Woodcraft has added three planes to its private label WoodRiver line that was first offered to customers in 2009.
The No. 1 Bench Hand Plane V3 and the No. 91 Small and No. 93 Large Shoulder Planes increase the WoodRiver hand plane offering to 18.
“Our initial goal in 2009 was to offer the consumer a truly functional plane in a reasonable price range,” Darin Lawrence, Woodcraft director of product development, said. “The first versions, modeled after the Stanley Bedrocks, exceeded our expectations, and we quickly moved to make improvements in the line.”
For the next one and a half years, Lawrence said Woodcraft revised tolerances, improved manufacturing and quality control processes, and optimized design elements based on feedback from hand-tools experts and end users.
“In the fall of 2010, these efforts resulted in the launch of our current version three or V3 Series,” Lawrence said. “This line has matured from our initial five planes to the current offering of 18 tools – eight V-3 bench planes, the #62 low angle jack plane, two adjustable mouth block planes, three shoulder planes, two chisel planes, a side rabbet plane, and a cranked neck chisel/plane – that will allow the end user to work wood, from roughing to final smoothing, as well as complete several specialized tasks.”
The new No. 1 Bench Hand Plane, 5-3/4″ long and 1-1/2″ wide, at 1.3 lbs, is patterned after the smallest of the Stanley bench planes that was manufactured for 70 years prior to World War II. This rare and highly collectable plane was originally sold to handle small smoothing jobs, sometimes in tight places, but is now often used in the palm of the hand like a block plane. Like the other V3 planes, it features heavy stress-relieved, ductile iron casted body, machined to be flat and square, a fully machined adjustable frog, a high carbon steel blade, brass screws, plus a beautiful finished Bubinga knob and tote.
No. 1 does not have a lateral adjustment lever.
The No. 91 Small and No. 93 Large Shoulder Planes join the No. 92 Medium Shoulder Plane to complete the set. Based on Edward Preston and Sons designs, these planes have a major new feature, an adjustable toe to control the throat opening and minimize tear-out of end grain. The plane bodies are Cr40 stress-relieved ductile steel, machined square and flat, and blades are high carbon tool steel hardened to HRC60-64.
“The WoodRiver line of hand tools will continue to evolve. We constantly make small modifications, which improve ergonomics, fit and finish, and function,” Lawrence said. “We look to the past for inspiration for our designs for traditional hand tools while we continually improve our manufacturing processes and explore the use of new materials and technology.”
For more information about WoodRiver planes, contact your local Woodcraft store, visit https://www.woodcraft.com/ or call (800) 535-4482. To learn about Woodcraft franchise opportunities, visit https://www.woodcraft.com/pages/franchise or emailwoodcraftfranchise@woodcraft.com.
