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    Plane Truths for Living
    Plane Truths for Living
    Plane Truths for Living
    Ebook185 pages2 hours

    Plane Truths for Living

    By John Rollins

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    About this ebook

    We don’t have to live long before learning that life is not always on a smooth path. If we’re honest, we must admit that many of the bumps in the road are caused by our own roughness. A plan to make our path straight and our rough places smooth is extremely valuable – and that is exactly what you have in “Plane Truths for Living.”

    When you finish this book you will have accomplished two things. First, you will learn more about a simple hand plane than you know today. Second, you will have an opportunity to learn and be inspired by nineteen truths that can be applied to your daily life. These facts, when taken to heart, have the ability to change how you live and relate to those around you.

    John C. Rollins has captured his journey in print so that others can learn the im¬portance of slowing down, spending time in quiet reflection, and gaining insight from the experience. This is an extremely practical book, presenting crucial life principles taken from observations of an everyday woodworking tool. You will be encouraged to discover simple things you can do to make your life and witness more effective.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAustin Brothers Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2017
    Plane Truths for Living

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      Book preview

      Plane Truths for Living - John Rollins

      Plane Truths

      for

      Living

      By John C. Rollins

      Contents

      Introduction

      Stopping to Smell the Roses

      Wood Planes - What Makes Them Special?

      And The Rough Places Plain

      Being Content

      Life Is Temporary

      What Does Age Have to Do with It?

      Getting in Tune

      How Sharp Is Your Blade?

      What Is Your Blade Made Of?

      Where the Blade Meets the Wood

      Got Something Stuck in Your Craw?

      The Angle and Direction of Attack Is Important

      Collectible versus Usable

      Analysis Paralysis or the Fear Factor

      Power Made Perfect in Weakness

      Being Filled

      Do Others See Jesus in You?

      Live Life with a Sense of Purpose

      Conclusion

      Post Script

      John C. Rollins - Biography

      Plane Truths for Living

      Author: John C. Rollins

      Published by Austin Brothers Publishing, Fort Worth, Texas www.abpbooks.com

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright © 2017 by John C. Rollins

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews or articles.

      Unless otherwise noted, verses are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright* 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

      Verses identified as (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Bible

      Note: The Stanley tools mentioned in this text were manufactured over 50 years ago (the Stanley Bedrock brand was made approximately 100 years ago). Stanley does still produce a newer line of hand planes. The Fulton and Sargent tool companies no longer make hand planes and have not done so for approximately 50 years.

      This and other books published by Austin Brothers Publishing can be purchased at www.abpbooks.com.

      Printed in the United States of America

      2017 -- First Edition

      Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:

      and the crooked shall be made straight

      and the rough places plain.

      Isaiah 40:4 KJV

      Plane Truths

      for

      Living

      By John C. Rollins

      Acknowledgments

      I want to thank the following individuals for their encouragement and assistance during the writing of this book. My first thanks go to Bryan McAnally for his initial guidance and help to get me started. Virginia Reedy, where would I be without your support in the original manuscript? You see, engineers sometimes have difficulty with verb tenses, and active and passive voice and Virginia helped me through many of those hurdles.

      Gracie Malone, without you this book would still be languishing in my computer. I cannot thank you enough for your support, encouragement, and willingness to help a new writer understand what it takes to get his book into print. My pastors over the past few years that have taken the time to read, encourage, and make suggestions.

      My wife Dee, thanks for putting up with the time alone while I was staring at a computer screen and keyboard, and for pointing out when a section needed additional explanation or simply did not make sense, and to Dee’s sister Marian, thank you for your comments on the final read through.

      Many thanks to my men’s study group (Hutch, Wade, Joel, Bob, Bill, David, Richard, Rod, Kirk, Rodney, Jerry, and Johnny) who agreed to read and participate in a review of this study during several weekly meetings. Your time and input helped me make additions and clarifications that will make the study a benefit to all who read it.

      I would like to thank my woodworking friends Dave, Paul, and Mike who helped me understand the tools of the trade described in this book. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Terry Austin and Austin Brothers Publishing for working with me to make the release of this book possible.

      Preface

      Welcome to Plane Truths for Living.

      Upon reading the title to this book, you might ask, "Don’t you really mean Plain Truths for Living? Why did you use the word Plane instead of Plain and what is the purpose for the picture of tools on the cover? What exactly is a ‘Plane’ Truth?"

      A Plane Truth is the revelation of a life changing truth or lesson for living, extracted through the observation of woodworkers and the use and design of a simple but age-old woodworking tool—the basic hand plane.

      This book captures my journey to understand the concept of a Plane Truth so others might learn the importance of slowing down, spending time in quiet reflection, and gaining insight from the experience.

      Can you actually gain insight about living or relating to others by observing a common tool? After all, I expect some of you have used hundreds of tools during your life without gaining any life changing truths or insights except perhaps the realization that hammers are much harder than fingers and thumbs. Others of you have had little experience with tools and picked up this book out of curiosity, or with the thought of buying it for a woodworking friend. For you, the whole subject of woodworking and hand planes probably seems foreign.

      Human history is filled with examples of the development and use of basic tools. Some of the earliest tools consisted of stones for grinding corn, and flint arrowheads for protection or hunting. Over time, bronze and iron replaced stone,¹ but the changes did not stop there. The transition to new tools and materials has continued to take place up until today. Not only have the materials changed, but the tools themselves have become more and more sophisticated in design. Today’s tablet computers and smart phones are two of the more recently developed tools. Though mostly unheard of only a few years ago, many people now consider these tools to be indispensable.

      Whether you are talking about hand planes, complex computers, or the phone you use, tools quickly expand your capabilities and just as quickly become viewed as necessities. It is interesting that some tools remain useful for over hundreds of years while others have very short productive life cycles. The standard hand plane has had a comparatively long run as a useful tool. Unlike many of today’s modern tools, planes are also very portable—batteries neither included nor required. Their functionality, longevity, and portability make the hand plane an attractive candidate for study.

      What should you expect from this book? When finished, you should accomplish at least two things. First, you will learn more about a simple hand plane than you know today. Second, you will have an opportunity to cogitate, as my grandmother used to say, on nineteen separate lessons or truths that can be applied to your daily life. These facts, when taken to heart, have the ability to change how you live and relate to those around you.

      Regardless of your knowledge of tools, consider this book a fascinating glimpse into the world of a woodworker who uses wood planes. Along the way, you will be exposed to analogies that will relate to living your life, review related Biblical scriptures, and even get to know a few friends of mine.

      Introduction

      The idea for the journey into the world of woodworkers and hand planes began innocently enough with a trip to an antique tool sale. My wife might refer to these shows as flea markets, used tool sales or perhaps, on a bad day, junk sales. However, for me, none of those terms capture the sense of wonder I experienced when looking at rows of tables containing a myriad of tools used by men and women over the past 100 years.

      I have recently retired after working for over thirty years as an engineer, technical writer, industry standards representative, trainer, expert witness, and planner in the telecommunications industry. Knowing that I enjoyed creative woodworking projects, my friend Dave introduced me to some of the finer points of working with wood and opened a new way for me to spend my time and the funds from my diminishing 401K.

      Dave and my other woodworking friends have also expanded my understanding of the greater purpose in purchasing tools. I had always viewed tools as items to be used in the construction of a project, and in that light, they needed to make the product better or reduce the building time. I now understand some tools are purchased to set on shelves, store in drawers, gather dust, initiate discussion, and aggravate spouses.

      Perhaps a woodworking friend of mine put it best when he explained the reasons for making a purchase. According to him, there are three reasons to buy any tool: 1) to use, 2) to collect and look at but not necessarily use, and 3) if you still want the tool but it does not satisfy the first two criteria, it can be purchased if it might at some point in the future be useful to you or someone else. I have noticed that the third criteria is often interpreted very loosely.

      At times, it seems that a tool’s functionality has little impact on its financial value. Instead, the price of an item is often dependent on how many are available and the number of individuals interested in using or collecting it. The value of some items, particularly the expensive ones, is difficult to explain to those new to the craft. As a neophyte to collecting, most of my purchases were items I thought I could use for the completion of a project while Dave’s purchases tend to be driven by their worth as a collectible.

      Explaining the cost versus functionality versus dust-gathering purpose of an item is often difficult to convey to the uninitiated in general, and spouses more specifically. You will also find that the difficulty in explaining the benefit of owning a particular tool is directly proportional to the price paid.

      As with all collecting, having one of a particular item of a given type is rarely sufficient. This is because it is always possible to find a better or a newer, or an older version of whatever item you are collecting. You will also find that collectibles may end up being stored on shelves, in boxes, or even in showcases. Unless you keep outstanding records of your inventory, it is easy to end up purchasing a duplicate item without realizing it. Several woodworking friends and I often attend a monthly flea market to spend time visiting, looking for tools, and eating lunch together. One familiar story we often relive over lunch is the time one of us purchased a relatively expensive plow plane only to arrive home and discover he already had one exactly like it. We often joke that we would not be surprised if there is even a third identical plane in the back of a drawer or cabinet somewhere in his shop that has yet to be rediscovered. Purchasing a second or third item is surprisingly easy to do. Don’t ask me how I know.

      Since becoming involved in woodworking, I have developed a particular attraction for hand planes. Other woodworkers I know have a soft spot for hammers, items made from brass, or six-inch rulers. As strange as that sounds, you would be surprised how many different types of hammers and rulers there are and how expensive the really unique ones can be.

      My first memory of a hand plane involved going to the hardware store with my dad to purchase a plane that he used to shave off the bottom of a door. The original door no longer fit because of carpeting we had installed. Dad’s No. 5 Stanley plane now resides in my shop in a special cabinet made just for hand planes. I enjoy using it from time to time even though I also own a more expensive and technically more advanced plane of that size. Dad’s plane just has a unique feel when coaxing shavings from a piece of wood. Perhaps I like planes because of the trip to the store with dad, or maybe it is just that in this world of electrically powered tools,

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