Whatever type of work you do, there’s a Gordon shoulder plane to fit your needs. Made in Australia, the plane is available in four sizes, ranging in width from 1/2 in. to 1-1/4 in. Choices for the beautiful hardwood bodies include rosewood, ebony, ironwood, and gidgee. The wood is housed in a brass channel to ensure that the sole and sides stay true through extended use. Held firm by a wedge that abuts a pivoting brass block, the blade is bedded with its bevel down at a steep 65° pitch. Flip over the blade so that the bevel faces up, and the tool becomes a scraping plane. This is a nice bonus if you’re working challenging grain. Blade adjustments are done with a small wood hammer; this takes a bit of getting used to, but the instructions offer some helpful guidance.

I was impressed with how consistent and well made the Gordon planes were. All four had tight mouths, the sole and sides were square and true, and the blades fit the planes perfectly.

I was skeptical of how planes with such a steep pitch would handle end- and cross-grain work. But these tools had no problem working maple end-grain shoulders, repeatedly taking full-length shavings. With blades sharp, the Gordon planes also had no problems with cross-grain work, and when planing the figured bubinga rabbet, they were at the top of the class. Although minimalist in form, the Gordon planes were comfortable to hold in a variety of situations, and their design reminded me that sometimes less is more.

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