Some people might accuse me of having more handplanes than I know what to do with, but remarkably there is still one hole in my arsenal: a plane for cutting end grain. So I was happy to give the new Veritas small bevel-up smooth plane a road test.

With its blade bedded at 12° and the bevel sharpened at 25°, it offers an effective low cutting angle of 37° that’s perfect for slicing through end grain on shelf and tabletop ends. Used on its side, it’s great for shooting small parts such as box sides and dividers. It has even inspired me to make a new shooting board. The plane is large enough for a two-handed approach, but it can be handled easily with one hand as well. This comes in handy when chamfering corners, where maintaining a consistent angle is easier to accomplish with a one-handed grip.

Overall fit and finish is flawless. The plane features the same adjustable mouth as its big brothers. Simply loosen the front handle and swing a lever to adjust the opening. It’s about the same size as a No. 3 Stanley plane, which I find too small for everyday smoothing tasks. But for end-grain work typically done on narrow edges, the size is ideal.

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