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FIVE MUST-HAVE PLANES FOR EVERY SHOP Quiet, efficient, and startlingly precise, the planes on this list often give better, faster results than machines. By Aimé Ontario Fraser PLANES ARE THE QUINTESSENTIAL TOOLS OF WOOD- WORKING. They make possible all the things we JOINTER PLANE strive for in our work: finely fitted joints; flat, smooth surfaces that cry out to be touched; lines that spring with life and draw the eye into a smile; and a deep physical SMOOTHING PLANE connection with the wood that comes from having your hands on it for much SHOP of the building. Our woodworking forebears made frequent use of dozens of specialized hand planes, but most woodworkers today can get by with only five. Every shop needs these planes: an adjustable-mouth block plane, a smoothing plane, a jointer plane, a shoulder EDGE-TRIMMING PLANE plane, and an edge-trimming plane (or pair of edge- trimming planes). Master these five, and you’ll see a huge improvement in your woodworking output. You’ll do better work in less time, and you’ll have more fun in the bargain. As you acquire and use your planes, you’ll also acquire a set of skills. With your first block plane, you’ll learn the importance of balance, rhythm and cadence. Your smoothing plane will teach you about hand position and how to begin BLOCK PLANE and end a cut. The jointer plane will reveal the secrets of flatness, something that can’t help but improve just about every aspect of your woodworking. The shoulder plane demonstrates the incredible degree of precision planes are capable of. A few strokes with the right plane can save hours you’d otherwise spend setting PRACTICAL up a machine. Finally, edge trimmers initiate you into the world of specialized planes, where a com- mon theory unites a body of oddball tools. SHOULDER PLANE Buying a plane is like buying any- thing else – price matters, but only to a degree. As with cars or comput- ers, you’ll find that the simplest, least THE expensive plane can do the work, but sooner or later you’ll run up against 70 WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE | 12.05 THE PRACTICAL SHOP shortcomings in design or construction. It’s better to buy in the middle- to upper-middle price range where you’ll get better fit and finish, and greater comfort. At the high end you’ll not likely see a quantum leap in the quality of output, but these well-made tools delight the eyes and feel right in your hands. BLOCK PLANE This is the first plane most people own, because it’s probably the most versatile. Small and light enough to fit in one hand, you can use it to trim small items too awkward to clamp in a vise. You can also use it (either one- or two-handed) on a workpiece held tightly to the bench with a vise or clamps. Work held in position is easier to plane – you can focus on making shavings, not on keeping the work from shifting. 3 Practice planing with a piece of wood /4" thick and slightly less than 3' long. Position it in a vise, or clamped or dogged near the end of the bench that’s opposite your dominant side – at the left end if you’re right-handed (right- handers plane from right to left). Stand about 8" from the bench with your dominant hip a little less than one plane length toward the middle of the board. With your feet shoul- der-width apart, point the front foot roughly parallel to the bench, and position the back foot 90 degrees to that, toes A BLOCK PLANE CAN BE USED one-handed on pieces that are difficult to put in a vise. pointing to the work. Rotate the back foot about 45 degrees and flex the knees so you’re in comfortable balanced position. The planing starts with the tool just a little behind your hip. At this point, your shoulders are twisted toward the bench, and you’re standing with more weight on your back leg. As the plane moves down the board and toward your cen- terline, the shoulders rotate, and the weight comes onto both legs. At the end of the shaving, more weight is on your front foot and your shoulders are parallel to the work. Build your planing skills by making a pile of shavings. Start out with a light cut, and just get a feel for the movement. Shift around incrementally until you feel stable, especially at the end of board for the all-important follow through. When you find your place, plane until you reach a steady rhythm. You have a lot of latitude for the depth-of-cut on a good block plane. The blade goes in and out, and if you get one with an adjustable mouth, you can alter the opening as well. Wide-mouth/deep-blade equals thick shaving. Narrow- mouth/shallow-blade makes a thin one. Really thick shavings are practical only where the cut is short; it’s hard to maintain FIND A STABLE STANCE WHENEVER YOU PLANE. balance and power for a lengthy one. In most cases, you want Without it, you can’t generate enough power to consistently cut the full length of the surface. a thin shaving because it’s easier to keep your rhythm. Planing rhythm is a lot like cadence on a bicycle. The shape and form of the human body is such that it operates most efficiently when the pedals spin at 80-90 rpm. Skilled cyclists keep their feet moving at a steady cadence and shift the gears up or down to maintain the rpm. In planing, you want to find your rhythm and increase or decrease your depth-of-cut to maintain it. I’m always making incremental adjustments to blade depth. I start with a thin cut and increase it slowly to see how the wood reacts. If I’m having some trouble, I decrease it so I can figure out what’s up. When things are fine, I go to a thicker shaving; as I tire, I back off. I always take very light cuts at the end, so I can really feel the quality of the cut left behind by the plane. 12.05 | WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE 71 THE PRACTICAL SHOP KEEPING IT SMOOTH AND FLAT FROM START TO FINISH START PLANING with your front ONCE THE PLANE IS MOVING, KEEP WEIGHT FIRMLY on the back hand pressing down firmly enough to press down and forward with both of the plane to keep sole in contact cantilever the plane in place. hands. Note the index finger with wood. Front hand removed to Keep both hands on the plane extended onto the frog. Curling it make a point – in real life you’ll keep (my back hand is waving around around the lever cap and iron can both hands on the plane and follow in this photo to make a point). skew the blade. through. Imagine planing past the Position the plane enough forward to end of the workpiece. gain momentum before the blade makes contact. Once you’re moving comfortably, check to see if the planed edge is square to the face of the board. Most people have a biomechanical bias that causes them to plane one edge more than the other. Figure out your own bias and how you should tilt the plane to get the edge perpendicular. It probably won’t feel right at first, but use a square to double-check and practice until you’re both comfortable and consistently square. This is an important skill you should spend time developing. Then you can move onto longer boards. Start in the same position rel- ative to the end of the board, and stay there until your weight is on both legs. As the weight starts to go to the front leg, slide the back leg towards the front and lean back to put your weight on it. If you need to take another step, plane until the weight moves onto the front leg, then slide the back one up again. Shift as many times as necessary, with the final step about 3" from the end of the board. There’s a lot going on here, so prac- tice until you can maintain your stability and balance while moving. The goal is to make full length shavings while leaving a square edge. SMOOTHING PLANE The smoothing plane is one of the classic two-handed bench planes – comfortable tools designed for long work sessions. Smoothers are the mid-sized planes; they’re easy to grasp, heavy enough to provide some inertia, and short enough to follow a gentle contour. Their job is to smooth a surface without being much concerned with flatness. The convention for sizing metal planes gives each size a number based on length. The numbers aren’t absolute, as lengths vary a bit among mak- ers. However, in all cases the smallest – the No. 1 planes – are a little less than 6" long, and the largest No. 8 planes can be 24" long. Smoothing planes ALWAYS BEGIN a planing session by sight- are the No. 4 size, about 91/2" long. ing down the sole of the plane to check lateral Smoothers are just the tools to use for removing tool marks or light blade adjustment and depth-of-cut. 72 WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE | 12.05 THE PRACTICAL SHOP oxidation from a surface, leveling out a small face frame or subassembly, or leaving a perfect glassy-smooth surface that needs no finish other than a little linseed oil and wax.

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