Modern Take on a Stanley Classic

Tool: Veritas Shooting Plane

Manufacturer: Veritas

Price: $356

Shooting a board’s edge with a hand plane is a time-tested way to create perfect fitting joints. Veritas’ new Shooting Plane, made specifically for the task, hits the mark dead on. This modern take on the Stanley #51 shooting plane oozes quality, and is a dream to use.

The sole is milled flat and perfectly square to the plane’s running surface. In case your shooting board isn’t perfectly co-planar with your stock, the Veritas shooting plane has three set screws that allow you to adjust for small discrepancies.

Also, this thing is beefy; it weighs 7-3/4 lbs. and the ductile iron body is nearly 16″ long. That’s a big deal, because shooting is a task requiring momentum, as you’re often dealing with end grain, and usually using only one hand.

The bevel-up iron is skewed 20°, creating a shearing effect to further reduce cutting resistance. The 2-1/4″ wide blade is beveled at 25° and bedded at 12°, giving you a low, 37° cutting angle.

Another thoughtful feature is the fact that the running surface – like the Stanley #51 – has parallel sides, so you can use it in a shooting board with a guided track (like the Stanley #52 Chute Board), as shown in the photo.

The plane also has an adjustable mouth for fine or heavy cuts. The rear tote pivots over a 60° arc, so you can find the hand position that’s most comfortable for you.

You have your choice of blades too; either 01 tool steel or Veritas’ own PM-V11, for an extra fifteen bucks. The blade comes lapped dead flat, which saves lots of time. The plane is available in either a right-handed or left-handed version.