$299.99
The No. 6, also called a "fore" hand plane is good for jointing edges and flattening and smoothing large surfaces, such as table tops, panels and workbench tops, where you might not want or need the length or weight of a larger plane. The extra length and width of the sole enables it to...
Details
V3: Like our previous WoodRiver® Bench Hand Planes, our version 3 is based on the reliable Bedrock design and feature heavy, stress-relieved ductile iron castings, fully machined adjustable frogs and high carbon blades but we took the opportunity between manufacturing runs to do a critical review and make a few improvements. We’ve changed the shape of the rear tote and increased the diameter of the blade adjustment wheel to make advancing the blade a bit easier. We improved the lateral adjustment lever and added a traditional style bearing for better control of the blade. We’ve made numerous changes to the castings that result in better “feedback” and a solid feel to the user. Working closely with our own manufacturer, we’ve continued to make improvements in machining, finish and functionality which we feel have yielded hand planes that are meant to be used and offer an extraordinary value.
- 2-7/8” W x 17-3/4”L with 2-3/8”W blade
- Modeled after the Bedrocks, Stanley Tool's very best line
- WoodRiver® hand planes feature the same heavy castings (7-3/4 lbs) and fully machined frogs
- Lightly finished hardwood handles provide comfort and control
- Tools require minimal tune-up prior to use
- Commonly known as a “fore” plane
- Soles and sides are machined flat and square within tightly held tolerances
Articles & Blogs
Top Ten Woodshop Tools from Tommy Mac
With holiday gift giving in full swing, Tommy MacDonald, host of the national public television series Rough Cut – Woodworking with Tommy Mac, shares his view of ideal gifts for the woodworking friends and family on your list. Rough Cut is produced by WGBH Boston.
Online Hand Tool Workshop with Rob Cosman
We mentioned this in a previous blog, but here are the entire details on Rob’s new workshop site with a preview workshop sample video, also a video with Billy Carmen and Rob at AWFS, and a Rob Cosman testimonial link from his class students.
Daytona Dovetailing!
The art of hand-cut dovetails has become a race against time as Frank Klausz and Mike Siemsen went saw to saw at Woodworking in America. We won’t bore you with the verbal details as the entertainment comes from the boys and their woodworking toys with some added music provided by Mike Siemsen in the first video. Frank wins the competition in what appears to be approximately 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
Hand Plane Innovations with Scott Phillips & Rob Cosman
At the Woodcraft Vendor Trade Show in Nashville we brought together the three musketeers of woodworking knowledge, Rob Cosman, Your Hand Tool Coach, Scott Phillips of The American Woodshop, and Jeff Forbes, President of Woodcraft. Throughout the week these swashbuckling resourceful idealistic heros of wood covered every vendor booth, talked with everyone at the show, and acquired more knowledge to bring back and share with all of the woodworking world.
WoodRiverV3 Bench Planes with Rob Cosman
WoodRiver V3 Bench Planes are based on the classic, time-tested Bedrock design. The original Bedrock Planes have proven to be among the most enduring, collectable tools in all of woodworking, and for good reason—they work.
A Weekend in Woodworking Paradise
A furniture class at Brigham Design Workshop and Training Center in Paso Robles, California, is like no other that you may have experienced.
Rob Cosman Workshop Program Broadens Employee Knowledge
The Rob Cosman workshop training program was held at the Mike Smrek Ontario, Canada workshop during the fourth week of July, 2014. Woodcraft product manager (router bits, benches, vises, ect.), Brian Renner, was in attendance to increase his woodworking skills from Rob’s proficient instruction of hand tools.
Cosman Hand Tool Workshops Offers Free Lifetime Membership to Wounded Vets
Time and time again, I have found that woodworkers have the biggest hearts in giving back when it comes to helping others. Assistance comes in many different forms, sometimes sharing their wisdom in the shop with projects to opening up their shops for education.
Woodcraft Announces “The Jory Brigham Experience” Sweepstakes Winner
Gigi Branch, a high school nurse from San Antonio, Texas, is the Grand Prize winner in the “The Jory Brigham Experience” Sweepstakes sponsored by Woodcraft, Jory Brigham and SawStop.
Veterans Healing Through Woodworking
Hand Tool Coach Rob Cosman has seen first-hand the beneficial effects woodworking can provide to wounded veterans. Read more here to see how he is helping...and how you can help.
Reviews
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Employee of the month
Shows up for work ready to perform at a high level every time, without fail. Just a delight to work with. Look for reasons to use.
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Great Plane - Brittle Blade
This is an impressively machined tool that might only be bested by the folks in Maine. However, my overall rating is diminished because of the surprisingly poor quality of the blade. I often use this plane on a shooting board where its heft is a welcome attribute. Maddeningly though, just a few passes against end grain reveals the unacceptable brittle nature of the iron’s steel. A freshly sharpened edge quickly fractures, leaving tracks in an otherwise nicely shot edge. A premium plane should not require a blade upgrade to perform at a premium level. Disappointingly, adding the cost of a blade of known quality will bring the total cost of this plane too near to that of a Lie-Nielson. Candidly, as others have not reported disappointment in the iron’s steel I have to wonder if my blade was from a bad batch.
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Wow
Just started getting into hand tools and this was my first plane. Really impressed. I set the #6 plane up by Rob Cossman's recommendations and planed some walnut which was no issue. I did some figured maple next and again it was like butter. Real excited to start my next project knowing I will be using this plane.
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Wood river #6
Starting out in hand tools a few years ago I ordered a couple Stanley #5 and a #4 contractor grade with the plastic handles off amazon. The totes on both broke after a few weeks of use. They both took a significant amount of hours (probably 20 for the #4) to tune to the point they worked well. I got my wood river #6 in last night, and can say unequivocally I love this plane already. Literally broke some edges on the plane, sharpened the blade and was done. 45 minutes and the plane was ready to go. Very impressed with what I received.
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you don't need to buy two of these.
I had to sharpen the blade, but did not have to flatten the blade or the sole of the plane. I have used it on three projects now, and the blade is still sharp even though I was using it on Ash.
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Impressed
In my past life I was a tool maker. The workmanship for a production tool like this really impressed me. A quick sharpening and this plane was ready for use. I Just recently started using planes. I had a couple of big store planes that were very cheap and cut ok after a day of tuning/tweaking, bu do not compare to the results I got with this plane.
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Great Plane
Followed Rob Cosman's video to set up the plane and it worked flawlessly on black walnut. The only complaint I have, and the reason for 4 stars, is that there were a couple of small blemishes on the medal and some staining that I couldn't get off with steel wool. I will definitely buy more Woodriver planes though. I own a Lie-Nielsen 4 1/2 smoothing plane plus a couple of other Lie-Nielsens and I wish I had saved a few hundred and went with the Woodrivers
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Blade is no longer made of A2 steel
Although I went ahead and bought this plane anyway based on Woodcraft's return policy, I was hesitant because technical support at Woodcraft indicated that the blades are no longer made of A2 steel. They indicated that the catalog makes no claim of using A2 steel and felt that the web page needed to be changed to indicate this change. I send this bad review as feedback about an inaccurate web page. More later after I have used the plane.
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Best hand plane value at any price
I like to contribute reviews after the "honeymoon period" has worn off ... to that end this plane has been in use for over a year. I own 17 planes ... combination of Stanley (refurbished), L-N and Wood River. The Wood River planes came to my attention via Rob Cosman years ago and after picking up a #4 smoother to try I went on to purchase #3, #5, #6. I would match these against premium planes without hesitation ... in fact when speaking of performance why don't we just go ahead and put W R in the premium category. Are they usable right out of the box? ... no. But with minimal (and I do mean minimal) attention to the blade they are ready to go in minutes. I could go on and on but to sum it up I'd advise that if your on the fence deciding between W-R planes and the premium brands you are doing yourself a serious injustice if you don't grab a Wood River and just try it,
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So, THIS what a good plane is like...
I bought this after watching Rob Cosman's video on hand planes. I already had a few cheap hardware store and home center planes that I've purchased over the last 40 years. All are junk, except perhaps a contractor-grade Stanley block plane, which not coincidentally is the only one I bother to use. After seeing the video, I was inspired to try hand planes again. They certainly have their place in any wood shop. So I bought the 16000 grit Shapton glass waterstone and this #6 WoodRiver plane. Before I pulled the WoodRiver plane out of the box, I sharpened the Stanley and a jack plane. When I was done, the Stanley worked okay, but the jack plane was still horrible. I was pretty discouraged and almost decided that I was wasting a lot of money on stones and a plane and almost returned the #6 plane without trying it. I decided to give it a shot. I pulled the #6 out of the box, cleaned off the shipping oils, and put it to the test with no tuning whatsoever. Zowie! Like butter. It feels great in my hand. The handles are of nice quality and well-finished. The finish on the entire plane seems excellent to me. The adjustments are smooth and sure. What a joy to use! It's hard to imagine that sharpening the blade will improve this, but I expect it will. $199 for a plane still seems like a lot of money (like most good tools), but it seems to be worth every penny. I'm thinking that I'll get the WoodRiver low-angle block plane next.
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Awesome Product
I was given the recommendation from Rob Cosman to start off with the number 6 as it is a great all around hand plane. I purchased it today at Woodcraft along with the Angle Trainer for sharpening. Unbelievable that a beginner can spend approximately 30 minutes honing the blades for this and the low angle block plane and be able to put a perfect edge on a piece of Walnut and Curly Maple. I can't say enough about the planes and also the Rob Cosman website. Right now they have a deal for a free membership with purchase. Great deal, Awesome tool!
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Excellent value for the money
Only small tune-up required, although I did use this plane straight out of the box! After lapping of plane iron on a final polishing stone I believe it works as well as LN. Excellent value for the money a solid performer.
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Nice Plane!
Very nice plane for truing ends of boards to be joined and reducing their thickness.
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Excellent plane
Very well made tool. Useable out of the box; superb with a minimum of sharpening.
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Amazing
I just got home with this plane,wiped the oil off and started edge jointing some 8/4 walnut. I seriously could not believe how easily the blade, without honing/sharpening I remind you, sliced through walnut, leaving a remarkably mirror glass surface. I bought this plane primarily for flattening my workbench, but I might be doing a little milling with it too! (not too much, that is what I have a power planer and jointer for). I've never used a Lie-Nielsen or in-fill plane before, but for the price, I really don't think you can beat this plane. I have a refurbished Bailey #4 that I might be replacing with the WoodRiver #4. I am going to look at the sole for any potential lapping, and will definitely sharpen and hone the blade, but I honestly cannot believe this plane right out of the box. I will never doubt Rob Cosman! His name with this plane was really the selling point for me from the get-go. Off to hone, lap and more planing!
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Excellent plane
[...]. It took only 1.5 hours to tune-up this plane and it has worked very nicely since then. The sole was not quite flat, but it took little time to correct that. The blade is substantial and although the back was not flat, it lapped nicely and the bevel was nearly flat from the start. The throat opening was somewhat rough and seemed incongruous with the rest of the plane, but it is a small point. The handles are well made and look attractive. It arrived covered in only oil and not that waxy stuff that most places use to protect cast iron. There was no 4.5 star rating, so i gave it 5 stars. It isn't perfect right out of the box, but it is very good. When you compare it to Lie Nielsen's $375 No.6 bench plane, it is a very good value for the money.
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Great Vlue
I own and use several of the products from Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley. This number 6 plane is very comparable in quality of shaving produced. Don't skimp on the honing (microbevel, 8000 grit stone, and strop) and, like me, you will also save a considerable sum.
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Great Value
I bought this to flatten a large table top I am building. When I got it home and out of the box I expected it would take me hours of tuning to get optimum performance so I was very pleasantly surprised when I stuck some 220 sandpaper down to my Unisaw top and found the sole to be nearly perfectly flat. Not sure I took more than maybe 20 strokes total before giving up. I could do no better. The iron is nice and thick and quite hard I might add as it took more effort than I would normally give any of my lower quality blades in order to get the back flattened. This is testament to the quality of the blade and its ability to hold an edge. After final honing on my worksharp, it was a matter of seconds and I had a bunch of transparent hard maple shavings on my bench. After some very minor tuning I consider this to be a great value in a plane. I dont have the budget for the "boutique" brands but I believe I now have the performance.
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GOOD VALUE
GREAT FOR SQUARING BOARDS FOR CABNETS. REQUIRED SOME TUNE UP AND HONING BUT WAS OVER ALL NICELY FINISHED FOR THE MONEY. I HAVE ONLY HAD TOOL FOR ONE MONTH AND CAN NOT SAY HOW WELL THIS TOOL WILL HOLD AN EDGE OR THE TOOL WILL REMAIN TUNED. I HAVE AN OLD SET OF BEDROCKS AND THESE TOOLS SEEM TO COMPARE FAVORABLY (I CAN NOT BELIEVE I SAID THAT AS MUCH AS I LOVE THOSE OLD TOOLS). I HAVE ENJOYED THESE WOOD RIVER PLANES SO MUCH THAT I HAVE AQUIRED A #5 (EQUALLY PLEASED) AND HAVE A #4 ON THE WAY! I WISH YOU WOULD CONSIDER MAKING A #7 AND #8.
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Awesome Plane
Went to a Rob Cosman workshop at my local Woodcraft in Woodridge IL this weekend. Rob pulled one of these #6 V3 planes right out of the box, spent a couple of minutes honing the blade with the 1K and 16K Shapton stones. Watched while he planed a piece of "HIGHLY FIGURED" maple. This plane was planning tranparent shavings with no problems. Liked what I saw so much I bought the one he was using for demonstration, already sharpened you know :-)
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Great Value
This is the second of the new Woodriver planes I have recently purchased. It hopefully wont be the last, they are great performing planes and a real value
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Perfect gift
Great product
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Love it
Bought a plane from big box store fettled for hours, This worked right out of the box,love it.
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What you pay for
I am new at planning, I fell in love with it when I tried a plane out at a show at a woodcraft store. I bought the #6 so I can get the practis that i need, I still sand the projects, and I am getting better with the plane. The good is the price. If you are beguining at this you should get this plane, your not investing too much as you improve your skill. The down sides is the frog, not sqaure you need to take the time to line up the blade, the blade needs some honning before you use it, and after I sharpened it, I used it on a piece of oak, and within a few minuts it chiped. I will be getting a lie nielsen, or maybe a veritas.
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Wow. Impressed
I got home. Cleaned the oil off of the plane and checked it out. Very impressed. Granted I am moving up from a Old Miller Falls plane, Impressed none the less. The fit and finish of this plane is very nice. The handles are super comfortable. Pushing it along the wood just feels right and is effortless. Right out of the box the blade was really sharp. I achieved shavings no problem. The back was very flat and needed minor working. Actually while working the back it was actually hard to push from the suction. Anyways a quick hone on 8000 grit water stone and it sings. I know understand the "Magic" that everyone seems to talk about. Shavings just under .001" Bottom line, I'm not a pro by any means, obviously, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this plane. I did have a chance to try some LN planes at an event they hosted at a local woodworking supply store. Not saying it is the same plane, but feels and works pretty darn close.
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Great Plane, Even better Price
I spent five minutes honing the blade on a 8000 water stone and was taking transparent shavings in maple and walnut. I have never used a ,high end plane but the way this performed I'm not sure you can get better results with one.
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Very nice plane
[...] Right out of the box it was sharp and after removal of the preservative it cut pine shavings you could see through. I bought this to surface a table project. I haven't tried it on oak yet, that's next. I was impressed how well it was packaged, the wooden box is a nice touch. I will have to do some honing of the blade but that's to be expected. I ran my engineers square on the body and sole and it is definitely square. Now to surface that oak table top.
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Pretty good out of the box
This plane was good out of the box, but I spent about 30 minutes tuning it up and now works great. It was such a good deal that I bought a #4. That was a different story. It took at least an hour to get it right. Big tune up but now cuts great.
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Excellent Product
I just purchased one of these planes and it is beyond my expectations. I use wood tools all the time for home use. This plane is very attractive, well built, and I feel has excellent quality. Shaves avery thin curl consistantly. I would strongly recommend this tool for anyone looking for a good quality at a reasonable price. Duane Smith, Rochester, NY
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Really too soon to make an evaluation
I build furniture It was packaged well and the precision quality is great
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Great Plane
I love this hand plane. Out of the box it was nearly perfect and only needed minor tuning. I find the cap iron and blade to be high quality as well. This plane will cut wonderfully on woods as hard as rock maple and white oak. I haven't tried any on harder woods, but those are good enough for me! A wonderful plane at an exceptional price.
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Review of #6 Bench Plane
This is a great plane for jointing and I found it very good for smoothing flat surfaces. The basic design is good being bed rock and the general finish is very good apart from some sharp edges on the front of the casting that I dressed with a stone (30 seconds of work). The blade seems good with a flat back but a very rough primary grind. I re ground that in about 5 mins and added a secondary bevel honed down with a fine water stone. Results - see-through shavings on pine within 10 minutes of opening the box. I've ordered the 5, 4 and block plane [...]
