Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 684.082
EAN num: 9780806961637
ISBN number: 0806961635
Label: Sterling
Manufacturer: Sterling
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 192
Printing Date: 2000-10
Publishing house: Sterling
Sale Popularity Level: 1153711
Studio: Sterling
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Small and extremely comfortable to use, wooden hand planes bring machined surfaces to an alluring, silky smoothness-but they can't be bought anywhere. Fortunately, this meticulously complete, photo-packed guide is like two volumes in one, teaching you how to make a classic plane yourself (it takes only a day or so) and how to use it in a refined manner. One of the most respected woodworkers around digs deeply into the art of crafting and working with this personalized tool, helping even the most uninitiated with dozens of detailed boxed sidebars on the basics. Every step in the construction process receives extremely close attention: preparing the plane blank; bandsaw pointers; drift angle; tension; tuning and using hand tools; sharpening with ease speed, and reliability; cross pin location; and gluing up. Handle the plane well so as to get a good stroke going; and take a look at invaluable planning aids and special techniques. No other manual is its equal!
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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First, I'm an admirer of James Krenov's work, and I was expecting much more than just a foreward from him.
There's some great tips on tuning and using hand tools, plus jigs and fixtures for the bench. But the book is definitely not a requirement for building the Krenov-style hand planes. There's a myriad of free or inexpensive plans for building these planes, and, what's more, they're much faster and easier than using Finck's methods of work.
For example: Finck wants to make all of the cuts on the bandsaw, including freehanding the angled cuts on the plane body, then truing it up with a block plane, all of which leads him to include tutorials on tuning the bandsaw, tuning, fettling, and sharpening the block plane, sharpening chisels, even making carving knives. Some of it is interesting, but seems like filler just to turn hand-plane building into a book-length subject. Anyone who would be interested in building planes likely has these tools and the knowledge to tune and use them. If not, there's plenty of other books and instructions on the topics, there's even plane-building kits available with prepared stock.
I agree that the bandsaw is a safer tool than the tablesaw and much prefer it, but rip and mitre cuts in stock 3" thick or less are precisely the sort of cut a tablesaw excels at vs a bandsaw. If the tablesaw still scares you, a mitre saw or even mitre box will work for the mitre cuts.
Taken in sequence as a plan, the beginning amateur woodworker (who probably has only weekends to work) may take months to complete the project, if they don't give up in frustration. If you're a dedicated galoot, this is the path for you, though I expect you'll be as puzzled as I am as to why all of this emphasis on using the block plane to clean up a mitre. Why not just put it on a shooting board?
Then there's the jig for cutting the cap-screw slot using a hand-held router. Uh, what's wrong with doing this on the router table? This took me about 30 minutes to mark the workpiece, setup the router and fence, set a stop block, and make the cut in multiple passes. I would have spent a whole afternoon trying to understand and construct the jig Finck recommends. Routing a piece that small is much easier and safer on a table.
As I said, some great galoot-tips on tuning and using tools, but the subject of building a Krenov-style wooden plane does not require a book, and I want to produce a useable plane this year.
Rated by buyers 
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I'll just copy in what I wrote David on his website:
David,
I just built two planes per your book, a 9 1/2" jack and a 13" smoother, and am AMAZED at the results.
I've been a recreational woodworker for about 4 years and have never been able to make handplaning a central part of my reportoire, until now.
I was in the garage last night, practicing with my new jack plane, on a triangular scrap from its construction. I planed two primarily end grain faces to flawless smoothness, and the side grain face to a glassy sheen. I showed them to my wife and friends here at work, who all were dumbfounded when I told them no sandpaper was involved.
I now am no longer mystified by the luster and depth of pieces produced by College of the Redwoods grads. I'm literally stunned by the polished beauty of these surfaces, the fact that I produced them myself, and their potential appearance once shellac'd.
I thank you effusively for your book, and would encourage anyone who is looking for woodworking's 'killer app' to study it. Study every word of this book as I did, and you won't be disappointed!
Regards,
Rob Kutner
San Francisco, CA
Rated by buyers -
This is an outstanding volume that instructs on many of the fundamentals of fine woodworking. The focus of most of the book is making a wooden Jack plane -- a noble endeavor that unfortunately is not higher on my list of must do projects. Even with this focus, the lessons that can be gleamed from the book apply to many fundamental, though frequently ignored, skills.
I truly do no understand why this book is out of print.
Rated by buyers -
While it clearly shows you how to make your own high quality planes, it actually provides a succinct introduction not only to their use, but to all the tools useful in their making. It's a beautifully focussed introduction to woodworking that is neither boring nor insulting to those already knowledgeable. As a bonus, the photo in the introduction of a child using a plane is worth the price of the book.
After reading this book from the library, I want to buy a copy. How can it be out of print?! It should be reprinted.
Rated by buyers -
I bought this book based on the other reviews here, and I completely agree with them: this is a real gem. There is not much more I can add except to say that I think every woodworker should have this one.
That includes any beginners out there, I think this one has so many excellent guides covering just about every topic, you can hardly go wrong. Note that it doesn't cover joints / furniture design etc.. etc.. but it does cover most of the basic skills, and it gives you a worthwhile project (building a plane) to work through.
HIGHLY recommended.
Good for novice / advanced woodworkers also.
I hope this added review helps you decide to give it a go, because I wish I had this book way back when I was starting out.
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