Wooden Hand Plane with a Wedged Iron

A wooden plane is a block of wood with a steel iron wedged into a slot through it: the edge peeps out of a narrow mouth in the sole and lifts a shaving at each push. Cut the throat at a steady angle, forge and harden the iron, fit a wedge, and flatten the sole. The picture: a wooden plane of about 1900 in a museum case, its iron held by a wooden wedge.