Shooting Board: A Review and Primer
Shooting boards are one of those hand-tool jigs that people talk about (a lot) but few people actually know much about. Whenever I teach, students always clamor for a demonstration of the device, [...]
Chipbreaker: Theory & Use
Most bench planes come equipped to eliminate tear-out. Handplanes are great tools for creating a smooth, finish-ready surface on a board without the dust and noise from a sander. If the board is [...]
New Jorgensen Bedrock Plane Review
Introduction In recent years, the market has seen an influx of high-end planes in the Bedrock style. Initially, Lie-Nielsen planes took the lead, followed by Clifton, and later the Chinese-made [...]
Tallow Tales & the Black Handplanes of Britain
Puzzling lubrication. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine I ran out of mutton tallow this morning! I searched my tool [...]
Parts of A Hand Plane [Video]
In just over 90 seconds Logan walks you through all the main parts of a metal body hand plane. Interested in learning more? Check out the article Handplanes for Beginners. For Basics Week [...]
Touching Up and Tuning a Shoulder Plane – Part 2
One of the first things that many people notice when advancing the blade of a Preston/Record style shoulder plane (today’s Clifton and Lie Nielsen planes are based on that design) is a scratching [...]
Touching Up and Tuning a Shoulder Plane – Part 1
A few years ago, my friend Cambell Albritton gifted me with a small Clifton #410 shoulder plane that he no longer needed. The plane was still in its original box but unfortunately developed a few [...]
Detail Rabbet Plane
Tool: Detail Rabbet Plane Shop Now Manufacturer: Veritas MSRP: $72.50 Years ago, I bought my first rabbet plane, a Clifton 410, to get me out of a jam. My bread and butter work was [...]
Flattening a Plane Sole, Part 5 – The Tools I Use to Measure Flatness
To conclude this series of entries about lapping/flattening the soles of metal planes (read them here #1, #2, #3, #4), I wish to share some information about the precision tools I use. The [...]
Flattening a Plane Sole, Part 4 – Lapping a Leviathan
Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. The #8 Record plane I bought a few years ago was the most prominent, heaviest, and the longest plane I have ever lapped; it was also a plane for which …
Flattening A Plane Sole, Part 3
In previous entries, I explained how to lap short-bodied planes using diamond stones and sandpaper rolls (click to read parts 1 and 2.). This entry is dedicated to lapping larger planes and [...]
Flattening A Plane Sole, Part 2
Last week I talked about the diamond stone technique for lapping the soles of small block planes. This week I will talk about another popular method – using abrasive tapes over a flat [...]
