I thought I would talk about some of my tools and their origin. If you catch the lutherie bug you will find yourself buying lots of tools and lusting after tools you can't afford. Above is a pic of some of my hand planes some of which I have made myself. The blue plane on the left is a Supercraft plane that I bought from a hardware store and was one of the first tools I bought. It's far from perfect, the adjusting wheels are fiddly and it's only made from pressed steel but it's handy when precision isn't required. The black plane next to it is a no-name Taiwanese Block Plane that I also bought fairly cheaply from a store many years ago. It works ok and I use it quite a lot. The rustic looking thing next to the block plane is a Jack Plane I made from plans in a book aimed at woodworkers in developing nations that I found in a library. Unfortunately I can't remember the book's name or it's author. It describes a whole range of tools that could be made using basic tools such as a handsaw and chisel. The iron I bought off eBay from China and it seems to be good quality. It works well. The iron is adjusted with a small hammer. Next are two Krenov-style planes I made many years ago. I like making tools. It's uniquely satisfying when you put effort into the project and find that the tool you have made works as well as a store-bought one. I made these two according to instructions in David Finck's book Making and Mastering Wood Planes. This book is simply one of the best books I have ever read on the subject of woodworking. It's a must-read. These planes work as well as any store-bought plane, a tribute to Finck's exemplary way of explaining the process. The small plane is made from a piece of hardwood i had lying around and the iron I cut from and old handsaw blade. It's excellent for detail work. The other is a Smoothing Plane. As you can see I'm not concerned whether my hand-made tools look great, as long as they work. Next are my two Stanley-style planes, a Stanley/Bailey no. 6 and a Falcon-Pope Smoothing Plane that was made in Australia. I bought these from a garage sale. They are both excellent to use and adjusting them is easy. I'll be showing off more of my tools soon...