Never mind the pain — when it comes to woodworking, it’s no plane, no gain. Hand planes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all designed to flatten wood surfaces. Their function makes them key to every craftsman’s kit and their beauty drives collectors wild.
Though its origins are ancient, the hand plane as we know it was conceived by toolmaker Leonard Bailey in the 1850’s. His innovative designs attracted the attention of the Stanley Rule and Level Company, which bought Bailey’s business and the right to his patents in 1869. Up until the onset of WWII, Stanley forged a Golden Age in plane manufacturing — to this day many woodworkers (myself included) hunt these cast-iron relics down and restore them to working condition. But if mending old planes doesn’t fly with you, nothing beats Lie-Nielsen’s first-class tools. This Maine-based manufacturer charges top dollar for its exemplary wares, and rightfully so — use one of their planes and your boards will be flatter than a month-old soda.
A hand plane is essentially a wide chisel fixed in an ergonomic base. As the tool plows across a board, a steel blade cuts into any high spots, leveling the wood's surface. If properly tuned, a few passes will produce a beautiful pile of wispy wood shavings. Today, most planes follow Stanley’s numerical classifications: those labeled #1-4 are called smoothing planes, #5 and 6 are jack planes and #7 and 8 are jointers. As the numbers increase, so does the length of the plane.
Smoothing plane (#1-4) - Smoothing planes do just that: smooth. They are utilized in the final stages of surface prep to eliminate any remaining bumps or rough spots.
Jack plane (#5, 6) - A jack plane earned its name by being the "jack of all trades." Most people, however, rely on them to remove large amounts of material, ridding the board of any warp.
Jointer (#7, 8) - A jointer, the longest of all the planes, is used to level out the faces and edges of a long board.
(Images: 1 The Boat and Tool Shack , 2 Lie-Nielsen Toolworks , 3 Lie-Nielsen Toolworks , 4 Bill Hughes Flutes , 5 Wikimedia )
Johnny is currently blogging his experience as a student and amateur woodworker. You can keep track of his projects on his blog, Woodlearner.
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Comments (5)
Where would you look for some of these old collector's tools? They're really beautiful...even if I couldn't actually put them to use.
cbauch: I see them in antique stores especially some of the larger antique malls that carry a variety of things. I have also seen them in the tools section on cragislist.
I have several from my grandfather and great grandfather and have them displayed in my living room. I still use two of them when I build my own canvases. I think I'll have to use this as a reference when people ask what they are. Thanks!
cbauch: try a woodworking store. that's where woodworkers gather, after all, so might be someone looking to trade up (to a newer Stanley, frex) and willing to sell one of their older planes. The other place I've heard people sometimes really score is in estate sales, since that's when it's most likely that older tools will become available.
'Course, you want any of my planes, it'll only be in an estate sale, since I'm not letting go of them anytime soon. And *knock on wood* I'm planning on that estate sale being a long long time in the future. ;D
Also, jointers are hard to learn how to use properly, especially the old ones. Newer ones have nifty adjustment gadgetry on them that makes that part at least a little easier, but nothing makes the actual use any easier. Who needs the gym when you've got a plane?
this might be a dumb question, but does it matter at all if you are a righty or a lefty? anything to watch out for?
elee: I don't think it matters, since I trade off when planing, myself, alternating hands whenever one gets sore. Plus, your dominant hand for writing isn't necessarily your power hand -- usually, but not always. (I write with my right hand, but I plane, saw, hammer, and drill with my left, since that arm's my power arm.)
The one thing to watch out for is using a plane on a surface that's narrower than the plane. Like, say, if the plane is 2" wide and the wood is 1" wide (unusual likelihood, but still, as example). In that case, there's a greater chance you'll tilt the plane away from you on the stroke, and end up planing at a slight angle instead of the neat flatness you want.
The same combination in the action (of pushing down as you push away) can create gouges when you're first learning to use a plane. Basically, practice on cheap soft wood (old cedar is the best, plus it smells good!) and keep the plane's cutting depth as narrow as possible, until you get used to the 'feel' of a level plane and the planing action itself. Then you can start going for a bit more depth and/or a harder wood. Good luck!