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There is a lot of nutty, stupid boasting in our craft. Examples: I can build that highboy in a weekend. I can rip faster than a table saw. I can eat more pies than you.
But one of the boasts that gets the most eye-rolling is this: I can cut mouldings faster than you can set up your router.
This one I actually believe.
There are some mouldings that I make all the time. I use a 3/16” bead between my backboards. I have a 1/4” ovolo for small casework where a plinth transitions to the main carcase. And now I have a 1/2” square ovolo for larger details.
While complex moulding planes have lots of limitations, they are great when you need to run a lot of moulding really fast.
Today I was moulding the aprons for a table I’m building and took some video of how long it takes to form the edge, from the time I picked up the jack plane until the time I put down the moulding plane.
And there is no sanding. This moulding is crisp and ready to finish.
— Christopher Schwarz
Like handplanes? Want to learn a lot more about them? Pick up a copy of “Handplane Essentials,” which is an enormous U.S.-made compilation of my writings on the tool. It’s a nice book. I wouldn’t lie to you.
P.S. The music in the video can be downloaded here.
