Getting Started with Handplanes

Regardless of how pervasive powered tools have become in workshops, the hand plane remains one of the defining tools in the woodworker's repertoire. Over the thirty years I've been involved in the craft I've rarely met anyone indifferent to the tool - in general people seem to be enamoured with it's mystique, and once they learn how to use the tool, are captivated by its functionality. It's no surprise that we're experiencing somewhat of a renaissance in hand planes – both in terms of the number of new plane makers cropping up all over the continent, and courses being offered by woodworking schools.