Sign up for what's been called "the smartest woodworking newsletter."
Stories, analysis, and resources for restoring and using wooden planes.
Here's what readers are saying.

Everybody's Making Planes! (2023)
March 30 2023 | 1 minute read

Everybody's Making Planes! (2023)

Plus, making a kanna with Scott Wynn

Offcuts: More GIANT Planes and the Jointer That Tied a Town Together
March 30 2023 | 2 minute read

Offcuts: More GIANT Planes and the Jointer That Tied a Town Together

A plow plane with an iron the size of a wrecking bar

What Ancient Hand Tools Do to Our Emotions
February 6 2023 | 2 minute read

What Ancient Hand Tools Do to Our Emotions

We come from a lineage of toolmakers molding and being molding by technology

What Actually Killed Off the Wooden Plane?
October 1 2022 | 6 minute read

What Actually Killed Off the Wooden Plane?

Plus, terrifying AI-generated planes

The Tote-ally Complete Guide to Holding a Wooden Plane
July 1 2022 | 3 minute read

The Tote-ally Complete Guide to Holding a Wooden Plane

Plus, woodworking planes for your feet

The Problem With Eric Sloane, the Godfather of American Tool Collecting
July 1 2022 | 11 minute read

The Problem With Eric Sloane, the Godfather of American Tool Collecting

Sloane's history is an imperfect story of America

Everybody's Making Planes! (2022)
June 1 2022 | 1 minute read

Everybody's Making Planes! (2022)

A new series featuring modern planemakers

Tracking Down B MAN, a Curious 18th Century Mark
June 1 2022 | 5 minute read

Tracking Down B MAN, a Curious 18th Century Mark

Planemaker? Journeyman? Salesman?

Planes on Roman Coins and Sticking Crown Molding
May 1 2022 | 2 minute read

Planes on Roman Coins and Sticking Crown Molding

The goddess Juno and her planes

A Brief History of Chinese Plane Making
March 29 2022 | 5 minute read

A Brief History of Chinese Plane Making

Plus, the historic Plane Talk is now online!

A 'Terrible Place of Torture'
February 25 2022 | 11 minute read

A 'Terrible Place of Torture'

Should we be talking more about the brutal legacy of prison-made planes?

How Fast Can You Plane 1,000 Feet of Moulding?
January 28 2022 | 4 minute read

How Fast Can You Plane 1,000 Feet of Moulding?

You want data? I've got data.

The Last Marples Planemakers at Work
December 31 2021 | 3 minute read

The Last Marples Planemakers at Work

Plus, a 23-foot-long functional wooden plane

How To Restore a Plane by Lighting It on Fire
November 16 2021 | 5 minute read

How To Restore a Plane by Lighting It on Fire

What should we say to the guy with the propane torch?