How a Block Plane Changed My Weekend Projects

For years I thought a block plane was a tool for people with nicer benches than mine. I have one bay of a two-car garage in Fullerton, California, about 11 by 20 feet. My bench is a 6-foot maple-top I built myself, with a front vise and a pegboard wall behind it. I am 63, retired from plant maintenance, and I have been building step stools, picture frames, cutting boards and the occasional bookshelf for about 30 years. I am not a cabinetmaker. I am a weekend woodworker who likes a clean edge and does not like sanding longer than necessary.

About 18 months ago I bought the JORGENSEN No. 60-1/2 block plane to fix one annoyance. I was using sandpaper to chamfer edges, trim end grain and fit drawer fronts. Sandpaper works, but it rounds over the crisp line I want on a frame or a small box. The JORGENSEN sits on the shelf above my bench now, lying on its side, and it comes down several times a week. I bought it with my own money. No free sample, no review unit.

The JORGENSEN No. 60-1/2 is a 6-1/4 inch manual hand plane with a cast iron base and a 1.38 inch cutting width. It weighs 1.5 pounds. The blade is O1 tool steel, and the cutting depth adjusts with a knob. That is the whole tool. No battery, no cord, no setup screen. You turn the knob, you take a shaving, you look at the shaving, and you decide whether to turn the knob again.

The first project where it earned its place was a picture frame. I had four poplar rails cut and mitered, and the end grain was fuzzy from the saw. I clamped a rail in the vise, set the blade for a light cut, and took one pass. The shaving came off in a thin curl, and the end grain looked like it had been polished. I checked the corner against my square. It closed with less fuss than usual. That is not a dramatic story, but it is the kind of small win that makes a tool stay on the bench.

Now I use it for chamfering the edges of step stool legs, trimming end grain on frame rails, and fitting drawer fronts that are a hair too wide. Before the JORGENSEN, those jobs meant sandpaper or a block with sticky-back paper. The plane is faster and leaves a crisper line. It is a small tool, so I hold the work in the vise and bring the plane to the edge. For a weekend project, that is all I need.

The first time I trimmed end grain on a picture frame rail and the corner closed without a gap, I stopped reaching for sandpaper.

What the JORGENSEN does well is feel settled in one hand. The cast iron base gives it enough mass to steady the cut, but 1.5 pounds is light enough that I can use it for a few minutes without my wrist complaining. The 1.38 inch cutting width is right for chamfers, small tenons and the edges of drawer fronts. The O1 blade takes a keen edge on my diamond stone, and the adjustable knob lets me go from a fine shaving to a slightly heavier cut without taking the tool apart. The flat bottom runs smooth on a jointed edge if I keep the cut light.

There are tradeoffs. It is a 6-1/4 inch plane, so it is not the tool for flattening a wide panel or a workbench top. On a long board, a larger plane or a sander will do the job with less stopping and checking. The depth knob is sensitive. A small turn changes the cut more than you might expect, so I set it with a scrap and test on the same wood as the project. The blade needed a touch-up on my stone before it cut the way I wanted. That is normal for me, but it is worth saying. This is a hand tool, and the edge is the whole game.

The JORGENSEN is best for small work. Picture frames, cutting boards, step stools, drawer fronts, chamfers on a bookshelf, trimming a dowel flush. It is also good for a newer woodworker who wants to learn what a sharp edge feels like without buying a large plane first. If you already own a table saw and a drill, this is a small addition that cuts down on sanding. If you plan to build a workbench or flatten slabs, save for a larger plane. A block plane will not do that job.

I also like that it is quiet. My garage is close to the neighbors, and a hand plane lets me work in the evening without firing up a machine. That matters more to me now than it did 20 years ago. The JORGENSEN does not need much space, either. It lives on the shelf above the bench, and I can have it in my hand in a few seconds. That ease is why it gets used. A tool that stays in a drawer does not improve anything.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

I would tell you to buy a tool that solves a problem you actually have. If your edges are fuzzy and you are tired of sanding, a block plane is a good next step. If you hate sharpening and do not want to learn, spend your money on something else first, because a dull plane is just a heavy paperweight. If you want cleaner chamfers and end grain on small projects, the JORGENSEN No. 60-1/2 is a fair place to start. Keep the cuts light. Test on scrap. Put the tool on its side when you set it down. And do not expect it to do the work of a larger plane. It is a small tool with a clear job, and it does that job well.