I use one to rough out a Greenland paddle. You can rough out a 2 x 4 in about 3 minutes. Work outside because it throws chips everywhere. By using the plane on an angle and a slant you can carve blades. (fast) You can also ruin it in seconds - so I only take it to a rough stage and go to hand tools from there.

Best, cheapest power plane - Harbor Freight.com - their own brand is a Hatachi in disguise - I got mine for $39. It works great. It's one of those specific tools that I seldom use except for that.