How to Use a Shoulder Plane
If you're using hand tools for fine woodworking, a shoulder plane is the best tool for squaring up and smoothing off the shoulder of a tenon to create a perfectly-matched joint. Unlike most planes that cut with the grain, a shoulder plane cuts across the end grain of wood. It's also called a rabbet plane. You can use it for finishing the horizontal shoulders of a typical tenon joint or also for cutting the angle along the edge of a panel leading up to a tenon.
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Instructions
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Check that a shoulder plane's sides are exactly at a right angle with the bottom, before purchasing one. Hold a square against it. If the plane is off, the shoulder will be also. The plane should feel heavier than most, to help you cut across the grain, and it should have a quality iron (blade) that you can keep razor-sharp.
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Mark and cut a tenon approximately to the finished dimensions with a saw, in preparation for using the shoulder plane.
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Sharpen the blade if necessary and set the iron with its adjusting screw so it barely shaves the wood. Hold the plane with the bottom against the shoulder of the tenon and the side against the tenon itself. Stroke it gently forward, keeping it square by pressing the side against the tenon, and shave a small sliver off the shoulder of the tenon. Repeat until the shoulder of the tenon is flat and fits close against the wood beside the mortise.
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Tips & Warnings
To cut the sloped edge of a panel, cut the panel's tenon and rough-out the shoulder with a router or block plane. Finish with the shoulder plane, smoothing the area that slants between the face of the panel and the tenon. In this case, the side of the shoulder plane doesn't need to be square with the bottom, since the shoulder is a broad angle rather than a 90-degree corner.
References
- Photo Credit porte d"art. image by Jerome Dancette from Fotolia.com
