Q. Which wood will wear the hardest?
A. Jatoba is the hardest and heaviest wood we offer. Mesquite and Rosewood would be next. However, wear on the sole is not really an issue with any of the woods we offer. Most wood lost on the sole of any wood plane comes from too aggressive or faulty re-flattening.

Q. What is needed to sharpen the blade?
A. A plane sharpening jig is included with each plane, so the only thing needed is the sharpening media. This can be as simple as sandpaper ( the scary sharp method ) or you may choose to use either oilstones or waterstones. Since the blade is so thin, honing on sandpaper is all that is necessary to regrind the primary bevel. However, if desired, this grinding can easily be done on a disc or belt grinder..

Q. Doesn't the thin blade cause chatter?
A. No. The thin blade is held between a massive frog and a 5/32" back up iron. This assembly sits solidly against the frog adjustment screws. I have never experienced any chatter with this plane.

Q. Can the blades be backbeveled to give a 60 degree cut angle?
A. Yes. With the Sharpening Box this is very simple. Without it you would need to make a little jig to hold the blade at a 10 degree angle.

Q. Doesn't a stone wear away the top surface of the UHMW plastic?
A. UHMW plastic is extremely resistant to abrasion. It can be scratched with the coarser stones, but it isn't abraded away. The stones are working on the steel of the blade, so they are not resting on the UHMW surface where the pressure is at the cutting edge.

Q. Do you make custom modifications of the planes?
A. Yes, we are happy to try to accomodate our customers wishes. We do custom woods, handles of various woods, Stanley type front knobs, special size planes, etc.

Q. How do you pronounce Blum?
A. bloom