This month's topic is hand planes. Everyone is familiar with a standard block or bench plane, but most people new to woodworking don't realize that hand planes once did all the work routers and shapers do today. They can be tiny like those used for violin making and incredibly intricate like the plough planes from the 1800's with their rosewood & brass parts and mother of pearl & ivory inlays. I have found that the sound and feel of a properly sharpened and tuned hand plane is one of things, which make woodworking so satisfying.

Like most hand tools, hand planes have evolved into many different variations. They include; jack, fore, jointer, smooth, block, low angle block, rabbet/rebate, edge trimming, bull nose, plough/combination, circular, router, palm, instrument, Japanese, spoke shave, scrapers. For ease of describing I've split them into four groups; standard hand planes, specialty planes, Japanese planes and scrapers.

Standard block plane. These small, light planes are intended for one-handed use. They have a slightly lower blade angle than the bench planes so they can be used on end grain, but care must still be taken so you don't chatter. Best to use an angled shearing cut on end grain. They are ideal for general-purpose work such and are best for chamfering because of the high degree of control. However, if you are straightening a board, the short base length will follow any fluctuation. These planes can also come in versions, which have an adjustable mouth opening for coarse or fine work.

Low angle block plane. These planes have the same basic design as a standard block but with a blade angle of 12 to 14 degrees. This makes them perfect for end grain, composite materials and laminates. Care must be taken when working on the flat of the board with these planes because the low angle will catch and lift the wood fibers instead of shear them off.

Quick Bench Plane Tip

Specialty Hand Planes

	Instrument maker planes. These tiny planes are meant for shaping and sizing musical instruments. Usually made out of brass they range in size from about 1" to 2" (25 - 50mm) long, with blades from 1/4" to ¾" (6 - 20mm). Because they very small the amount of control is tremendous providing the precision needed in creating fine instruments.

Circular or radius planes. Usually about 8" to 9" (200 - 225mm) long with a 1-3/4" (45mm) blade. These planes have a flexible steel base attached to a rigid cast body. You can adjust the radius to match the curve of your material whether it is concave or convex. One thing to remember with these planes is to always go "downhill". This way you are never pushing against the grain.

Bull nose, rebate or rabbet plane. These planes range in size from 4" to 13" (100 - 330mm) long with blades 1" to 2-1/8" (25 - 54mm) wide. The blades on these planes will extend to at least one side, often both sides of the plane. On a standard plane the blade is about ¼" (6mm) within the side of the body. Having the blade extend to the outside edge means you can plane into corners, so you can create rabbets or grooves and clean out rough dados. The bull nose version of these planes has the blade right at the front of the plane so you can work in a blind or stopped grove or rabbet.

	Router plane. Unlike other planes these are held across the wide part with both hands and normally drawn towards you as you work. The "L" shaped cutter suspended in the middle of the base is excellent for cutting or cleaning a groove or dado with the grain. However they are not for use across the grain. Cutters are either ¼" (6mm) or ½" (12mm).

Combination or plough plane. These are the planes with all the buttons and whistles to do it all. The antique ones are wooden works of art and are usually priced as such. Older versions like the Stanley 45 are getting rare, are made of steel with wooden handles and prices are high even at flea markets. Modern versions have metal bodies and composite handles. They work just as good but are lacking the character of the all wood or wood/metal planes. These planes have a straight blades ranging from 1/8" (3mm) up to 1-3/4" (45mm), but also beading, reeding, fluting, tongue and groove and even sash cutters. Often a separate cutter is set into the plane nose, which slices the grain before the main plane blade contacts the wood. They normally come with a guide fence, which helps to keep your planing at 90 degrees, or you can add a wooden block to extend it or angle it and use the plane to chamfer at which ever angle you need. For best control use both hands.

Edge plane. These planes have a body cast with a side 90 degrees to the cutter base. This ensures that the board edge you are planing will be 90 degrees to the board face. The blade is usually set at an angle to the face so you creating more of a slice cut which is easier to push through and gives a cleaner result. These planes are very hard to find, below is a beautifully crafted version by Veritas.

	Molding planes. These planes are rarely seen these days and the closest modern version would be the combination plane. However, the combination planes do not have the ogee, classic and other complicated shaped cutters that the molding planes had. They were used to create crown molding, baseboards, chair rails, furniture trim, etc. Routers and shapers have eliminated the need or, because of the labor involved in using them, even desire for these planes.

	Spoke shaves. Spoke shaves. These modified planes have the handles to the sides and a shortened blade in the middle. Like the name implies these were originally designed for truing and shaving the spokes of carriage or wagon wheels. The small base of the plane can be flat, convex or concave. Although not to many of us will be making wheels, these planes, with their small base area, are still great for shaping curved work and getting into tight places. The Record spoke shaves below show the flat and convex base and the Veritas spoke shave shows the concave base.

Japanese Planes

	Japanese planes cut on the pull stroke instead of the push and are still made of wood. They have the same basic bench sizes for smoothing, jointing, etc. but do not delve into the many specialized variations that western makers did. Japanese furniture tended to have less decorative edging and the woodworkers tended to rely more on chisels and saws for their detail work. Chamfer and some curved planes are available. I am a big fan of Japanese saws with their pull stroke, but I find their planes hard to use. I know in principle they would provide increased control but I can't seem to get used to them. I'm sure it's a matter of practice and technique.

Quick Plane Blade Tip

Scrapers
Scrapers act like miniature planes. There are three types: with bodies, with handles and no handle or body.

	Scrapers with a body are often used in the place of small molding planes. The blades are ground to a shape and the wood is scraped until the entire profile is removed from the material. A straight blade could be used for creating a shallow dado for inlays. Care must be taken in using these in cross grain situations as tearing is common. Scoring with a razor knife helps. Cuts on the push and pull. Like many specialized traditional tools these are hard to find. Below is very nice Veritas molding scraper.

	Scrapers with handles are normally used for surface preparation or finish removal. They have the scraping blade set at 70 to 90 degrees to the handle and the blades are normally sharpened to a fine, clean edge. The blades can be straight, curved, pointed, or even ground to match a particular profile. Cuts on the pull.

	Traditional European scrapers are a rectangular piece of steel, normally with straight sides, some with convex & concave faces and some in a gooseneck shape for curved surfaces. These scrapers are held in both hands with the thumbs in the center causing a slight bowing of the steel outward. This creates the proper angle for the burr on the edge of the blade. Cuts on the push.

EUROPEAN SCRAPER EDGE