Equipment

A wooden plane can produce cleaner, flatter joinery than many metal planes, but only when the plane is tuned to […]

A plane iron can look sharp and still cut poorly if its edge is hollow, rounded, or uneven. The problem

A shooting board is a simple jig that lets a hand plane trim an end or edge square and repeatably.

Resinous softwood—pine, fir, larch, cedar, and similar stock—can make a hand plane feel either wonderfully fast or completely unmanageable. The

A rebate plane cuts a stepped channel, or rebate, along the edge of timber. On a door frame, that rebate

Planing a board edge square to its face is a basic hand-tool operation, but it rewards accuracy more than force.

Setting the lateral adjustment on a hand plane iron means aligning the cutting edge so it meets the sole evenly

Rust on a hand plane is mostly a cosmetic and corrosion problem—until it starts pitting the sole, clogs the mouth,

Flattening a plane sole with abrasive paper is a practical way to improve a hand plane without buying a milling

Choosing between a toothing plane and a scrub plane depends on what “preparing” means in your job. If the timber