Book excerpt: Everything you need to use your handplanes! No woodworking tool is more satisfying, quick and precise to use than a handplane. Planes can process timber in its rough state, bring boards up to a glimmering smoothness, cut rabbets, dados, grooves and other joints, and trim wood with a precision that has yet to be matched by power tools. Yet many woodworkers--both beginners and professionals--are intimidated by handplanes. This book is here to set the record straight. Handplane Essentials contains everything you need to choose the right plane for your project (and for your budget), sharpen it and use it successfully. Compiled from more than 15 years of the author's writings on the subject of handplanes in magazines, trade journals and blogs, this book is an indispensable guide for woodworkers. This revised edition includes 14 new articles as well as new and updated tool reviews.