Tighten Up Your Trimwork
Though it doesn’t have a cord or battery, a block plane is a powerful finish-carpentry tool
Synopsis: Finish carpenter Kit Camp describes the many pros of having a block plane in your tool belt. He details six different uses for block planes, including closing gaps, backing out (removing material from the back of a piece), easing edges (including creating chamfers and roundovers), removing saw marks, making scribes, and flushing up two pieces. He then explains how to tune up a block plane by flattening, sanding, filing, and sharpening the plane. The article includes a detailed illustration of a block plane and recommendations for three types of block planes currently on the market.
After many years working as a finish carpenter, I can tell a lot about someone by the tools in their tool belt. If I see them using a sharp chisel or block plane, I know we’re probably going to get along fine, because it shows me that me that they’re interested in producing the…
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