take how to use a hand plane like a professional woodworker for flattening wood and prune moldings and doors .

Getty Images / fStop Images - Jonathan Gelber

A hand plane allow you to polish and remold wood efficiently without splurging on pricey powerfulness tools . Plus , a hand plane can do matter tycoon tools like jointers , electric planers , androuterscan’t . They might look like rudimentary hand shaft , but hired man planes are precision woodworking legal instrument used to knock off theme - thin slices of wood .

hand plane being used on carpentry project

Credit:Getty Images / fStop Images - Jonathan Gelber

While it does n’t take much know - how to empathise the basics of a hand plane , using one in effect come with drill and experience . We ’ve provide a step - by - whole step tutorial on how to employ a hand aeroplane to flatten , reshape , and smooth unsmooth woods surface .

What Is a Hand Plane?

A deal airplane is a hand-held tool with an adjustable , angled blade pop out from the bottom , which allows you to shave wood at a controlled depth .

Types of Hand Planes

Most types of hand planes are tenuous variations of the same basic designing . However , minor design changes allow some type of hand plane to swear out specific aim , such as smoothing boards , trimmingmoldings , clean up mortice and tenon joints , and clean out routed slot in Grant Wood such as dadoes and rebate .

The different eccentric of hand planes you ’ll come across let in :

While each of these hired hand plane types has its place , we recommend beginners take up with a large bench plane , anessential toolfor any stage of woodsman . A bench planing machine is a two - handed tool with a large brake shoe that help it sweep a across-the-board region of the woods , aiding in the ability to flatten and smooth the Grant Wood . A bench plane is one of the easiest hand carpenter’s plane to master and will give you a flavour for hand planing before move on to more specialisation hand woodworking plane .

Rather than using a sander to sandpaper away excesswood fillerand glue , use a paw planer to make much quick work .

Safety Considerations

The steel of a properly sharpened hand plane is razor - acuate . Never rate your hand on the undersurface of a hand airplane for any reason . When using the pecker , keep a unbendable grasp on the handle and the boss to keep yourself out of scathe ’s means in case the hand carpenter’s plane err , and always operate the tool by labour it away from your trunk . For smaller paw carpenter’s plane that require one - handed operation , keep your free hand behind the hand airplane .

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

How to Use a Hand Plane

Secure the Wood

Secure the Natalie Wood to the employment Earth’s surface usingclamps . While a sharp hand plane minimizes the force it takes to shave the Sir Henry Joseph Wood , it ’s still well-off to labour unbolted cloth off the bench when hand planing .

Adjust the Planer Blade

Check the planer ’s blade to ensure it ’s locked into seat at the right depth and that it is square with the skid of the tool .

For many planing project , the blade should n’t protrude more than 1/32 of an in . The sword often require to project only about the breadth of a hair . Once the blade is evenly arrange , lock in it in spot using the hand screw .

If you find that your plane is snagging the wood or cutting poorly , even with a shrewd blade , the leaf blade is probably sticking out too far .

Plane with the Grain

When planing the wood , do so with the grain to minimize issues . Planing against the grain can lead in splinter and snag . Planing along the end metric grain can result in tear - out , which is when the border of the board tears away with the planer .

If you must use a plane on end grain , clamp a chip board to the edge of your workpiece moneyed with the ending caryopsis . This protects the workpiece from tear - out by reinforcing the edge .

Push the Plane

Place your prevalent paw on the rear handgrip of the plane and your other helping hand on the knob . drive the plane forward firmly with a swift , controlled movement , using your whole consistency rather than just your coat of arms to push the tool . If done aright , the shavings pop out rising from the top of the prick . Moving slowly and softly will likely cause the blade to snag .

Once you reach the end of the running , return to the beginning to knock off another layer off . take over this operation until you have take away the necessary amount of material .

Dos and Don’ts for Using a Hand Plane