BT&C Planing Stop

A planing stop is a great way to quickly immobilize your material so that you can easily plane it.

We took all we knew about planing stops – centuries of information and material – and poured it into our design for the BT&C Planing Stop. Here’s a quick summary of some of the design features we included in this tiny workholding powerhouse. If you want more information about the design and suggested methods of installation, click on the link below.

The most important feature of a planing stop is that it grabs the wood and holds it down. The BT&C Planing Stop features scalloped teeth with thin sharp points that can easily grab the wood along with a strong base that ensures that the teeth do not bend. The teeth penetrate deeply into the wood with minimal markings. The scallops are also pretty shallow, giving a long wide edge for the wood to engage with past the points. The spacing of the teeth are fairly fine. You’ll get more tooth engagement on narrow boards being planed on edge and therefore more stability than you’d get with a coarse tooth pattern.

The BT&C stop has three countersunk holes for installation. Providing three holes is more work and more expensive than just drilling one hole and a detent to keep the stop from spinning, but we thought this approach was worth the effort. We realized we could include three #8 screws with the stop. The three point mounting gives a lot of stability in both directions of usage. Three 1″ screws leave plenty of clearance under the stop for mounting hardware, and three 1/2″ screws will work fine in thin materials for other mounting methods.

Larger, more traditional planing stops typically require chopping a big square hole in your workbench. We hate that. We understand that some people don’t mind the work and modification, but for us, modifying our workbench for specialized use is undesirable. Also, if you have the ability to move the planing stop around for different setups, it will be a lot more versatile. Our favorite method for installation is at the end of the bench using a bolt and a barrel nut installed in the bench. We currently offer a small hardware kit with an integrated knob and 4″ 1/4-20 stud, a washer and a barrel nut. The installation is pretty simple requiring drilling only two holes in your workbench. Click the link below for instructions and other installation ideas.

We stock the Stop in two versions: the “Mild Steel” version, which is unhardened, and a more expensive model in hardened steel for folks who expect more frequent use. The two versions of the Planing Stop have identical geometries and work equally well in grabbing the wood. Our thought, however, is that for frequent use the hardened version will stay sharper longer. For the occasional use, the mild steel version is more than adequate – at a lower cost. We are manufacturing both entirely in-house.

Each stop comes with 2 sets of 3 #8 wood screws. 1/2″ and 1″ long.

Made in USA.

“No-fuss mounting. The countersunk holes on the stop let you mount it wherever it’s convenient…This stop has a sharp, scalloped edge cut into a thin steel plate that can be screwed down. I tested it with boards 4 in. to 12 in. wide and with different degrees of twist. The teeth bit deeply and securely into the wood making their grip as effective as any I’ve used. I tested the mild steel version; BT&C also has a hardened steel model. I had no issue with the teeth dulling. The three countersunk holes allow it to be affixed almost anywhere and easily moved. I screwed it to the top of a benchdog, a block mortised into my bench, and board screwed to the end of my bench, and all worked well. Just be mindful when screwing into the end grain, as the screws can work loose. However, mine didn’t fail, even after hours of use. “ – Fine Woodworking magazine

Included in Fine Woodworking’s 2020 Tool Guide – Best Tools of the Year

“These made in the USA stops are perfect if you are looking for more flexibility or just a high-quality stop for planing. Available in mild steel for occasional use, and hardened steel for the power user.” – Popular Woodworking magazine – 2019 Gift Guide