The Essential Handplanes

In this video Philip C. Lowe, the founder of the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, talks about what handplanes any woodworker needs and why. This video is part of a series with Lowe in which he answers questions from readers and members about choosing, sharpening, and using handplanes.

Philip C. Lowe was a long-time woodworker, who got his first taste of of the craft while serving in the Navy. He went on to become one of the most respected and well-known instructors in the country and operated his own school, the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts. Lowe passed away in January 2021. FWW published a tribute to him in issue #288 (April 2021). He made this video workshop in 2012.

QUESTIONS

1		What are the first two or three planes a woodworker should own? NOW PLAYING   Danny Thompson Via the Internet
2		What do I need to know to get started with wooden molding planes? PLAY 2Ed Harrison Meridian, Miss.
3		How do I camber a plane iron, and what’s the right amount of camber? PLAY 3Andrew Homan Burlington, Vt.
4		I ran over a brad with a smoothing plane and nicked the sole. How do I repair the damaged chisels? PLAY 4Kevin Barnard Via the Internet
5		What’s the proper mouth opening between the plane blade and the sole? PLAY 5David Brumsickle Via the Internet
6		What plane do you use for smoothing difficult grain? PLAY 6BioMan Via Knots
7		How do you keep a scraper plane from chattering? PLAY 7Malcolm Granberry Via the Internet
8		Can you demonstrate how to level a wide panel with a handplane? PLAY 8Jeff S. Jackson Fort Wayne, Ind.