Battling between hand planes and power planers for a big job last week

I had to trim down 12 solid oak door slabs for a client in Austin, and I couldn't decide if I should use my old hand plane or my power planer. The hand plane gave me better control but took forever, while the power planer was fast but left a rougher surface I had to sand. Which way do you go when accuracy and speed are both on the line?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_taylor24d ago

Is that really a battle worth having over some oak doors?

emmawood24d ago

Look, I've been in this exact spot with white oak once and it took me three days to plane down twelve slabs with a hand plane. By the end my arms felt like wet noodles and I could barely grip a beer. That power planer might leave a rougher finish, but it's a real time saver if you dial in the depth right. I usually take a light pass with the power planer, then finish with the hand plane for the last few thou. It's not glamorous but it works unless you're trying to show off at a woodworking meetup. And honestly, my back thanks me for not spending a whole weekend hunched over a bench.