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We’ve just received our shipment of our newest DVD: “Handplane Basics: A Better Way to Use Bench Planes.” And despite my needing a haircut when we filmed it, I’m pleased with the result.
Check out the trailer above for a quick preview. (Yes, there is banjo music.)
Thanks to Megan Fitzpatrick’s, ahem, firm direction and Drew DePenning’s skilled filming and editing, we crammed a ton of information about bench planes into 71 minutes of video. This DVD decodes the bench plane system in a way I think is helpful. Instead of focusing on conflicting historical instructions, one craftsman’s personal preference or numbers from a Stanley catalog, we explain the characteristics of all bench planes.
What does this really mean? Well once you see how the length, mouth, cutting angle and shape of the iron of the plane all interact, you can think for yourself. We boil it down so:
1. You can pick up any plane and know what job it is supposed to do.
2. You can set up any plane to do a wide variety of jobs.
3. You’ll understand the conflicting historical instructions for handplanes.
4. You’ll pick tools that suit your work and avoid buying tools you don’t need.
I think this DVD is best suited for handplane beginners or intermediates (someday we’ll do a DVD on advance planing , promise). In “Handplane Basics: A Better Way to Use Bench Planes” we cover (in a way that I’ve never seen before) choosing the right tools, sharpening the iron to the right shape and pushing the tool.
This DVD is available in our store now for $24.95.
– Christopher Schwarz
