The Handplane Book (Taunton Books & Videos for Fellow Enthusiasts)

Bought it for reference as I have a number of planes, many hand made, Seems rather complete, even had one of my production planes in it.

The book teaches you what you need to know to knowledgeably purchase, tune, use, and understand the craftsmanship of planes in woodworking. There are two additional points to mention though:After reading the book, you should be prepared spend some money. The book is going to explain to you what you need in a plane, and when you go shopping you are going to find that pretty much anything under $100 is not going to cut it, literally. That's the sad truth.Now as for the second point, I've got to be honest, I'm done with the book and I'd say maybe 10% of what I read is useful information. You should also be prepared to suffer through a great deal of useless information in order to get to the pieces of data that you really need in order to accomplish the task of learning to successfully select and use a plane. Unless you are reading this book to get a big history lesson, it's going to get boring.Yes, the bulk of the book is filed with fascinating factoids you really don't need to know in order to tune and use a plane with an advanced level of understanding. Yes, you do get that from the book, but you get bogged down to what feels like a really slow pace with all the extra information. I'll give you an example...Among a great many other unhelpful time wasting distractions, the book teaches you that for a good time in the early history of United States the best quality metal pieces for planes were only available via import and they typically came from Sheffield England. This is because of a lack of availability of quality irons in the United States at that time, and because Sheffield had a corner on the market. Because of this age-old reverence for Sheffield steel, Sheffield England has a good reputation among those who use planes right up to this day.Now do you really need to know that in order to knowledgeably purchase a good plane, tune it, use it effectively, and understand how it works? I mean come on! That was just a condensed example. The above information is expounded and expanded upon for several paragraphs if not an entire chapter. The author even goes into the history of how certainly irons would be half Sheffield steel and half US steel, welded laterally across the center with the English steel on the bottom for obvious reasons.Who cares? I didn't buy the book for a history class. I want to learn to use a plane and I want to know which one I should buy so I don't waste time and money.Well as it turns out, the book has wasted a lot of my time and has also educated me that I'm going to have to spend a lot of money.Bottom line: you will learn all about planes, and if you have trouble sleeping at night, just keep a copy of this next to your bed ;-)

I am relatively new to woodworking and have read numerous books on handplanes and watched an excessive number of videos. This book is the only place in which I have found an actual explanation of all of the components, their purpose, and how to adjust them. Most explanations are "This is how i adjust it," and not "This is why I adjust it this way."

This book is worth reading if you have an interest in tools and woodwork, whether you actually own a hand plane or not. It is a well produced book, good quality paper and pictures (good enough for my coffee table), and lots of interesting facts. Although this book thoroughly covers the set up and use of a plane (and associated topics such as workbenches for planing) it also deals with the history of the craft and many of the illustrations are from ancient tomes, showing how things used to be. Some might find this unnecessary, but I found it fascinating, even though I am highly unlikely to ever need to rethroat a wooden plane.The illustration of the inlay on an antique joiner's chest (a picture of a workshop, showing planes in use at that time, surrounded by an elaborate decorative inlay) was amazing. I can't even begin to imagine how much work and love went into that, and all for a tool box.So, whether you want to refinish a vintage plane, learn how to choose the right plane for the job and how to use it properly, or if you just want something to dip into to read with a historical woodworking slant, this could be the book for you.

A lot of background and nice photos of planes. The tuning and set up section could be improved though; not as concise or well organized as it could be. But still a great overview of historical planes, with IMHO too much emphasis on wooden planes and collecting. Not as concise a reference as the lie-nielsen videos online or  Working W/Handplanes (New Best of Fine Woodworking) . But if you get through all the historical information it has excellent sections on plane use, adjustment and tuning. Very comprehensive on the use of planes in various trades, which is in a way interesting; but too much information on obscure planes. An interesting section on modern plane makers and auctions although slightly out of date. Good information on sharpening although nothing on sharpening systems. A lot of information on collecting and historical planes, and good advice on buying old planes.To paraphrase the most concise book reort that I ever ran across "This book told me entirely more than I really wanted to know about planes".Still well worth the money and an outstanding reference.

If you are going to buy one book on hand planes, make it this one. The author stated that none of the planes he purchased came with a user's guide and that he aimed to write one, he *absolutely* succeeded in that. This book takes you through everything about a hand plane, from theory to tuning to buying and using one, it covers it all.The part that struck me that I hadn't realized is how important your bench is and how it relates to the way you're using the plane. I wasn't expecting a chapter on bench designs but now that I have read it I fully plan on changing my bench configuration. So much so that I am planning on building a new one that's more customized to the things I use my planes on.The picture in the book are extremely high quality as well, they are well thought out and are placed in locations that make sense. They're so good that you're going to want to go out and buy at least a dozen new planes after seeing them.

Livro essencial para qualquer entusiasta de ferramentas manuais e marcenaria em geral.Além de falar da historia interessantíssima das plainas desde o período romano até os dias de hoje, ensina ao leitor a modificar suas plainas de forma ela funcionar de maneira extraordinária.

One has to be honest enough to say you need to be really interested in woodworking to want a book like this. That's not to say it is a boring grey book - far from it - but the subject matter is of course not a broad one.Now, putting that aside I can say with some joy that this is a beautiful book. It is well bound, glossy and packed full of information that might suggest it is dry but is anything but. The author clearly loves the subject and he takes us through the history of planes, their use and how they are made. He tells us how to tune them and of course how to get an edge worthy of a master.Like almost all the best books about woodworking this is an American one. And, whilst of course it is orientated towards the US, England gets quite a few mentions because of the older companies who made outstanding hand tools. What it does of course remind one is that sadly we in the UK have lost that interest and joy in the subject whilst the Americans seem to have embraced it.Overall if you are an inveterate woodworker with a love of the subject then this book should appeal to you,

The content seems really good, but there are whole chunks of text missing, and paragraphs are mashed together.I can’t believe anyone at the publishers ever checked this over.Annoyingly I bought it a few weeks before starting to read it so can’t get a refund!Shockingly poor. Do not under any circumstances buy the kindle version of this book.

A splendid handbook for all lovers of old carpentry tools; beautifully illustrated and well researched. Written, inevitably, from the point of view of a US craftsman and collector but thoroughly enjoyable for Brits and others.

I cherish this book. How beautiful! A wonderful assortment of facts and imagery. If you're interested in handplanes buy this book.