: Has anyone found a place to purchase a resonably priced gutter plane (the
: block plane with a rounded bottom). I have found them on the internet but
: they are custom made and cost about 150$US. I would appreciate any
: help...! Thanks

Have you considered making one? You can modify a flat bottomed plane by bolting on a curved piece of hardwood.

Find an inexpensive plane for which additonal plane irons are readily available.

Attach the hardwood piece by drilling two holes through the bottom of the plane. Recess the heads of the bolts in the hardwood so they do not drag. You can fill in the recesses with a few drops of epoxy, and then shape that to keep it smooth. Use nuts on the upper side of the plane where they will be out of the way. Regrind the iron to match the profile of the curved bottom.

To improve on the match between the iron and the bottom of the plane, grind the iron to the desired shape and plough out a straight path in a 2x6. Line that trough with some coarse sandpaper (grit up) Retract the iron so it does protrude, and then run the plane up and dow along the sandpaper-lined groove. After you get the rounded profile shape evened up, go to a finer grade of sandpaper in the groove, and repeat this process until you are satisfied with the results. A few coats of epoxy on the hardwood may toughen it. A little wax will let it slide more easily.

If you want, you can make several different hardwood bases for this plane, each with a different profile and a corresponding iron. Consider making a set for cutting beads and coves. If you can manage some fancy grinding on these irons, you could make one with both shapes on it. The hardwood base could have two parallel slots 1/4 inch wide so the plane would stay centered on the edge of the strips as it went along them. one slot would line up with the cutting surface for the bead, and the other guide would align the coves.

Just a thought.

PGJ