Swapped from a router sled to a handplane for flattening slabs and I'm never looking back

I spent last Saturday fighting my router sled on a 6 foot walnut slab from a supplier in Nashville, dealing with tearout and a loose bit that nearly cost me a finger. Finally grabbed my old Stanley No. 7, spent 20 minutes tuning the iron, and had that thing flat in under an hour with zero drama. Has anyone else made the switch and felt dumb for not trying it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_harris1922d ago

The older ways usually end up being the simpler fix. It's funny how we overcomplicate things with fancy tools when a basic hand tool gets the job done better.

rileynelson22d ago

@olivia_harris19 "simpler fix" nails it. Half the time the old trick just works better.

-1

jones.anna22d ago

Respectfully, I gotta disagree a little. The router sled saved me on a 6 foot slab of hard maple that had a crazy twist this summer. Handplanes are great for a lot of things but that much work wouldve taken me all day and left me with a sore shoulder. Different tools for different jobs, you know?