Hand and non-power tools
Hand planes flatten, smooth, trim, and shape wood by taking controlled shavings with a sharpened blade held at a fixed angle.
A hand plane is a body, sole, blade, cap or wedge, and adjustment system arranged to remove thin layers of wood. Different plane lengths and shapes determine whether the tool registers broad surfaces, reaches into shoulders, cuts rabbets, or handles end grain.
The sole rides on the surface while the iron projects slightly through the mouth. The edge severs fibers, the chipbreaker or geometry controls tearout, and the body keeps the cut consistent across the stroke.
Choose by registration surface, grain direction, and whether you need to flatten, smooth, trim, or cut a profile.
A compact plane for end grain and small adjustments.
A block plane is short, easy to hold in one hand, and often bedded at a lower angle. It shines at chamfering, trimming proud parts, easing edges, and working end grain in controlled passes.
A mid-length plane for roughing and general flattening.
A jack plane removes twist, cup, and milling marks before finer planes take over. It can be set coarse for stock removal or set finer for general bench work.
A long plane for straightening edges and flattening panels.
A jointer plane bridges hollows because of its length. It is used for straight edges, panel glue-up preparation, and final flattening after shorter planes have removed most defects.
A fine-set plane for final surfaces.
A smoothing plane has a short sole and very fine cut for removing small high spots and leaving a finish-ready surface. Its setup is focused on sharpness, mouth opening, and tearout control.
A plane for trimming joinery shoulders and cheeks.
A shoulder plane has a blade that reaches the full width of the body, letting it cut into corners. It refines tenons, rabbets, and shoulders where a standard bench plane cannot reach.
A plane for leveling recesses and housings.
A router plane holds its cutter below a flat base, so it can level grooves, dadoes, hinge mortises, and tenon cheeks to a consistent depth.
A plane for cutting along an edge or into a rabbet.
A rabbet plane cuts right to one or both edges of its body. It is useful for rabbets, tongues, and trimming into corners when a bench plane side would block the cut.
A guided plane for grooves.
A plow plane uses a fence and interchangeable cutters to make grooves at a consistent distance from an edge. It is common in drawer bottoms, panels, and frame-and-panel work.
A heavily cambered plane for fast stock removal.
A scrub plane takes thick, narrow shavings across or diagonal to the grain. It quickly removes cup, twist, or rough-sawn texture before finer flattening tools take over.
Listed as relevant examples, not endorsements.