Making and Mastering Wood Planes

In the interests of "writing short," I'm simply going to summarize my feelings, up front, by saying "This is a fantastic book. Buy it!" and to add that anything else positive that other reviewers had to say about this book is exactly right.Having put one wooden hand plane together, from a kit, prior to buying this book, I can already see (via a couple quick flip-throughs of the contents, with a bit of more detailed reading, here and there) that this book will absolutely meet my needs for studying this part of the craft. Having previously put one together from a (Hock Tools) kit, I can see that these instructions go even deeper than I have already gone. There's a boatload of helpful information in this book, that will be great for any future plane-making I do. I'm not at all sorry I built my first wooden (block) plane from a kit! Buying both this book and a kit would be a very fast way to get started in this interesting niche in the woodworking hobby world. The book filled in details the kit's instructions didn't; and having pre-made parts in a box, ready to put together and refine, seems like the best of both worlds to me. That was ideal for my first hand-built wooden plane, but I'm really excited about my second plane, or my third one; and learning to make planes for specialized tasks. (I often build scale models and such, rather than "boxy" projects ... so, adaptation will be a good thing, over the long haul!)When the book arrived, I did an initial flip-through, just to get a sense of the whole. I was deeply impressed at how detailed and helpful, but also fun and inspiring, this book was. I was just as impressed on a second, more detailed overview or skimming.Going forward, I'm really looking forward to "deep diving" this book -- not just as a one-time passive reading experience, but to actually take me beyond kit assembly, and into the (very enjoyable!) waters of building and using hand planes. I will really enjoy having this book around, as my road map for that journey, as I make another hand plane later on, and then another one, and ...

This is a well written and detailed book on making hand planes. Not only does the author explain the process of making a wooden plane, but he also explains how to get standard shop tools to perform their best so each plane comes out the best that it can possibly be. It is important to know things like setting up tools because if the tool does not make an accurate cut, the resulting plane will not be accurate either. The author assumes you know nothing, and guides you through each and every step in the process leaving nothing out. An excellent book, and it will surely make a plane lover out of anyone.I had avoided hand planes for many years, and unfortunately it was in error. After having made a few wooden planes, and learning how to adjust them and use them, my opinion on the use of hand planes has completely reversed. Not only are hand planes easy to learn and use, many times they are faster and more efficient at removing a little material here and there than hauling out a power tool or sanding forever to accomplish the same thing. I think I really had to make one myself in order to get myself to use it, and now that I have, the experience has been well worth the small effort up front. My new wooden planes work better than the several old metal planes that have been sitting around the shop forever, and this is primarily because after making the wooden planes I tuned them to work the best that they could. The author explains all of these steps, and there is nothing better than a handmade plane that is perfectly tuned to remove material so thin you can read through it.

I have been a wood worker / carpenter for many years, building boats, furniture, cabinetry and homes. I purchased Making and mastering wood planes to do just that but this book is so much more. This hands down the best woodworking book I own and I own a lot of book like this one. Finck covers not just making wood planes but how to tune spoke shaves and sharpen cabinet scrapers.If you have no interest in planes and just would like to know how to learn such things as using a band saw, jointer and planer. How to tune your Combination Square, straightedge, block plane and spokeshave. Preparing a grinder, honing stone and workstation. Making a tool rest and truing jig for your grinder just to mention a few of the many useful techniques that any woodworker could use. This book is a gem.

This is a good, serious book. I'm not sure if David Finck is overprecise (his shavings are super-thin) but if you can make something that will do what he says you can do, you should make your own planes. You'll need irons that are worthy of your efforts (Hock Tools).

I've read a lot of woodworking books, but next to  Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking , this is the most practical primer for furniture building. The author covers almost every necessary skill from rip sawing to making router templates. His coverage of grinding, honing, planing and shaping may be more thoroughly covered in other books, but this is a welcome addition to a book about the oft-overlooked wood plane.Of course, what this book excels at is describing how to build a Krenov-style wooden plane which may be nearer a tool used by Romans 2000 years ago than our modern electric planes, but it finishes wood with unsurpassed efficiency and exactitude.The only two minor omissions are a Janka hardness listing of appropriate plane-making woods and a mention of Hock Tools as a plane iron option, in addition to the author's own firm. In fact, Hock sells a Krenov-style plane kit for those who are too busy or lazy to complete a first one unassisted.

nicely put together book Nice photos. Making....only about 15% is about making. There are things like how to make hammers how to set up a bandsaw, how to use a spokeshaver and chisels. If you are looking for the simple japanese style of planes, this really isnt your book.

Definitive guide to handmade Krenov planes, other than Krenov himself