Bridge City HP-8 Thicknessing Block Plane

These items are discontinued. Available while quantities last. Online Only.

Founded in 1983 by designer and craftsman John Economaki, Bridge City Tools has long been known for its often unique and always aspirational tools.

This is an outstanding tool for inlay banding, guitar binding, kumiko (Japanese latticework) or other work that calls for accurately planing multiple workpieces to a consistent thickness. The same plane supplied with the Bridge City Chopstick Master, it has a 110mm long body milled from solid aluminum, with removable skates that raise the plane so stock (up to 7/8" thick) can pass underneath, while acting as depth stops to prevent over-planing.

You use shims, set-up blocks or offcuts of the needed thickness to set the blade height relative to the work. Of course, with the skates removed, it can be used as a regular block plane. An adjustable nosepiece can be closed to a narrow slit for fine shavings or opened for heavier cuts. The blade feed mechanism has fine threads, permitting precise adjustment of the cutting depth. The 27mm wide lapped A2 blade (hardened to Rc60- 62) is bedded at 12° and has a 30° bevel (for a cut angle of 42°).

Since it can be tricky to hold such a small blade for sharpening, we offer a 30° honing guide separately, as well as an adapter for the honing guide that allows it to produce a 38° bevel.