The router plane is as old as joinery itself. Often called a “witch’s tooth” because of the single cutter projecting down from above, it was easily made from wood by a jointer. Starting in 1884, Stanley offered several very successful metal router planes that all modern router planes are based on or directly copied from.
The router plane is the progenitor of the electric router but is limited to leveling surfaces and plowing grooves or dadoes, while the electric router can also employ profiled bits to mold decorative edges. Still, the router plane has some pleasing qualities. No electricity is
