I just bought an old wooden hand plane, all cracked up with broken handle but still had original iron and chip breaker. So I thought with it being so cheap I could clean up blade, which looks pretty thick by itself, and use it to make a plane. First thought was copy existing plane, but I see that a lot of you guys start with a smoother, which is what is what is being made in the how to DVD I got.
What woods are recommended for hand planes?
What woods can be laminated together that wont split or fight each other?