Practice with planes...Last week I received 6 planes from Lee Valley Tool Company. I had helped Rob Lee and the Veritas engineers in the design of a new plane for kids, and as a thank you from the company, we got samples to put to work in the Clear Spring woodshop as you will see in the photo above.

Today in the woodshop, we put the new planes to use. We had a discussion of proper stance, care of the tools, and how to check stock for straight and square. While some of the 5th and 6th Graders were practicing, the others wrote and illustrated thank you notes to Mr. Rob Lee. Then jobs were traded, giving all the students a chance to practice planing wood. It was a surprise to some that they could have so much fun without actually making anything but piles and piles of very thin shavings.

Another surpise for some of our students is how much fun they have turning on the lathe. Wood turning at Clear Spring School starts in the 7th and 8th grades, but is also a favorite activity for our high school students. Gab, shown turning rings below is a senior exchange student from Thailand.