Things You'll Need:
- Safety glasses
- Vise
- Block plane
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Step 1
Put on safety glasses before you begin. Even though this project seems simple, the planer can throw bits of wood that are dangerous to your eyes.
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Step 2
Secure the wood in a vise. Use scrap board at the side of each piece so the vise doesn't leave marks on the wood. Make sure the end grain faces upward and the vise holds the wood tightly.
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Step 3
Use a block plane when you work with end grain. Plane the end grain on one side but do not go all the way across the end. Start at one end and lift the plane a little beyond the middle. Then plane the wood from the other side and stop a little beyond the middle.
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Step 4
Place the block plane at the corner of one end, for another approach to planing. Cut a chamfer at the end of the board to protect the end from tearout at the edge. Move the block plane at an angle across the end with potential tearout and knock the edge off as you do. This flattens the edge.
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Step 5
Start to plane from the opposite side across to the flattened edge of the wood. Use a long stroke. If you created a good chamfer the board edge won't splinter.
