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I recently had such good luck hand planing end grain on red oak, thought I'd post this --
The best tool to come into my shop this year is a "bevel up" hand plane. Mine is a small standard block plane from Lee Valley Veritas. The bevel up arrangement needs no chip breaker, and with an adjustable throat, works wonderfully.

The neatest thing about bevel up is - you can change the bevel on the iron and thereby change the angle of attack. With a bevel down plane the angle of attack is dictated by the bed (or frog, I think it's called).

With a bevel up plane and three irons, you can have a smoothing plane, or a high angle for figured wood, or a low angle for end grain. Of course you could get a lower angle with a low angle bevel up plane.

This is how I used mine that I am so excited about. Planed off about a 1/16" in multiple passes on this piece. Man - that was cool!

Of course this photo was posed after the fact.
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I'm sold and am going to save up for a low angle plane. If the standard plane works this good, a low angle has to be super. Lee Valley now has a handle that can attach to a block plane to convert it to a smoothing plane.

Chuck now you have gone and done it!! The block plane is one of my favorite tools. I only have a couple of flee market Stanleys but have wanted a bevel up for some time. Although it is hard for me to justify the cost of one for occasional use it has now gone to the top of my tool list.

I was at a woodworking show a few weeks ago, picked one of these up, and they are massive ! Haven't got one yet, but thinking about it.

It's apparent to me that the hand plane is making a strong comeback. Most woodworking catalogs now offer a wide range of handplanes - some very high quality and $$$. The old neglected Stanleys are being re-furbished to do work again.

I have re-furbed a #4 and #5 and have five more planes disassembled and in process. The hand plane is a quick way to prep a surface of a board for the planer. One really doesn't have to have an 8" or 10" jointer to do this task. The key to success is learning how to sharpen the irons.

Chris Schwarz, editor of "popular Woodworking" is a real guru of hand planes. He has a new book out, "Handplane Essentials" which is excellent +++. He also has a DVD available.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought all block planes were bevel up planes.
I have two and I mount the blades in both bevel up. One has an adjustable throat opening which I love on end grain.

As someone mentioned hand planes are coming back. I just saw an ad for Stanley #4 with cherry handles that is being offered. Looks sweet.

Ed I don't know about all but the 3 Stanleys I have are all bevel up #60 1/2 block planes. I should have said that I really wanted the higher quality Veritas® or maybe a Lee Nelson skew plane with the fence attachment***********or both.