Best way to get perfectly flat edges on wood joins without power tools?

Ok being a rank amateur at joinery, what is the best way to get the sides of the wood you are going to join perfectly flat so that they fit snugly?  I'm trying to resist the urge to buy power tools so any advice appreciated, even if it means I have to invest some money in a decent jigsaw or something.  I do prefer hand tools though :)

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Remember that you need a fairly large hand plane for head stock size pieces.  In order to avoid scooping down at the ends of the piece, the flat of the plane will have to ride across the piece all the way through the cut, from end to end.  If you have a small plane you will end up with two halves that are beautiful mirror images of each other, but will not join when glued.

Yes, I learned this the hard way.  I have a newer small plane and a lovely old mid-size one that was my grandfather's.  For some reason, I picked the small one without thinking and generated more than twice the work to do the piece.

everyone pretty much said what i was going to say so ill tell you how i do it . i glued a sanding belt 120grit to a 2x4 . dont use and downward pressure let the sand paper do its job . once it moves smooth and freely check your stock with a flat edge . I refuse to buy power tools too . although i am debating on a dremel for carving bridges .

Thanks, good tip about not using too much pressure, the only thing I remember from doing woodwork at school was always tips like that and "let the saw do the work" type stuff, and it's true.

I caved in and bought a Dremel a few months ago for intricate work like smoothing the rough bits from frets and gouging out enough room under a bolt to fit a rod piezo in.  Removing rough bits from frets with a file was getting tedious.

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