Craftsman  7 in. Plane Block

Planes work best when they are totally flat. This plane was NOT flat, rather it was extremely cupped. No good.

Bought this TV about a month ago. Great product for the price.

I'm a little late to the party where my fellow Craftsman Community friends are concerned!  Still, I need to chime in!

Like so many others, I had never been a block plane kind of woodworker.  If I could do it with a machine, I was there and only recently decided to try the hand plane way of doing things.  I have had a chance to try and flatten a workpice to join it edge to edge and it worked wonderfully!  I may even consider getting rid of my jointer (not really)!

A good, sharp blade does make the job easier!

Two other reviews of this plane recommend it for beginning/starting woodworking and nothing else. What a bunch of hooey. This isn't a stone tool. This is a block plane, and a good one. There's nothing wrong with this plane. The parts are the same and it works the same as any "high end" plane, so there's no learning curve for using this plane over a high end plane. I can break edges, make round overs and perform any block plane function with this plane as well as with any other, more expensive, block plane. I have no intention of and no need for getting another block plane. If cared for properly, this plane will do as good a job as any other plane for the rest of my life.

I am new to planes.  This is very effective and easy to use.  Being sharp out of the box helps a lot and gives confidence to the beginner like me.  

The Craftsman 7 in. Plane Block is a great starter plane for beginning wood workers. I myself am a novice wood worker and got this for a few projects. I have seen several different planes at various prices and degress of tunning, but this one plane was recommended to me as a starter. The plane itself is pretty heavy on weight at 2 pounds and helps guide the tool as you work. The plane has a maximum blade size of 1 5/8".  The cutter rest at 21 degree angle and is ideal for cross cutting or shaving. The plane comes with a 1 year Craftsman limited warranty.. This is not a complicated tool to start out learning on. It works well for my immediate needs. When I get a little more advanced, I will step up to a higher end plane, but for now this plane works just fine for me. If you are just learning woodworking, I would recommend using this plane to get your feet wet on.

The Craftsman 7 in. Plane Block is a great starter plane for beginning wood workers. I myself am a novice wood worker and got this for a few projects. I have seen several different planes at various prices and degress of tunning, but this one plane was recommended to me as a starter. The plane itself is pretty heavy on weight at 2 pounds and helps guide the tool as you work. The plane has a maximum blade size of 1 5/8".  The cutter rest at 21 degree angle and is ideal for cross cutting or shaving. The plane comes with a 1 year Craftsman limited warranty.. This is not a complicated tool to start out learning on. It works well for my immediate needs. When I get a little more advanced, I will step up to a higher end plane, but for now this plane works just fine for me. If you are just learning woodworking, I would recommend using this plane to get your feet wet on.

This plane block is a perfect fir for any wood worker. It is lightweight, yet durable enough to use on tough strokes. The finger pad is perfect for extra torque. The blade is nice and sharp. This tool does what I need it to do.

My aging table saw does not like to maintain a set height which led to the purchase of this Craftsman 7inch Block Plane. I would like to first discuss why I did not award it a full five stars. The first reason is that it is assembled in Mexico. I understand that the cheap labor and lax labor laws allows Sears and Craftsman to sell this item at a reasonable price. I also know firsthand that when companies outsource jobs to other countries it is the American people who suffer. My wife's position was outsourced to India after she had been with Citi for twelve years. That was nearly two years ago and she is still unable to find employment that is anywhere near what she was making as a supervisor. Considering she is a cancer survivor and open heart surgery replacing the mitral valve, she is physically unable to work at places such as McDonald's or other waitressing positions. Besides, with the medication she is required to take, she must utilize the Family Medical Leave Act several times each month; another strike against her. Unfortunately, with the FMLA she cannot be considered for 100% disability because she is still able to work, she just needs a couple of unscheduled days off each month to manage doctor's visits and the side effects of her medication. The second reason I am unable to give it a full five stars is that the warranty is for one year. There are not that many moving parts and in my opinion, it should be like any other Craftsman screwdriver, socket, or ratchet - for the life of the tool.

Now on to the positives; the plane is exceptionally designed as it fits snuggly in the palm of the hand. With just a minimal amount of the blade exposed to the work piece it quickly and almost effortlessly removes small shavings from the ends of boards/work pieces as you quickly and efficiently square the ends. The blade was exceptionally sharp straight out of the package with detailed directions for removing it from the frog and the correct bevels for the best performance. In fact the entire directions sheet was very informative - something that would be very useful for the novice woodworker. The sole is very smooth but its movement can be improved with a thin coating of canning wax or candle wax. Overall the feel of the plane is smooth and performs above expectations (I was expecting less due to its being assembled in Mexico). Once again Craftsman has outdone itself by providing a quality tool at an affordable price.

This plane design is based on a simple block plane produced by Stanley. It is designed to offer an affordable tool to wood crafters who do not need a great deal of adjustment. This plane is best used for squaring (or "blocking") the ends of cut boards. To do this best you need more adjustment of the blade and for the chip size created. Still, this tool will do what many want, quickly square off the ends of boards. The blade is adjustable for depth of cut so the wood crafter will want to keep the depth moderate for better cuts.

"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin