3" Mini Brass Block Plane

The size is ideal, and the price is very reasonable.

Maryam Blair

| Feb 04, 2021

This is ideal for my side projects. It's also great for small touch-ups.

Leila Pruitt

| Feb 13, 2021

A few things to consider: br>br>Correct (as another reviewer pointed out), this is the exact same plane that can be purchased in a three-pack for $13 at Harbor Freight. A miniature smoothing plane, a miniature bullnose plane, and a miniature scraper plane are included in the Harbor Freight set. br>br>These planes aren't ready to fly right out of the box, especially given the high-end work that people are likely to buy a micro plane for (such as lutherie). This is an import tool that has all of the necessary parts to make a great foundation for a working tool once tuned up, but it absolutely, positively requires you to have advanced sharpening knowledge at the very least. Without spending a lot of money on specialty lutherie products (upwards of $100 per plane--there isn't really an'alternative' for micro planes like this. br>br>Here's what you need to do: br>br> br>br>1) The sole is lapped. Because you're working with soft brass, rosewood, and a small plane, sole lapping takes minutes rather than hours on these. Start with 120 grit and work your way up to 600 grit, and you'll be fine; you won't even need spotting compound. 2) Sharpening the blade. br>br> The blades are made of excellent steel and hold a fine edge, but they arrive in a completely "raw" state that necessitates proper sharpening. By 'properly sharpened,' I mean using waterstones or crazysharp/sandpaper and a honing guide to completely lap out the tool marks on the bevel, then progressing grits until the blade is a mirror. This isn't a job for those who use a to sharpen their tools. Any single grit stone, such as a 99 cent oxide stone. The nature of this tool and the fine work it was designed for necessitates a razor-sharp edge, which necessitates grit progression up to at least 2K, if not 8K. If you aren't prepared for advanced sharpening, you won't be able to get the most out of this tool. Overall: br>br> br>I spent about an hour sharpening the blades, lapping the soles, and rounding off the corners (they have a tendency to dig into your palm when you use them). These are lovely working tools once they're finished, but you'll need to be the type of person who can buy a brand new product and realize it'll need some work right away. Those of us who are old enough to remember a time before cheap imports will find this difficult to accept. When we buy a new product, we have high expectations, but I suppose that's the price we have to pay. In this new era of low-cost, imported goods, we must start from scratch. These tiny planes--a few years ago, they--were-- if made in the United States of America- They'd have been flawlessly constructed, but they'd have cost $80 each. We get three for thirteen dollars here, but the trade-off is that we get three for thirteen dollars. the fact that we have to tune-in We have to do more work. Some people will never be able to accept this, while others will. br>br>Overall, I adore these tiny planes and use them on a regular basis. So much so that the last time I went to Harbor Freight, I bought three more sets just to make sure I'd have enough for the rest of my life if they were ever discontinued.

Ari Webb

| Jun 23, 2021