Tuning Hand Tools

Tuning Hand Tools Product Finder

• Video: How to Set Up a New Handplane

  with Tommy MacDonald

  Learn how to tune up a brand-new handplane straight out of the box

• Buying Old Tools

  by Matthew Teague

  The used-tool market is a fertile place to find quality hand tools for affordable prices. Furniture maker Matthew Teague offers a road map to those just dipping ...

• Video: Sharpen a Marking Gauge Cutter

  with Scott Gibson

  Improve a pin-style marking gauge to mark clean lines across grain

• Build a Plane From a Kit

  by Matt Berger

  Ever dreamed about planing wafer-thin wood shavings with a handplane you built yourself? Two editors, intrigued by a planemaker's sales pitch, set out to do just ...

• Video: Modify Your Marking Gauge

  with Scott Gibson

  Pin-style marking gauges have a single cutter that will work better with a couple of quick fixes

• Video: Using Shoulder Planes

  with Chris Gochnour

  Suited for a variety of tasks, these tools can cleanly cut cross-grain, long-grain, and end-grain wood

• Video: Using the FastTrack Honing Guide with Diamond Paste

  with Aimé Ontario Fraser

  Learn how to maintain the same honing angle for each iron

• Video: Using Your Spokeshave

  with Brian Boggs

  Even a well-tuned shave requires practice to master

• Handplane Tune-up

  by David Charlesworth

  Frustrated because the new handplane you bought doesnt give you the fine shavings you expected? David Charlesworth shares a trade secreta new handplane should be ...

• User's Guide to Block Planes

  by Chris Gochnour

  A finely tuned block plane is a pleasure to use, according to furniture maker and woodworking instructor Chris Gochnour. Quiet, efficient, and precise, it leaves ...

• Japanese Planes Demystified

  by Carl Swensson

  When it comes time for fine handwork, the author finds Japanese planes superior. Carl Swensson, who teaches hand-tool techniques and builds furniture, finds that ...

• Rabbet Planes Are Real Shop Workhorses

  by Garrett Hack

  From cutting and fitting rabbets and dadoes to making final adjustments to tenons, rabbet planes have no equal, writes Garrett Hack. There are dozens of types, ...

• Using a Spokeshave

  by Mario Rodriguez

  Mario Rodriguez works quickly, quietly, and effectively at shaving inside curves, cleaning up cabriole legs, shaping Windsor chair seats, and fine-tuning spindles. ...

• Block Planes

  by Mario Rodriguez

  Mario Rodriguez has plenty of specialty planes, but he says he usually reaches for his block plane. It’s small and handy, compact and light. To evaluate what’s ...

• Souped-Up Scraper

  by Kelly Mehler

  Kelly Mehler’s former apprentices all rave about how he tunes up a cabinet scraper, the old metal-body kind with spokeshave-like handles and a reputation for not ...