friend is expecting triplets in May/June.i'll make them a custom dining room table and matching benches as my gift.went shopping today, got some red and some white oak.she likes the "rustic" look, so we bought all their rustic white oak for the table top, everything else will be red oak. plan to fill in the knots/holes with 2 part epoxy and some turquoise dust. it's a thing out this way.had to temporarily expand my workbench to accommodate this project with some scrap plywood pieces, now it is 12 feet long and 4 feet wide. more work another day. have to figure out how to straighten the edges of the top pieces. have to build a temp sled i think.

Quote Actually a planter stand for use with tiny clay pots, this miniature table has a rough hewn colonial feeling. if you wish to use larger pots it would not be difficult to enlarge the scale of the drawing. Source: Workbench Magazine Sept-Oct 1967  

The TreeThe Jack Pine is generally considered an inferior species. However, it is gradually growing into commercial importance as stands of the higher grade pines are depleted. New uses during war years also have brought it into prominence.Normally Jack Pine is a tree 25 to 70 feet high with trunk diameters of 8 to 24 inches. It grows rapidly but is comparatively short-lived,and in its growth range establishes itself very well after forest fires or heavy lumbering operations. It is thickly branched, and on young trees the branches remain on the stem almost to the ground, causing the wood to be very knotty. The bark is thin, with narrow shallow ridges, a scaly rough surface and a dull dark red-brown color. The needles grow in pairs, only about one inch long, and are narrow, flat, stubby, twisted, and sharply pointed, dark gray-green in color. The branchlets curve in horn-like fashion. The cones which are oblong-conical, curved, with thick scales, stand erect and close to the twig, are from one and a half to two inches long and one-half to three quarters inch in diameter when closed; these cones ripen the second season but open unevenly, remain closed for several years and may remain on the tree for many years. The tree is easily identified by the numerous small crooked branches beginning close to the tree base, and by its twin. short, stiff and sharp needles and small curved cones clinging to the tough branches.Common Names in UseJack Pine(Mich., Minn., Wis., Ontario)Gray Pine (Vt., Minn., Mich., trade)Black Jack Pine (Wis.)Hudson Bay Pine (trade)Black Pine (Minn.)“Juniper” (Canada)Banksian Pine (lit.)Northern Scrub Pine (lit.)Canada HornconePine (Calif., lit.)Princess Pine (Ontario)Check PineCypress (Quebec and Hudson Bay)Scrub Pine (Me., Vt., N.Y., Wis., Mich., Minn., Ontario)Sir Joseph Banks Pine (Eng.)Jack Pine Tree BarkJack Pine ConeGrowth RangeThe growth range of Jack Pine extends from Nova Scotia and Quebec to Mackenzie, throughout northern New England, northeastern New York and to the Lake States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.The WoodJack Pine wood is brittle but comparatively weak, light in weight, soft in texture and close-grained. The heartwood is a light brown-tan with a thick whitish sapwood. Its workability is similar to other pines.99. Pinus Banksiana (Lambert) by Romeyn B. HoughUsesIt now has important commercial use as paper pulp. The numerous knots make it useful for “knotty pine" interior finishes. Increasing amounts of lumber are produced from Jack Pine. It resembles Red Pine, but is more knotty. This lumber is now used for boxes, crates, siding, rough construction and slack cooperage.BibliographyShelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA File AttributionsTitle ImagePinus banksiana forest, Neils Harbour, Nova ScotiaBy mricon on Flickr - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6323388The TreeTree in Baxter State Park, Maine. About 8 m tall [C.J. Earle, 2003.07]Reference: Pinus Banksiana (Jack Pine) Description - The Gymnosperm Database. https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_banksiana.php. Accessed 8 Aug. 2018.Jack Pine Tree BarkBark of the Jack Pine, (Pinus Banksiana)Reference: Josh. “Meet the Pines: Jack Pine.” JOSH FECTEAU, 3 Feb. 2016, https://joshfecteau.com/meet-the-pines-jack-pine/Jack Pine ConeJack pine cone (Pinus banksiana), St. Joseph Twp., OntarioAttribution: By Fungus Guy [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia CommonsSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_pine_cone_(St_Joseph_Twp).JPGGrowth Range MapPinus banksiana natural range mapBy Elbert L. Little, Jr., USGS - USGS Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center: Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps from "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29242031Pinus Banksiana (Lambert)Hough, Romeyn B. Pinus Banksiana (Lambert) (Jack Pine), Plate 99. North Carolina State University Libraries, https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/hough/vlgimage/plate_99.jpg Accessed 21 April. 2026.

IntroductionI decided to make a Japanese Scraper Plane called a Tachi Ganna. Why?I do a lot of handing planing with a regiment of different planes like the Jointer, Jack, Smoother, Bock, etc. etc. I really like making sure that my stock is square and flat before going into a project. However there are times when really perfect bottom flatness is required especially when you are making wooden planes. When you make Japanese pull planes absolute dead flatness is required on the bottoms. There are areas on the bottoms that are also relieved to minimize friction while planing as well. Japanese scraper planes are essential in achieving dead flatness.Key Aspects of the Tachi Kanna/Ganna:Purpose: It is a Japanese scraper plane primarily used for fine finishing, smoothing hardwoods, or treating difficult grain where a traditional blade might tear the wood.Blade Orientation: Unlike regular Japanese planes (hira-kanna) with low-angle blades, the tachi has a vertical or nearly vertical blade, essentially acting as a scraper.Usage: It is often used to sharpen or "scrape" the sole (dai) of other Japanese planes to keep them flat and functional, ensuring perfect contact with the wood.Alternative Name: It is sometimes referred to as a scraper plane or sometimes associated with Dinaoshi-ganna.Essentially, tachi kanna (vertical plane) and tachi ganna refer to the same specialized, high-angle scraping tool used by Japanese craftsmen for precise finishing.Summary: A scraping plane with the blade set at 90 degrees to the sole, this plane micro scrapes instead of shaving the wood.Ideal for: Planing very hard wood and soles of plane blocks (dai)Tips: Plane across or diagonal to the grainThe Prototyping ProcessThere are several different ways to make a Tachi Ganna. You can mortise out the bed cavity or you can do lamination style. In addition, blade orientation from top view: can be skewed or straight and from side view: straight up and down or leaning at a small angle. I decided to play around and make some prototypes so I could determine which meets my needs.In this first prototype Fig 1 (looking from the side), the bed cavity is leaning towards the rear by 5°. This effectively puts the blade's cutting edge in a very slight cutting / scraping mode. A wedge is made to secure the blade between the bed and and a cross pin which I made from a 4” long 1/4-20 hex bolt. Note the position of the blade cutting edge (red arrow)In this second prototype Fig 2 (looking from the top), the bed cavity is straight up and down but rotated by 5°. This effectively puts the blade's cutting edge in a very slight skewed scraping mode. A wedge is made to secure the blade in a mortised cavity that is stepped in from the sides preventing forward move while wedging (see red arrow).After making and trying out the two prototypes per Fig 1 and Fig 2, I decided that making another one where the bed cavity is leaning towards the front by 5° per Fig 3 might be best. This effectively puts the blade's cutting edge in a very slight but more effective scraping mode. The blade bevel is 45°. A wedge is made to secure the blade between the bed and and a cross pin like I made in Fig 2 above.TestingI decided to do some scraper testing on Pine , Oak, and Maple. I scraped a block of Maple per Fig 4. I placed pencil lines on the before view. Then scraped.I was quite pleased. It scraped extremely flat. Look at the fine shavings on the top of the vise. (see red arrow)Check out this video of me trying it in action.FinishI gave three coats of 2 lb blonde shellac on the top and the sides. I left the bottom bare. For the wedge I did the same but left the face bare that faces against the blade.Thanks for looking!Cheers!MrRick