Plane, but beautiful

The things I do for you, dear reader. Detached myself from my office and betook myself down to the Rogers Centre last week on a lovely sunny day to watch a baseball game, courtesy of Stanley Tools.(It was fun, but I think the game would be more exciting if it was played on ice!) Did a get a thrill, however, from several of the new products on display. I liked the new FatMax Xtreme tape measure because a) it has a big hook at the end -  so I can grab the end of a board or whatever with it easily (see pics above)  b) it stands out 13 feet without flopping, which means I can use it when I don't have the Big Guy around to help and c) the rubber lock on the grip is easy to use - even for a pudgy dainty little hand like mine.  And even though I've only ever used a plane once (and it ended badly, I am at pains to admit), I was fascinated by the new premium line of "Sweetheart" hand planes (see pic below) from Stanley.  I didn't know that Stanley began making planes as far back as 1870. If you're a professional woodworker or cabinet maker, or just a dedicated DIYer, there are all sorts of reasons to check out this new line. Sadly, you'll have to wait though, they're not in stores yet - stay tuned. While I'm not likely to ever use one again, I like them because I think they have a beautiful design. But when I commented to the tough guys at Canadian Home Workshop and Canadian Contractor that I thought they'd make gorgeous bookends, I thought I detected some smirks.