Woodworking hand planes

Follow these pro tips, and put this workshop workhorse through its paces. When I started woodworking nearly a half century ago, I regarded my machines as the cast-iron kings of my workshop, and my collection of hand tools as quaint relics from our past. However, as I discovered how a properly sharpened plane could deli

With a few simple tools and step-by-step techniques, you can make a pair of heirloom-quality planes.

mafe's Project

Hang around enough woodshops (or Internet discussion groups) with a block plane in your hand and you’ll eventually be derided for owning a “carpenter’s tool.” It’s a criticism that I’ve never…

A hand plane provides a great extension to the capabilities of a woodworking who primarily favors power tools, but how do you know which ones to buy...

If you've made a wooden plane, all it takes is a few modifications to make your own shooting plane.

A little while back, wooden planemaker, Jeremiah Wilding contacted me to get some feedback on a plane he was developing. He had been fine tuning a “Yankee” style fore plane and wondered if I could give it a test run. This plane was a joy to use. Because of the precision of his workmanship and the lack of warpage (from a century of neglect) this plane adjusted easily and predictably—a luxury not every antique plane offers. Wilding explained that the “Yankee” style planes lacked carved eyes…

A simple method for building three basic hand planes.

Even the most ardent power tool minded woodworker can’t escape the reality that some jobs are just easier solved by a couple of passes with a hand plane. Whether you’re an active hand t…