The 12 Best cast Iron Planes (2023 reviews)

Great Neck line of plane come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. The Greatneck bench jack plane ( 9 inch) is a top quality plane perfect for flattening and reducing rough wood thickness. It's a plane-shaped collection of raw materials which can be worked into a usable plane with a little bit of effort. It takes about 5 hours of sanding in order to get the sole and both sides perfectly flat with no dimples in the surface. The iron (blade) is useable once it’s back is flattened (it will absolutely need to be flattened) and the bevel is well honed.

Adjustment normally includes tightening and loosening lever cam screw, cap “iron” screw, and fiddling with the lateral adjustment lever to get it to re-engage with wood. The dual ergonomic plastic handles give you control over the alloy steel cutter. It does require some fettling to get the sole flat and smooth.

Why We Like This:

Works well for a cheaper plane out of the box
A plane-shaped collection of raw materials from which you can make a plane
Temperamental plane that can be made to behave

Best For joint: Grizzly Hand Plane

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Best part: grizzly hand plane costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. If you need a 14" body to make a really nice scrub plane, this one is a source for the bones of the project. It cuts full width shavings resembling strips of cotton. It can be used as a screwdriver for the chipbreaker screw. The adjusters all work well and the cast body feels very solid and flat.

This plane works well, with flattened and honed stock blade. It is somewhat flat and the adjuster and mechanism work smooth enough to tune into better working shape. The blade is a bit thin/soft and needs regular sharpening.

Why We Like This:

Fair condition no splinters, slight hole in the handle
Very well made and easy to adjust
Gap in center has shavings binding between it and blade
, good construction of materials and operates normal

Best With No breakout: Stanley Block Plane

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Next on the list, we've got yet another plane that manages to win our hearts. It's the stanley block plane and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient plane you can buy. This is a solidly built block plane that will give you years of service once you spend a little time and tune it up right. It is made for trimming cuts under an inch wide. It has a few quick swipes with a very light cut and it looks perfect with no breakout on the grain. The sole isn't flat and the iron looks like it is built by Pringles. It definitely requires tuning up properly, but once it's brought into shape it works very well.

The plane works well now and cuts a thin shaving on end grain leaving a smooth finish. It is superior to either in machining, tolerances, or aesthetic beauty. The adjustable throat is a must for avoiding tearout.

Why We Like This:

Accepts ray iles toothing iron, making this a far more versatile tool
Easy to use and resulted in flat and smooth transitions
Mouth can be adjusted for opening width

Best For door: Stanley cast Iron Plane

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate plane. The stanley cast iron plane is exactly that - it's a simple plane that hits all the right notes. This is a nice quality block plane. The adjustable plane from stanley features tempered steel construction with machined sides, a blue finish with a finger rest and a red finished lever. It's pretty solid metal. It provides long-lasting protection to add to that comes with a 1-5/8-inch cutter ideal for cross-grain planing.

The cutting edge needs to be sharpened as it has a few small burrs and a small chip on it. The blade is pretty close to being ready to use out of the box. It takes about 3 hours of sanding to get it flat and remove the milling marks. This plane works fine for shaving doors.

Why We Like This:

Probably perfect for an occasional use, such as maybe a door that sticks
Nice even shavings, easy to use, couldn't be happier
Great little hand planer, simple and effective

Best For beginners With limited budget: Taytools Jack Plane

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The taytools jack plane might be a relatively new release, but it's still nothing short of impressive this year. The 5 jack plane is the perfect tool to smooth and flatten areas and will achieve a flat and smooth finish. It feels so high quality in the hand. The blade needs a little flattening and to be sharpened. The knob has a big chip in it. It's ideal for the cabinet maker and discerning woodworker.

This plane has an appropriate mass and weighs in at 5.45 pounds. It's a great smoother, and while it's a bit light for use with the shooting board, it's still very serviceable in that capacity.

Why We Like This:

Worked great within five minutes of sharpening
Great choice in a smoothing plane
Good investment for long term

Best For Use: Faithfull cast Iron Plane

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Faithfull offers a variety of plane for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. A solid brass blade adjustment nut completes the appeal of these traditional tools. It is made with a quality grey cast iron body for strength and stability with precision ground base and sides for flatness and squareness. The faithfull no.6 fore plane is designed for stock removal and truing long edges or levelling wide boards. A lever cap with a brass locking screw secures the blade assembly and enables easy release for sharpening.

The smoothness, ease of use, and the lack of high pitches or chattering noises is almost identical for under a third of the cost. It is suitable for use on both hard and soft woods. The build quality, machining, fit & finish, and the design choices are great.

Why We Like This:

Wooden handles and guidance knobs maximise user comfort
A precision ground base and sides for flatness and squareness
Machined seatings eliminate movement and blade judder
Hardwood handle and knob for user comfort

Best For getting into The finer: Grizzly cast Iron Plane

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Best part: grizzly cast iron plane costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. These planes are great budget planes that do the job, and do it well. The sole is totally flat. It has the regular depth adjustment, lateral adjustment and a small screw to advance the frog for mouth size. The sole of the plane checks out to be sharp and the parts are well. The surface is excellent and the blade is holding its edge. It is well enough ground to be fairly usable out of the box.

There are many youtube videos on sharpening and it's pretty easy to learn. Its a heavy beast that will keep working as long as you can.

Why We Like This:

Great value, good materials, good workmanship in construction
Good stuff for corrosion prevention, terrible stuff to get off
Great plane no problems serrated bottom is handy prevents friction
Visible light through any point of the sole

Best For trim work: WORKPRO cast Iron Plane

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These workpro block planes are ideal for cleaning up wood ends and edges by removing thin shavings of wood, in order to make additional wood components fit together tighter, and within desired tolerances. They feature a single hardened and tempered steel blade set at a shallow angle, which allows the blade to slice through end grain with greater efficiency. The little wooden knob allows you to maintain control of the block plane. When these low-angle block planes are set at the correct blade depth, they can help smooth rough areas of solid wood components, with greater precision in just a few simple passes.

It is good for small adjustments to doors, frames etc. The plane is held at an angle of up to 45 degrees when pulling or pushing across the edge of the wood. These planes are also frequently used for paring and butting end grains of stock material, for touchup and finish work, and for removing dry, hardened wood glue.

Why We Like This:

Features a front knob handle for extra control
18 x 5.3cm base and 4cm blade,good for small adjustments to doors, frames etc
Machine polished to help resist rusting

Best Solid Plane: Taytools cast Iron Plane

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The taytools cast iron plane should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. If you are looking for a solid collection of parts that can be turned into a plane that works as well then this is a good buy. The 7 jointer plane is the perfect tool to true, shoot and flatten larger boards and will achieve an accurate and smooth finish. It's made from nearly indestructible ductile cast iron. The sole is flat, and feeler gages show it's flat all over to 0.003" or better. It also is accurate enough to make good edge joints that should satisfy every woodworker.

The frog area looks good too, with lots of support points for the blade. It flattened a piece for edge-gluing very quickly. The blade sharpens well and cuts nicely.

Why We Like This:

Really a beautiful tool, works great
Flat base and sharp out if box, great value
Good brand reputation

Best For initial preparation Of rough TIMBER: Spear Jackson cast Iron Plane

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The spear jackson cast iron plane gives the top-tier plane a run for their money by offering flagship specs at a much more affordable price. It is ideal for the initial preparation of rough timber. It is designed with rosewood-stained hardwood handles and brass fittings, these tools hark back to the days of traditional craftsmanship and woodwork. It takes a good shaving and additionally works with a little upfront work.

Why We Like This:

Sharp and ready to go out of the box
Good investment for long term

Best little Tool: bench Dog cast Iron Plane

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This mini plane tool has an adjustable mouth and precision machining. An acute bedding angle, finely adjustable mouth opening, and top-quality fit and finish combine to create a block plane low angle that makes quick work of adjusting miters, joinery, and fitting doors and drawers. It can see the fine grain castings are on par with many top-of-the-line angle planes. Each low angle block plane for woodworking includes a case, sock, and a certificate of inspection with measurements specific to your plane for sole flatness and blade hardness.

Why We Like This:

Good investment for long term
Good brand reputation

Best For tenon: bench Dog chisel Plane

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This hand wood planer is a shoulder plane, and chisel plane in one versatile tool. The woodworking shoulder plane includes nose pieces that are removable for conversion to a chisel plane. The 3/4 '' shoulder plane blade is a hair wider than the full width of the plane body, ensuring clean, sharp corners without leaving a ridge. The mouth of the shoulder plane tool is adjustable by sliding the upper section forward and back for fine or coarse shavings. It has the design on this hand plane can help you save time and effort when using thanks to the finger recesses along the sides to ensure a comfortable grip.

Each plane includes a storage case and certificate of inspection with measurements specific to your plane for sole flatness and blade hardness. The sides are machined square with the sole.

Why We Like This: