How To Restore a Coopers Plane

A Cooper's plane is used by coopers. They are the ones that make barrels and other water-holding devices. The coopers plane is designed to be used upside down and the work passes over it.
Here is the ASMR Version of the video: • Restoring a Coopers Plane
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[@LessTalkMoreDelicious]

Wow... very advanced and many steps!

[@kaige108]

Just when I think I'm good now I know what's, whatl. James shows me how much of a noob I am. Keep up the good work mate.

[@trevorbishop3075]

Love the vid.never seen one. Can,t wait for more.

[@dhroen]

Yes, please cooper something--whatever would be most fun for you. Thanks.

[@charleslanier1992]

I so want one but I want a I beem with a #8 in the top middle and one on the end to make a long jointer plane for long stock like cabinet face material.

[@trentholmes1]

Great video. That plane would be fun to use.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, James! Really interesting plane indeed! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@MrDNG55]

Looks like great fun to use. I have used some of my planes in a vice upside down like this plane 😁

[@gregpreston7301]

Great video as usual. Did I miss where the blade came from? Seems huge for a hand plane. Is it from some other type of specialty plane? As always, I appreciate all you do.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I got that one at an MWTCA meet. You come across them from time to time. Some times up the 6" wide.

[@richardtraweek1136]

Beautiful restoration. Would like to see it in use.

[@WoodenBoatBen]

If you can cooper, you can build a boat. ;)

[@johndowning2231]

I first encountered one at Colonial Williamsburg in the coopers shop. It was on its legs, leaning against some support and I asked the cooper what type of plane it was. He said, “A jointer”! Made a lot of sense. It might be a fun project to build one. Thanks for the video!

[@oscar33212]

Great looking coopers plane! My dad and I demonstrated making wooden buckets and vessels at the Ohio State Fair for about 10 years, a story in itself, using a great benefactors tools, as well as a few of our own tools, many of which we made ourselves. The cooper’s plane we used looked just like the one you restored, and when timed up it would definitely remove some wood, but it is scary to hold that 10” piece of wood and run it over a razor sharp iron just fractions of an inch below your fingers.

[@ianpearse4480]

That is very cool.

[@markadams3494]

Ain't it great to finally find a use for that blade set you bought ten years ago and had no idea what you wanted it for? Nice job.

[@makermark67]

Great video. Never seen one in use, can't wait to see how you use it moving forward. Love the restoration. Thanks!

[@articrdog5872]

Yes! Please do a series of Coopering videos very soon!

[@donepearce]

I use something like this for making the ribs for lutes. My version is a 2 x 4 sheet of laminated finish mdf with a hole in the middle that accepts a block plane. I plane the ribs after they have been bent to their final curve on a hot former.

[@bobhargesheimer3514]

Looking forward to seeing you figure out how it was used back in the day. I'm curious how the legs came into play and the notch in the back was used.

[@VORONM]

A very, very, very interesting tool. I have never seen this before. Thank you, James, for introducing your viewers to the world of hand carpentry tools!

[@jerrybrown1446]

I’m interested to see some coopering. It seems like some complicated geometry. I’ve never seen it done before.

[@andrewarcontisr8878]

Coopering seems to be a bit of science and art combined

[@iseriver3982]

If coopering is science then so is making cubes out of paper when you was 5.

[@gamemeister27]

​@@iseriver3982Applied science then

[@iseriver3982]

@@gamemeister27 answering your phone is applied science then.

[@gamemeister27]

@@iseriver3982 Being a hater is your calling damn

[@iseriver3982]

@@gamemeister27 it's not being a hater, it's saying that woodworking isn't the same as science. If you can't enjoy woodworking without having to lie about it, then you're the hater.

[@charitiekbyrd1]

Uh oh, he's pushing a coopers plane on us😂😂! Great video, would like to see more. Stay safe and have fun!💯😁

[@jeffhill1380]

I have a coopers plan that is very different than the one you have that is much older than mine. The plane I have is very unique and was made by a member of the PACIFIC NW Tools Collectors. I will take some pictures of mine and send it to you. It has an interesting twist to it by repurposing parts from an old plane. I think you will find this an interesting adaptation. Thanks for this video as I did not know how this plane was used.

[@SunyJim]

I would be very interested in seeing coopering. Such interesting looking tools for doing that, i've seen them a few times while looking at antiques

[@paulcoffey359]

I'm from Victoria and that's just Blackwood, not Victorian Blackwood. Something like a Turpentine is harder and I find easier to work, so would also be good for this. Jarrah too. Pretty cool plane though.

[@OORAH659]

i would like to see the missing parts added on and what items were made from using this cooper plane in the pass. Pictures with carpenters. That would be nice. You did a relaxing video thanks ... OORAH!!

[@jeffspaulding9834]

It'd be interesting to see your take on coopering. I saw a bit of that at Silver Dollar City and it looked to be interesting. My take on coopering would probably involve heavy makeup, boa constrictors, and playing golf.

[@geneard639]

My great uncle had busy work for me when I visited. I sat on the front porch with a pile of firewood and a plane. My job? Make shavings to use as kindling. I actually miss doing that.

[@johnitzin9939]

Excellent video, as usual! Now we'll see a white oak barrel in the future, yes? ...then we char it, then we age some spirits! Fun project!

[@inclinedplane0192]

Like the ship of Theseus, this one. Could have been titled "How to make a cooper's plane, basically". Fun video!

[@stevem268]

i had a cast iron cooper's plane in my shop for a while, it belongs to my cousin, he wanted to make it servicable again and we did! it was made in england, i'm guessing 100 plus years ago and weighed 110 pounds

[@MrMNRichardWright]

I have always admired the traditional Swiss milk bucket? Here’s a link to one being made from a master. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGXOc2qAhLuep9k

[@psecody]

Awesome video, this actually gave me some good guidance to use on some wooden planes that I've acquired that were missing the irons, chip breakers, and the wedges. I have found very little information on wedge design and none of what I've read goes into too much detail on how to make a new wedge for an old plane.

[@ianpearse4480]

Very cool. After you make the barrel are you going to make the contents? LOL. Double the enjoyment!

[@TankVgryazi]

Haha, DB Cooper references: the forever wellspring of humor. Also, fun video!

[@dorislyons6223]

Brilliant to watch a master craftsman. Soul destroying to know it takes 10 mins to sharpen when it takes me hours.😅

[@ianbracken7973]

Looking forward to seeing you finish this. I presume you'll be making new legs for this.

[@anthonyseiver7000]

(Mick Dundee voice to a punk pulling out a No.4): that's not a plane, this is a plane (pulls out coopers plane)

[@Solid_Jackson]

This might be your best video, awesome stuff, thank you

[@markh5889]

Very informative video. Thanks. Please keep up the good work.

[@rpower1401]

Great, another tool I need to find and restore that I had previously not know existed...Thanks! lol

[@zohranbloedjes9770]

Even if you are not Cooper it should be useful I have put my jack plane plenty of times in the vice for small parts

[@robertberger8642]

A comment. Perhaps a second comment? But a comment nonetheless. 😀

[@CleaveMountaineering]

What a great project. Put your trash can under the mouth opening for a hand tool dust collection system.

[@JackFright]

This is really cool. Thanks for sharing the restoration.

[@ancjr]

I missed an opportunity to get a coopers plane for myself years ago. Would love to see a video of coopering.

[@Bargle5]

I'd like to see some coopering.

[@B_COOPER]

Hey! Give me my plane back!

[@skdutch]

It’s really fun learning about tools I’ve never known about. And what better way to learn about them than watching one get refurbished? I know, I know, refurbishing one myself. But I don’t have a Cooper’s plane so this will have to do.

[@christopherharrison6724]

Wow in the words of crocodile Dundee “call that a plane ,this is a plane” 😂

[@kenrusmisel127]

I am in the process of retouching a fore plane the mouth was a full half inch wide when I started

[@paco_vazquez]

Uuuuhhh coopering!! Should be in my bucket list!

[@joebaker5421]

I just look at it and think “A bench jointer. All it needs is a big fence” 😅

[@ManuelGarcia-ww7gj]

What will you make first? A wine barrel or a bucket?

[@LicheLordofUndead]

Who says size does not matter, that is one long plane, I would love to see how it is used.

[@upsidedowndog1256]

Fascinating how things were made before plastic and cheap steel! Fluid proof barrels made mostly with wood is really cool!

[@thomasgreen8532]

Very cool, I have never even heard of such a thing. I have several wood planes but I really have not done much with them yet. We are in the midst of a move more than 500 miles away. And we are in the midst of a brand new house to move into so most of my shop is in boxes. And will be until mid August.

[@danwittmayer6539]

Very instructive with a groaner of a joke, lol

[@zippy1981dotnet]

Interesting that they decorated a wedge that is effectively hidden

[@jeffgoodsonwoodworking8627]

It is nice to see the old was demonstrated I do them and the kids love to be a part of it

[@suburbanyute340]

don't get me wrong. i like your videos. but the bare hands in the oil and rubbing it all over the work makes me physically uncomfortable. i cant fault you for that though because i'm the type of person who would intentionally do that just to annoy other people like me lol

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

You are not alone. That feels odd to some. Though I have never understood why. Personally I love the feel of it.

[@joedance14]

Another question, if I may: I recently saw one of your videos in which you used a shooting board. This time though, the hand plane, which appeared to be much longer than a No 4, had a handle on the side. Seemed like a good idea, but new to me. What was that?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Here is a video on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYbWqIhridmHpbM

[@jonway7845]

Great to see old tools put back to work. you used winding sticks to true up the sole. Instead of making winding sticks, I use a pair of 2 ft aluminum levels. Your thoughts?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

any two sticks with parallel edges will work.

[@jimcampbell1139]

🤪more like a cooper deplane. But not found since

[@sigogglin]

I try to guess the pun you will make in any given video 😂

[@SeanFoushee]

Fantastic restoration. I would love to see you try making a barrel with that monster plane.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

You would think that. and that is common on large crosscut saws but not on panel saws. If there was a handle for it you would see a hole for a bolt, or you would see a notch on the tooth edge for the strap to go around it. also you would still be able to find handles for it. but they don't exist.

[@dalepatton4861]

An upside down plane tends to end in a crash, Good Luck!

[@alexandrosmakaronis7339]

Just a tip James, I see in several videos that you strike the first knife cut very hard. The master (Paul Sellers) suggest the first cut to be gently in order not to loose track. Regards

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

it looks like that due to my shakey hands. but if you watch the live videos I am always repeating the mantra of light, medium hard.

[@rakmaarcg1553]

Would be a pleasure to see some project with that bad boy 😮

[@timothymallon]

Will you be recreating the legs for it as well?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Some point yes.

[@phillipbrooks1289]

I bet your dad wishes his jointer plane was that quiet

[@navret1707]

Just let the chips fall where they may.

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

I have an interesting video idea for you or maybe call it a challenge. Can you build a hand tool workshop with $1000. That is to include the tools required for restoration, any reference or measuring tools, plus the tools themselves that you might restore. A $10 plane from the flea market is great but it might take $100 worth of other tools laying around to get it working (kinda) correctly. With some of the available reed parts and your ability to manufacture planes, I could see a Frankenstein’d jointer with an A2 blade, reed adjusters, and a Stanley handyman frog😂.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I started my shop with $12. I didn't spend more than $200 in the first 6 months.

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo I’m talking like a “new” shop build. If your house was full of black mold and you couldn’t visit it for months

[@JustJimWillDo]

Roll out the barrel, James. We'll have a barrel of fun.

[@jlecount]

Really good video. I would definitely enjoy seeing more about you will use this!

[@cheryldawkins7486]

Interesting video. Thank you

[@markp6062]

Neat!! Like the restoration process! You said you had to tweak it when you first started using it. I'd like to see/know what those tweaks were.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

to get it to fit perfectly you wear it for a bit and feel where the pressure points are. then use a hook knife to scrape it out a bit on those points. then rinse and repeated.

[@johnfreiler6017]

Yes! Coop away. I'd love to see you work it out.

[@emerald1587]

What an interesting video again! I wonder, this Cooper plane, is it some kind of precursor to a jointer?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

The jointer is MUCH older.

[@namewithoutdigits]

Cool project, thanks for sharing. Will you still be adding the legs on this tool?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

at some point yes.

[@brendanlangord1687]

Definitely looked like a fun project. I can't wait to see what you end up doing with it. Also I loved the dad joke at the end, well played.

[@nicholascook9584]

It would be awesome to see what is involved in coopering and honestly i just wanna know what a cooper is and does

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Cooper is someone who makes barrels.

[@dirtylegcraftsman2948]

I’ve always loved coopers planes.

[@rollingstone3017]

Fun stuff, James. You’re about the only one on KZbin that has stuck with hand tools only. Many others have strayed to power tools. Kudos to you 🎊 🎉!!!😅 As a suggestion, woodsmith recently made a planter in the shape of an old barrel. Coopering is involved, but they use a tablesaw. I’d love to see it done with your coopering plane 😊

[@chou-fleur-academy]

Great work, very interesting tool.

[@johnsetter6920]

It would be very funny to make a YT short trying to use it as a silly long jointer plane!

[@joedance14]

Really interesting video! I have had an large old wooden hand plane, probably a jointer plane, for about thirty years. It does have a wedge. I am looking for an iron and chip breaker; and over the years, the wood has dried some, and a small crack has appeared. I was wondering if I could use really thin epoxy to seal that crack.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Yes. I like to use a penetrating epoxy to get down deep into the cracks.

[@joedance14]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank-you! I always learn so much from your videos.

[@DraganIlich-r1s]

Thank you Sir.🎉

[@garybaumann5637]

Great video. Thank you.

[@darkagescook001]

I would love to learn along with you

[@farmerjohn8726]

Great video James!! Winner! Cooper's plane! Who knew? And the sole doesn't have to be flat, but it sure as heck had soul! Absolutely, do some coopering on a decent sized barrel ... bonus if you demonstrate fabrication of the steel bands (presumably not reggae!) ... but the material selection, the calculation of the angles up and down each stave and any jigs or special tools, the dry fitting plus mortised top and bottom ... sounds like several videos and a full course on Channel #2 ... barrels of fun!! Cheers, Farmer John, Ontario, Canada

[@joespilman7333]

Looks fun dont think i need one..lol

[@ianstewart7605]

I'd guess the most useful/simple combination for your first project would be a smallish bucket? Then you could serenade us in the closing credits with "There's a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza" 😂

[@scottpinkston5571]

Please make a barrel. That would be so cool!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

that is high on my list.

[@RichardMerrill3Hawk]

All new and fun to watch, and no shade on your woodworking, but I LOVED the stalactites on the linseed oil jar lid! They were temporarily stalagmites, but when in place...

[@threeriversforge1997]

Just like Stavros Gakos would do. Excellent job! Might I suggest adding a touch of pine tar to your linseed oil finish? I think you'll really appreciate the splendor that comes from it.

[@AllanMacMillan]

Cool plane, based on the video title, I was expecting some sort of specialist compass plane for planing inside curves. This one is quite different than that apparently, a static sort of jointer (edit: it follows the machine style of work, bringing the work to the tool, like a modern jointer). I'm looking forward to you demonstrating how this one is used.

[@dpmeyer4867]

nothing witty comes to mind

[@multicoloredwiz]

wow, now that's a BIG BOY!

[@iainmcculloch5807]

I was going to ask if the body was made out of ash, because that looks like a big ash plane. but you mentioned that it's beech. Since most folk know that coopering is a traditional craft, would that make this a beech craft plane? Also, I wanted to ask if you're learning to use a cooper's plane so you can make a barrel of laughs?