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
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Got together with a bunch of woodworkers in the Vancouver area a few weeks ago and took one of your "old" planes out to show it off...still gets a decent workout at some point on almost every project..
Keep goin' Steve...you're doin' it right.
Rob
Wish I had contributed to your success in the past, but maybe this year...
Maybe a goal for the next five (or less) is to hook up with Rob Lee? Just a thought.
-Doug
Congratulations, Steve!
Your planes (a 47 degree smoother, a razee jack and a pair of shoulders) were the first hand planes I ever bought. It hasn't been that long ago, but I have a LOT more now - mostly ebay purchases, but a few gifts from SWMBO. Yours are still the ones I enjoy using the most - despite my shortcomings in set up and all that. I simply like knowing that a guy like you took time and his own two hands to make them so well.
Thanks for your great craftsmanship!
Mike
hey I can't even afford the wife and I's anniversary in three days (G)
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