On today's episode we wrap up the construction of the Hock Smoothing Plane Kit from Hock Tools. Last week we assembled the pieces, glued it all up and set it aside to dry in the clamps. Today we start the work to make it a fully functioning hand plane.

I'll walk you through one method of truing the sole to make it flat, which is extremely important for it to work the way it's suppose to. We'll shape the body to a size and feel that not only makes it unique from other planes on my shelf, but feels right in my hands. And then we'll take it for a maiden voyage and discuss a little bit about adjusting the blade of a wooden bodied plane vs the metal bodied versions with mechanical adjusters.

If you've built a Hock Smoothing Plane or something similar, I'd love to hear about it. Send pictures if you have any available, I may even post them so others can see your work.