Book Review: American Wood & Metal Planes

Plainly About Planes
American Wood & Metal Planes
Andrew D’Elia

This book right here is awesome*.

*If you happen to be a person who really digs oldey timey wood and metal planes. When I visited the wonderful D’Elia Antique Tool Museum in Scotland, Andy D’Elia himself gave me this book. This was fairly extraordinary, because I think it was pretty obvious during my time with Andy and his museum that I am not exactly an antique tool aficionado.

If you’re not familiar with Andy and/or his museum – first of all, what’s wrong with you? – just kidding. Andy D’Elia, or if you prefer, Andrew D’Elia, author… is pretty much the pre-eminent expert and collector of antique wooden and metal planes in the US. Perhaps the world. His collection is massive, impressive, expensive, and well-catalogued.

I saw the book at The Prosser Library in Bloomfield and was happy about that fact.

So well-catalogued in fact, that he invited a professional photographer to set each and ever single plane in his collection up on a pedestal for its moment in the modeling sun. And that’s what this book is: a 340-page, full-color, glossy, high-quality catalogue of every plane in D’Elia’s collection.

Did I “read” this book? Of course not. Did I give it to my pops who actually did spend more than an hour poring over each plane and its described history? You bet. Boomers do what Boomers gotta do I suppose.

Thanks to Andy for the book and the tour; I love what he does and hope the legacy continues for many years to come.