And a lot easier to control. I can shape the whole paddle with one, and I use that when the edges are harwood with twisted grain, such as Ash. Makes for a pretty paddle with no spots to fill.

: 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.