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On several occasions I’ve taught hand tool woodworking in locations that weren’t really setup for it. The challenge I faced was hand planing workpiece faces on tables or workbenches that didn’t [...]

Q & A: Low-Angle Planes Provide Versatility Q: What advantage does a low-angle bench plane have over a standard bench plane? A: Low-angle bench planes allow you to change the blade’s [...]

Sharpen a Plane Blade There are many ways to sharpen plane blades, and woodworkers have strong opinions on the best technique. Here is a simple, reliable method to achieve a sharp edge. It takes [...]

Premium Blade Set Upgrading a blade and chipbreaker can turn a pretty good plane into a dream tool. If you’ve been thinking about buying a premium plane, here’s an alternative plan: [...]

Premium Blade Set Upgrading a blade and chipbreaker can turn a pretty good plane into a dream tool. If you’ve been thinking about buying a premium plane, here’s an alternative plan: [...]

      Every so often I need to plane down a piece of wood that is too small for my jointer. To handle these small jobs, I devised a stand for my No. 5 [...]

A great value in premium hand tools   by Tom Caspar         “I’m really getting the itch to use good hand tools, so what kind of plane should I buy?” [...]

Hone an incredibly sharp edge with a $35 combo stone.   by Tom Caspar         For this woodworker, it doesn’t get any better than using a sharp hand tool. Not just [...]

"What? A $600 machine that just sharpens hand tools?" That's the reaction I've heard when introducing my pals to the latest in sandpaper-sharpening technology, the Lap-Sharp [...]

An excellent sharpening system has just gotten better and cheaper! The Veritas Mark II ($300) sharpens chisels, plane irons, carving gouges and V-tools incredibly fast with a minimum of fuss. The [...]

        Sometimes setting up a big electric router to do a small job is like swatting flies with a backhoe. What you may prefer, of course, is a simple hand tool that [...]

        Here's really good news for all you hand tool enthusiasts: Lee Valley has added an updated version of the Record No. 044 plow plane to their line of Veritas [...]