Restoring An Old Plane
An antique dealer’s secret formula for turning gunk into glow. I’ll bet you’ve got an old, tarnished plane sitting somewhere in your shop. Maybe it was your grandfather’s tool–one he...
Handplanes for Beginners
Once you understand the anatomy of a handplane, you’ll be well on your way to using it with success. [View the full-size exploded view of a handplane here] Handplanes are...
Another Side to the 60’s
Back in the late 1960’s, the folks at Record tools in Sheffield, England, redesigned their classic 044 plow plane (or plough plane, as they spelled it). It’s a tool used...
The Almost-Forgotten Fore Plane
Learn to set up and wield one of the most useful (and inexpensive) handplanes. Also check out: A primer on adjusting wooden planes. Kevin Drake, a furniture maker who trained under...
Bosch Brushless Planer Review
Tool:18V Brushless Planer GH018V-26N Shop Now Manufacturer: Bosch MSRP: $229 (Bare Tool) Every once in a while I’m fortunate to be struck by serendipitous situations in this job. After [...]
Choosing Hand Planes
Match the size to the job–that’s the key Hand planes come in a bewildering variety of sizes. Why are there so many? I’ll help explain this mystery by dividing the...
Mechanical Marvels or Steampunk Sporks?
Stanley No. 45 and No. 55 combination planes are put to the test. “This Universal Tool is a PLOW, DADO, RABBET, FILLETSTER, and MATCH PLANE, a BEADING and CENTER BEADING...
Almost a Plane Wreck
The perilous flight of the world’s most valuable tool. Half of the airplane’s hydraulic system had failed at take-off; the other half failed as the plane was 10 minutes from...
Block Plane Basics
This versatile hand tool should be every woodworker’s first plane purchase. As a “professional woodworker” I often get asked what’s the best bang-for-the-buck tool by people getting into [...]
An Unusual Retirement
In Conversation with Plane Maker Karl Holtey. Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. In 2015, acclaimed hand plane maker [...]
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...
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...
