My dad swore by a 4 inch block plane for years, and I finally saw why

He gave me his old Stanley No. 9 when I started my own shop. Always said it was the only tool for fitting tricky doors. I argued for my power planer every time. Last week, a client's oak door in a 1920s house was binding. The power tool just chewed it up. Grabbed the block plane, shaved a whisper off the hinge side. Perfect fit on the third pass. Anyone else have an old hand tool that just works when the modern stuff fails?

3 comments

3 Comments

campbell.logan1mo ago

Got my grandpa's old drawknife. Modern rasps and sanders just make a mess on green wood sometimes. That old blade peels off a perfect curl in one smooth pull, leaves the surface almost ready for finish. It just feels right in your hands.

the_jennifer1mo ago

How sharp is that old blade, @campbell.logan?

christopher3851mo ago

Is that old blade actually sharp or does it just have 50 years of accumulated family wisdom embedded in the patina? I've found half the battle with inherited tools is convincing them you're worthy of handling them, like a grumpy old shop teacher who only speaks in grunts. My uncle's drawknife has a similar vibe, you touch it wrong and it just slides across the wood without biting, but respect the angle and it cuts like butter. Your grandpa definitely knew what he was doing, modern sanders can't replicate that feel no matter how many grits you buy.