Hand Plane Basics
shops for centuries and are a very versatile tool. Hand plane use can range from preparing or dressing wood,
creating joinery on wood to finishing or smoothing of the wood.
Hand planes are but one tool in the hand tool arsenal which every fine furniture shop should strive to acquire.
The first part of the tutorial describes different types of hand planes and their uses. The range of hand planes
covered is from the more common hand planes to a few specialty hand planes. Following this section is an
introduction to hand plane techniques with step by step sequences of more common hand planing operations.
The step by step sequences describe how to create and smooth an edge joint on a board, how to dress a
rough board to a predetermined thickness and flatness. Block planes are covered with steps on handplaning
the end of a board as well as creating a chamfer along the edge of a board.
Workshops can be primarily machine oriented at one extreme and hand tool oriented at the other extreme.
In between we have hybrid workshops which benefit from both machinery and hand tools. I favor workshops
which utilize machinery to process wood from the rough stage and then use hand tools in the later stages
of furniture making.
Very often, it is more expedient to simply tune or create a joint using hand planes rather than go to the trouble
of setting up machinery to do the same task. The dust free and quiet environment which hand planes provide is
a large advantage for the small shop or where noise is an issue. This tutorial will answer many questions you
have about hand planes and their use in the workshop. I use hand planes extensively in my furniture making
workshop. Instead of unhealthy dust, I generate wood shavings and get exercise!
Comprehensive information and photos available when you purchase this tutorial. Once payment is processed,
select "Return to WoodSkills" to download and save this "Hand Plane Basics" tutorial..
Hand Plane Basics $7.50