An interesting thing happened on Saturday while I was (nominally) watching my children.   I vised-up a warped length of 2×2 that had been a 2×4 in a previous life and started making shavings with the ol’ Dunlop jackplane.   I’ve never made much use of a handplane–the blade isn’t sharp enough, the bench racks, I don’t have enough clamps, it takes too much time, I don’t know how to adjust it. . . . . . .

The  Dunlop, which I’ve learned is not a well-regarded brand, an old Stanley No. 118, which I’ve learned is not a well-respected model, and a $9 Buck Bros. block plane comprise my plane collection.

So while I’m making shavings and keeping an ear on the kids as they destroyed the basement, a completely unexpected happening happened:  the warp was gone from the 2×2.  I planed it out!  Granted, it was no longer a 2×2.  Then I adjusted the angle of the blade with that lever thing, and lo and behold, the edge squared.  At least, to the naked eye.

Without being at all mindful of what was happening, I realized that it really *isn’t* that hard to use a plane.  Imagine that.