Search for "plane" and you get lots of suggestions for power planers! In my world, a hand plane is a plane powered by my hand – or hands, for that matter.
We are sometimes asked which planes to have in a basic kit. The first thing to ask is what you will use them for. But in general, a small block plane with a standard bedding angle is a good choice, unless you plane hard woods – then one with a lower angle is better, as it copes more easily with that kind of wood. Block planes can also be used for trimming edges, small fixes and so on. Together with a shooting board you can trim mouldings and other small pieces for a very tight joint, for example.
If you make somewhat larger things, such as rocking horses or boxes, a smoothing plane comes in handy too. The most useful and flexible are the bevel-up smoothing planes. They come in two sizes, and the choice depends on what you are doing but also on the size of your hands. The plane should be comfortable to hold.
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