A Review: Make a Wooden Smoothing Plane

by Patrick Harper - Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust

I spent the last six months building the workshop.  Yes, life blessed me with an amazing opportunity.  However, I grew tired of drywall, cabinets, and electrical.  I wanted a fun project.  So, when I stumbled across Scott Meek’s video, “Make a Wooden Smoothing Plane”, I decided to give it a shot.

You can buy Scott’s video as a digital download or DVD.  It provides over two hours of detailed instruction.  In addition, Scott includes a Sketchup template and detailed drawings.  The video starts with wood selection and milling.  Then, it walks you from shaping to troubleshooting.  Additionally, Scott provides you with excellent plane making tips along the way.  Furthermore, “Make a Wooden Smoothing Plane”, puts it in simple English that’s easy to follow.

Heck, even I was able to follow along.  In fact, I was able to make my wooden hand plane in just a few days.

The entire process is pretty simple.  First, you mill your cheeks and center assembly.  Then, you dry assemble the plane body.  Next, you cut your throat and ramp.  Then, you glue everything together.  Finally, you shape the plane body and troubleshoot.  While the most difficult part was cutting accurate tenons on the cross-pin, my first wooden plane was a success.

My only complaint, is that Scott doesn’t delve into plane iron selection or troubleshooting.  I choose the 2-inch wide, by 4 1/2-inch long iron from Ron Hock.  In conclusion, I highly recommend Scott Meek’s, “Make a Wooden Smoothing Plane”.  It provides excellent instruction and it’s a fun project.

You can find it at www.shopwoodworking.com