Famous Plow Planes
Published in this month's Popular Woodworking Magazine
From: Andrew Yang Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:44:53 -0500 To: "Schwarz, Chris" Conversation: Plow Planes Subject: Plow Planes Hi Chris, Just had a chat with Walt, ironically about a lost shipment, and I inquired about some of the plow planes he's got right now. I've done my digging through your blogs, and Handplane Essentials but am left with some questions. Walt asked me what I'm trying to do with the plow plane, and I didn't have a good answer aside from the fact that is shows up on your list of "Nine Essential Handplanes". He retorted that "Chris is very advanced" so essential for Chris may not necessarily be the case. Regardless, he said if you try and do things mostly by hand and get away from the electric router and router table, then the plow plane is an essential. The question then falls on what kind of plow? He suggests a Stanley No. 50 as a good starter plow. I'm curious as to why Veritas only makes a small one (similar to a 248?) and Lie-Nielsen makes what seems to be a very stripped down version in their T&G plane. More flexibility, adjustability inevitably equates to more difficulty in use and setup. So does the balance land on the 50? What sizes covers the "essentials"? I feel like I'm neck deep in tools, and only have the "I Can Do That" step stool to show for it. So maybe I forget about tools for a while and think more about wood. Thanks again for a bit of your time. Is there a write up about the tool cabinet in addition to the litany of quotes forthcoming? Andrew
From: "Schwarz, Chris" To: Andrew Yang; "Fitzpatrick, Megan" Sent: Mon, November 22, 2010 11:56:17 AM Subject: Re: Plow Planes
If you are going to cut grooves by hand and you want to make moulding by hand, you can’t skip the plow plane. It cuts all the grooves for frame-and-panel constructions. The plow also removes waste before you work it with moulding planes.
There are other things you can do with plows, such as cutting small rabbets and making tongue-and-groove joints. I can’t imagine working without it, and most traditional woodworkers would probably agree. As to which one you should get: The metal plows are fine and age more gracefully than the wooden ones. But they clog more because they throw the shavings onto the fence. So a Stanley No. 50 or a Record 043 or 044 would all be good choices. I do hope that the modern toolmakers do come out with full-sized plows in the future. But the good news is that there are perhaps millions of vintage one out there for you to choose from. Hope this helps. ------------ Christopher Schwarz Editor "Credo, sed caveo." The 18th-century motto of the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers