I'm diving deeper into hand tool woodworking and I'm curious about router planes. Do they come sized like chisels, meaning can one body accommodate different blade sizes, or is it a single size for each? I've been impressed with Wood River planes and spokeshaves I've tried, but I'm open to other recommendations too. Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
I've worked with the Veritas "large" router plane and the Stanley #71. The cool part is that the blades are interchangeable between those two. Each brand takes different sizes, but you'll mostly need the 1/4" and 1/2" blades for most jobs.
Also, I checked out the Wood River router plane and noticed it lacks a crucial feature: the depth adjuster knob. That knob really helps in fine-tuning the depth as you work. Plus, it doesn’t support a larger base like the Stanley, Veritas, or Lie-Nielsen models do. Those vintage Stanley planes have gotten pretty pricey lately, often even more than Veritas. I definitely think a router plane is a must-have specialty tool for your shop—it’s great for tasks like dados, tenons, and rabbets. It can save you time compared to using a table saw, especially when cleaning up your cuts!
Router planes are really useful for creating flat areas in your projects. They typically come with a set of blades and my model even has a screw adjuster to help with the depth. Super handy!
Which brand do you have?
Cleaning dados is exactly what I'm looking for! I already have a shoulder plane for the rabbets and tenons. Thanks for the tip about the depth adjuster! Does that mean the Wood River router can't be adjusted on the fly, or does it just offer preset depths?