This last weekend I was treated to the early delivery of a new plane I ordered. I have a couple projects coming up where I need to cut groves for the bottoms of drawers and the like. Wanting to do more with hand planes, I’ve been looking at Plow Planes. I looked at come “older” Stanleys, but I’m not into restoring planes at this time. There aren’t too many companies out there making Plow Planes at this time, but more are starting to show up. I choose to go with the Veritas Small Plow Plane from www.leevalley.com. At this time I only got the 1/4″ blade, it’s what I need for my upcoming projects.

I had a chance to try this plane out at a woodworking show recently, and to be honest I wasn’t really impressed with it. Although looking back, I have to say the condition in which I got to use the tool wasn’t ideal. After reading countless positive reviews by other woodworkers, I knew I hadn’t given the tool a fair chance. I knew Lee Valley had great customer service, and if I really didn’t care for it after giving it a try, I could return it.

Well, I don’t think I’ll be sending it back. It worked much better in my shop, after a good sharpening of the blade. The plane cut really smooth. It was easy to set up. It feels comfortable in your hand. The blade adjustment is very easy.  The depth gauge is easy to set and stays in place.

The only think I will say against the plane, is that it feels a little “tippy”. I’ve never used a Plow Plane before, so it might just be me getting used it. The fence seems a little small in “width”, but is plenty long enough. You can add an auxiliary fence to it, and I will most likely do this for some added support.