Woodworker's Guide to Handplanes: How to Choose, Set Up, and Master the Most Useful Planes for Today Workshop
This is the vade mecum I have been seeking for 30 years.  Not just another book of pretty pictures, Scott Wynn focuses his architect's drawing abilities on the why, how and wherefore of all the planes useful to modern woodworkers. Such simple and concise instruction only comes along occasionally and future generations will be the richer for it. A woodworking library would be incomplete without this textbook.The handplane is the major symbol of fine woodworking. As the hand held carrier that presents the blade edge to the surface of the wood, it is complex in its forms. There are innumerable types and variants, so knowing which kind best suits your purpose requires some understanding. This book describes the plane parts and types, and looks at the set-up, adjustment and usage of each. Sharpening has its own chapter, as do accessories for bench work. The final 50 pages describe how to make your own handplanes: traditional wood body, Japanese style, compass, and Krenov style. This is a substantial and comprehensive volume for the discerning woodworker and blade makers.This big book should equally attract both the tool collector and the powerless woodworker. The author tells you what to look for in choosing a handplane. An excellent book!  With the increasing interest in furniture building the old fashioned way using only hand tools, this book is right on target. Wynn has put together most of the pertinent information on the many types of hand planes available today. There are 14 chapters in this tome, dealing with when, where and why to use a plane right on up to making your own Western and Japanese planes. The Norris, Bailey, Horned and Chinese planes are discussed as well as various forms of shaping planes. Wynn submits his ideas for first time purchasers of planes, what to buy and how to use them and then goes on to discuss the setting up of the tools. Sharpening is of course a major topic in this book and the author includes plans for making a shooting board and shows the various types and how they are used.  This is a fully illustrated book with hundreds of photos, sketches and drawings of various wood planes and plane tips.The woodworking handplane is believed to have been invented by the Romans. As remarked in the Beginner's article in this issue, it probably began as a chisel in a box. The chisel had been known for thousands of years and fixing it in a box so that it would cut a consistent shaving when pushed across the wood sounds like a simple enough idea. Yet it transformed the craft and to this day, the handplane is an invaluable tool, even in the most mechanised workshop. It is not merely the practical function of the plane that has ensured its longevity. The first few words of the Introduction to this book deals with the almost metaphysical aspect of its use:  "I cannot think of anyone who has made a shaving with a plane and has not been seduced by the sight, sound and feel of the emerging shaving." More than any other tool, ancient or modern, the handplane holds a place of reverence for many woodworkers. This book reflects that reverence but it is, nevertheless, an immensely practical tome that covers a broad range of topics. The first chapter deals with the performance of the handplane - the way in which it is used to achieve its primary objective of making wood smooth. The second chapter moves onto a brief review of sharpening (including a consideration of the kinds of steel used in plane blades) and the third chapter is devoted to plane anatomy. This contains information rarely discussed in other woodworking literature. The comprehensive diagrams should provide a firm basis with which to reach an understanding of plane performance under the various circumstances encountered in the workshop. Chapters four and five introduce the particular models of plane, first the triumvirate - jack, jointer and smoothing - then the panel, scrub and block plane. Chapter six explores the many styles of plane within these general models including those of both European and Oriental origin. Chapter seven introduces the models of plane used for making joints such as rabbet, shoulder and filister planes while Chapter eight does the same for planes used for shaping wood, (eg. compass, chamfer and spoonbollom planes). Chapter nine, which offers advice on how to select your first planes is followed by the largest chapter in the book which provides instructions for setting-up the most significant models of plane. The rest of the book gives further detailed information on sharpening, notes on bench work (ie. the actual use of planes) and finally, there is a chapter on making and modifying planes.  The book would be of interest to virtually any woodworker, at any stage of his or her development in the craft. It is well written and illustrated and while it is easy to read, it is likely to be used as much as a reference book in the future as for the rapid acquisition of knowledge when it is first encountered.covers choosing, using and maintaining both Western and Japanese styles of handplanes, including jack, jointer, smoothing, panel, scrub, Bailey, block, horned, rabbet, bull-nose and more. The book also includes plans for full sets of Western and Japanese style planes.Scott Wynn has been designing and making furniture since 1975; you can see samples of his work here; none too shabby. He's also a licensed Contractor and an Architect. And, judging from the drawings that he's done for this book, he's quite the talented illustrator.  A quick initial thumb through the book got my saliva flowing. There are a lot of excellent photos of all manner of hand planes, but what really caught my eye were the illustrations. Over 300 of them pepper the book. The writing style is crisp and clean. And, at 317 pages, this is a hefty book that covers just about every aspect of hand planing, with a focus on the more commonly used planes.  There is a very interesting section on the differences between smoothing with sandpaper and hand planes, a section on the different types of steel use in plane blades, and an excellent and very detailed discourse on plane anatomy. Wynn then covers, in consummate detail, the nature of some of the most commonly used hand planes. After reading these sections you'll be in a much better position to go out and purchase your first set of planes. The book is rounded out with sections on fine tuning and sharpening planes, how to use planes for common planing tasks, how to make and use shooting boards, and how to make wood bodied planes. If you're new to woodworking, and think that you might want to begin using hand planes at some point in time, then get this book. For the life of me, I can't see that you'd be disappointed with it. Ditto for anyone who has been working wood, but still feels uncomfortable using hand planes. There might even be some tidbits of information here that seasoned woodworkers can benefit from.WOODWORKER'S GUIDE TO HAND PLANES, by Scott Wynn, is a meaty text on how to choose, maintain and use all major styles of hand planes, including Western and Japanese varieties. The author's woodworking and tool expertise is clearly evident and with more than 200 photos and 300 beautiful hand-drawn illustrations, readers will easily comprehend his instruction. Also included are plans and instructions for a bench, shooting boards and a full set of Western and Japanese-style planes. Wynn is an instructor at the Woodworker Academy in Alameda, Calif., where he has taught for nearly 15 years.