Hand Tools

Hand Tools Product Finder

• Pinnacle Spokeshaves

  by Chris Gochnour

  Woodcraft has introduced two new spokeshaves under its Pinnacle brand: a flat-sole model (No. 151) and a curved sole cousin (No. 151-1/2). When I received the shaves ...

• Plane Blades and Chisels Need a Flat and Polished Back

  by Chris Gochnour

  A sharp-cutting plane blade or chisel depends upon the meeting between two flat, polished surfaces. That's why you need to pay as much attention to the backs of ...

• 28 (3-in-1) Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Blade was poorly prepped and failed on end grain; mouth adjustments, made via shims, were difficult; sole not flat....

• 3110 (3-in-1) Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Blade needed lapping out of the box; mouth adjustments, made via shims, were difficult; blade shifted laterally during depth adjustments....

• 4 Must-Have Handsaws

  by Matt Kenney

  If you are not regularly using handsaws in your shop, you may be missing out on the best tool for a number of jobs. There's nothing better for crosscutting delicate ...

• 420 Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Blade needed lapping out of the box; mouth not adjustable; blade shifted laterally during depth adjustments....

• 60-1/2 Rabbet Block Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Cut quality is good; square, full-width blade rabbets on both sides; depth adjuster tended to shift blade laterally, so you must be careful....

• 92 Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Blade needed lapping out of the box and needed reshaping to make it parallel to sole; blade failed on end grain, mouth easy to adjust....

• Gidgee Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Blade adjusted with a hammer, which takes practice; blade projection on top made plane hard to grip; mouth not adjustable....

• Large Closed-Throat Router Plane

  by Dan Faia

  With its ability to control depth with precision, the router plane excels at fine tuning machinecut joinery, stepping in to flatten and level the bottoms of dadoes ...

• Large Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Solid performer; casting recesses have sharp edges; blade shifted laterally as depth was adjusted; mouth easy to adjust....

• Large Shoulder Plane(1)

  by Chris Gochnour

  Flawless tool; very comfortable to grip with one hand or two; blade lapped dead flat; mouth easy to adjust....

• Mini Digital Height Gauge

  by Peter Breu

  Wixey has introduced another model to its line of digital gauges, bringing easy and exact measuring to the shop. It’s a height gauge, and there is a lot to like ...

• Planing Stop

  by Michael Pekovich

  I'm a big fan of plane stops. It’s much faster to butt a board against a stop rather than clamp it in a vise or between two benchdogs for face-planing. Still, I ...

• Skew Block Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  Cut quality is very good; bronze body increases mass and heft, won’t rust; depth adjuster tended to shift blade laterally, so you must be careful....