Hello everyone. First off, thanks for a great resource - I'm new to timber framing and am learning a lot through lurking and the archives.

Over time I am slowly acquiring the necessary tools as I work on a simple 10X12 shed/cabin. I am harvesting the timbers from my own land and milling them with a small chainsaw mill that I machined.

My toolobox is pretty limited, but I am trying to grow it as finances permit. I am thinking of buying a block plane, and wonder which one would be best for general purpose; low angle or standard? Lee Valley offers a Veritas and Stanley, the Veritas is three times the cost. Any opinions out there if it is worth the price difference? Ideally I'd like my tool purchasing budget to go as far as possible, but want to get good tools at the same time.

Thanks for any help.

Matt