Picked hand planes over power planers for a kitchen remodel

I had to decide between spending $300 on a decent power planer or $150 on a vintage Stanley hand plane for flattening some oak countertops in a kitchen job last month. Went with the hand plane because I figured it'd be quieter and give me more control on the final passes. It did work fine but took way longer than I expected - has anyone else found a good middle ground for getting stuff flat without breaking the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_carr1mo agoTop Commenter

On that oak I bet tear-out was a real concern, @rileyjones, didn't you have any issues with a power planer chipping the grain on figured wood?

rileyjones1mo ago

Don't see why you'd waste an afternoon planing by hand when a power planer would've knocked that out in ten minutes with the same results. Spend the extra 150 and get your life back.