: In your situation, I would start with a hand saw to remove the bulk
: of the material, then use a jack plane to finish it. That's what
: I did on my first paddle and I think it took me 30 minutes or so
: for each of the tapers. The results were excellent, it just
: takes more time and perspiration than using power tools.

: Kudzu is absolutely correct about needing SHARP tools and frankly,
: most people new to using hand tools have no concept of what a
: truly sharp tool is. He wasn't exaggerating about the plane
: needing to be "shaving sharp". If you don't have good
: sharpening equipment already, you'll need to invest in it. Trust
: me, once you try a really sharp tool and experience what a joy
: it is to use. you'll fall in love with hand tools. I've found
: that most people who have become frustrated with hand tools
: simply have never used one that's truly sharp.

: Over the past few years, I've accumulated a lot of sharpening gear,
: from grinders, to power sharpeners (Makita and Work Sharp),
: waterstones (Japanese and Norton), sandpaper on glass, a granite
: surface plate (surprisingly inexpensive), jigs from multiple
: manufacturers (Veritas jigs are great!) and so on. I've also
: reconditioned and sharpened quite a few old tools (which is why
: I have so much sharpening gear, or at least that's what I tell
: myself) and tuned/sharpened a bunch of new, low-end block planes
: and spokeshaves for classes. One of these days, I'm going to
: write reviews of them and post them on my book's website, but
: that's another subject.

: Of the sharpening systems out there, I think the Lie-Nielsen method
: is the simplest and most effective one, provided that you're
: starting with a blade that's in reasonable shape (doesn't
: require grinding). It was developed for woodworkers who are more
: interested in using their tools than sharpening them (there are
: a lot of "sharpening geeks" out there) and it produces
: a mirror-polished, shaving-sharp edge in a few minutes with a
: minimum of equipment (a flat surface, one grade of sandpaper, a
: dual-grit water stone, a simple honing guide and a small steel
: rule). Once sharpened, re-honing a dulled blade can accomplished
: in a minute or so. Here are links to their instructions for
: sharpening and for making their angle setting jig/stone holder:

: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/pdf/Sharpening.pdf
: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/pdf/AngleSettingJig.pdf

: If you can't afford their "Basic Sharpening Set" (it's an
: investment you won't regret), you can substitute less expensive
: sharpening media for the waterstone, such as sandpaper on a
: glass plate or granite slab. The results won't be quite as good,
: but they will certainly be good enough to produce a very usable
: edge.

: Here's a link to the set:
: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=1-SK

: Whatever method you end up using, being able to sharpen your tools
: is an invaluable skill.

I've got a whole bunch of really good shapening stones and jigs and now almost all the time I use the diamond sharpeners (hard to call something that's mostly plasic a stone). They are fast and do an awfully nice job with minimal effort. Can be kinda expensive though if you get a full set.

Bill H.