There was this TV commercial once that proclaimed a certain brand of potato chips was so good, you couldn’t eat just one…
When it comes to woodworking tools, there are some that are just like those potato chips. One tool that springs to mind is the block plane. Small, easy to tune, relatively inexpensive (when compared with their bigger bench plane cousins) and handy as all get out, these tools are frequently the go-to tools when you just need to get that final tuning fit for a joint.
Back in the day, Stanley, Record and other companies pumped these babies out in huge quantities, and some woodworkers have inherited quite a selection.
So, are block planes just like those potato chips where you can’t just stop with one, or are they something you have never thought about owning…
Just how many block planes do you own?
[poll id=”46″]
I with the two people (so far) who voted for “I think they are worthless pieces of junk” had left a comment explaining why they felt this way. I consider myself almost exclusively a power tool user, but I still see at least an occasional need for a block plane…
I *wish*, rather.
Tom:
Looks like a slow week for comments, so let me add to the saga of BLOCK PLANES.
I have Two Block planes. One fixed mouth that I set up for a little thicker shaving. The other is an ajustable mouth. I set that one up for the almost see throuh shavings.
The Wood and the Task help decide which one gets called on to do the work.
I always carry one in my shop apron pocket. They make a handy pencil sharpener too. I don’t know how folks get along with out them.
JUST ONE, Never….
Warren