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Duration: 23:11 minutes

I had never met Adam Cherubini, until the Woodworking in America conference at Valley Forge (October 2-4, 2009). I regularly read his column, the Arts & Mysteries blog at Popular Woodworking magazine; as a result, I looked forward to his presentation at the conference. I was not disappointed; this was a learning experience for me, an experience I brought back to my own, hybrid, power-tool and (incipient) hand-tool shop.

To start the presentation, Cherubini sat in front of the audience and chatted with attendees for a while. His style is totally disarming, and erudite. When he grabbed the hand planes, he became an authority on period tools, and on the techniques. I don’t believe anyone present knew, or grasped, until he mentioned it, that a craftsman of the era typically dealt with as many as 65 hand planes! By last count, he had introduced approximately 20 at the end of his presentation.

I hope my editing skills do not betray the quality of Cherubini’s presentation. It was truly outstanding. It was fascinating to see a tongue and a groove (T&G) emerge from previously flat edges on boards – quite a difference from using my T&G router bits on the router table, and just as fast. As you watch the video, notice how sharp his vintage tool irons are; he even comments about this, from an experience at a session he attended in which some modern premium hand planes were used.

If you ever have a chance, plan to attend one of the conferences, and watch Adam Cherubini in action. I enjoyed it, and I know you will, too.

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— Al Navas