Rob Cosman from Lie Nielsen Tools showed us some very nice modern planes, made with the quality and mass that you used to get before the power planers started to replace the hand plane as one of the primary tools of any good woodworker. If you are a serious woodworker, amateur or professional, you may want to try one of these extremely well designed and well crafted works of art. The paper-thin shavings that they can take off of birds eye maple attest to their stability and blade quality.
I wouldn't let Rob get away with just showing off the plane . . .
Check out how his index finger points forward to help control the plane.
Take a look at his legwork as he draws shavings off of his wood. A good woodworker doesn't work very hard with his arms, he moves his plane along with a rocking motion of the whole body.
Start with 80 percent of the pressure on the front knob to avoid rounding up on the board. Once the plane is fully engaged, equalize the pressure while holding the plane at an angle to the forward motion. As you come off the board, shift the pressure to the back hand to go off straight and not round down.