No. 04 Smoothing Plane

Blue Spruce's first hand plane, the No. 04 Smoothing Plane, is all about making shavings instead of getting ready to make shavings. Unlike most planes on the market, it comes out of the box ready to use…no fettling, no sharpening, no sole lapping…just dial in the depth of cut and get to it. Our approach to hand plane construction blends the methods and materials of the world's best custom plane makers with our volume manufacturing capability, delivering features you would expect in a plane costing hundreds, or even thousands more. The construction of the 04 involves a significant amount of meticulous machining, which must follow a specific sequence…no short-cuts or workarounds. That's why we need 12-16 weeks to build your plane after you place your order. But what's a few weeks when you're getting a plane that will last for generations and deliver a surface finish only a handful of planes in the world can match?

For the blade we chose CPM MagnaCut stainless tool steel. Developed by metallurgist Dr. Larrin Thomas in 2021, MagnaCut strikes an optimal balance between taking a keen edge and holding that edge through heavy use. Unlike earlier powdered metal tool steels, MagnaCut has an extremely fine grain structure which allows it to be ground to a thin edge without chipping and the alloy formula ensures the edge holds up. We double-temper and cryogenically treat the blades resulting in a Rockwell hardness in a range between 61 and 63 HRC.

After tempering, we carefully surface grind the back of the blade. This is the point where most other tool manufacturers stop and leave the rest to you. Instead, we machine-lap the back with a diamond slurry to a flatness tolerance impossible to reproduce by hand. The final step is an even finer abrasive that polishes the surface to a mirror finish. On the other side of the blade, the primary bevel is surface ground to 25°. Finally, skilled operators hone a 30° micro-bevel and then strop it to a razor-edge.  

The Norris-style adjuster is captive, but freely rotating. A pair of pins keep the blade index aligned for quick blade installation. The single-pitch 48-tpi micro-adjust screw strikes just the right balance between efficient movement and fine adjustment. The adjustable mouth closes tighter than most, eliminating tear-out in even the most challenging woods.   

The bevel up design eliminates the need for a cap iron, simplifying set-up and tuning. Just drop the blade in place, slide in the lever cap, tighten the knob and you're set. The blade beds to the sole at 22°. Combined with the 30° micro-bevel you have an effective cutting angle of 52°, ideally suited for highly-figured grain patterns.

Five separate precision-machined stainless steel components are assembled to create the body of the plane, though we doubt you will be able to find any sign of that (yes, the joints really are that tight). This method creates a more stable body than a casting. Once the assembly is complete, it goes back into the mill and finally to the surface grinder where the sole is ground perfectly flat and the sides are ground dead-square to the sole. The handle and knob are made from Bolivian Rosewood (Pau Ferro).

We chose a smoothing plane as our first, because modern woodworkers will likely get more mileage from a smoother than any other plane. Chances are you're either buying your lumber already milled or you have the machinery to do the heavy work. This plane gives you the control to take whisper-thin shavings, taming swirls and switchbacks and revealing the beauty of the grain. It creates a glass-smooth surface that begs to be touched. If you're new to hand planes, this is the perfect starting point. If you're already using hand planes, this tool will quickly become the one you reach for when you're dealing with tricky grain.