Making and Mastering Wood Planes is in its fourth printing and now available on video too! See the trailer here. While either format will get you to a finished, functioning plane, the two taken together gives you the most thorough coverage of the topic.The book works great as a bench-top reference and self-paced instructional guide and includes many fundamentals of fine woodworking as well. The video pulls it all together and presents information and nuance that truly only comes across in moving pictures.

I decided to write "Making and Mastering Wood Planes" after teaching dozens of workshops on the topic at craft centers and schools across the country over many years. It was the pure delight expressed by so many students at having the simple, yet subtle mysteries of the hand plane uncovered that inspired me.

I was introduced to wooden hand-planes many years ago as a student of the craftsman so often associated with this particular style of hand-plane, James Krenov. He was also kind enough to provide a forward for the book. Students of mine had suggested on many occasions that a book was needed on the topic that would appeal to novice and experienced woodworkers. Indeed, building your own hand-plane is not just and end to acquiring a great hand tool, but also serves as an elegant framework for learning many fundamentals of fine woodworking. Three years in the making, with very detailed text and hundreds of photos and drawings, I think you will find that "Making and Mastering Wood Planes" will ably and assuredly guide you through the process while helping to elevate your skills to the next level.

Don't forget to order plane irons too.

Read this very favorable review by Chris Schwarz.

In its fourth printing, published by Hickory Ridge Press (my self-publishing concern) the book is offered in soft-cover, 192 pp, 245 color photos, 93 drawings, Printed in the USA on 100# glossy stock.

Topics include:

Tuning up the necessary hand tools

Fast efficient and effective sharpening

Tuning a band-saw and re-sawing plane blanks

Making the plane

Troubleshooting

Using planes for: edge-joining, squaring, truing and polishing surfaces, and trimming

Planing aids: shooting boards, etc.

Scrapers and scraping

Making rocker bottom and scraper planes