How to Use a Hand Plane

Shave wood and make board edges smooth with a hand plane. The leading edge is called the toe; the trailing edge is called the heel.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hand Planes

1. Use a vise to clamp your work. Tilt the board a little bit so that you will be planing just slightly uphill.

2. Set the plane blade depth with the adjusting knob found behind the toe handle.

3. Grip the toe and heel knobs firmly.

4. Push the plane along the wood with long, smooth strokes.

5. Press a little harder on the toe at the beginning of the stroke and a little harder on the heel at the end of the stroke to avoid overplaning at the ends.

6. Check the cuttings ' the curls should be paper-thin. If they are thick, your blade is set too deep, and you need to adjust it.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use a sharp blade. Dull blades make work harder and can leave marks or grooves in the wood.

on 11/22/2005 Not only does the blade need to be very sharp, but it also needs to be straight and true. A rounded profile is going to cut a bowl. Likewise (and this one tripped me up), every nick and ding in the edge (from nails and other fun jobs) is going to make a ridge in your shave. The top of my hope chest has lines all over it, until I get around to griding those dings out of the edge.

on 11/22/2005 Use the right plane for the job, don't try to use a block plane on a job that is for a jack plane.

on 11/22/2005 You need to use a plane in a fluid motion, so your foot placement is key. Stand with your feet apart and position yourself so you can pivot your hips rather than walk with the plane.