Selecting the Right Hand Plane for You

A hand plane is a tool used to plane wood, making it smooth and even. With a hand plane, you are able to take a rough cut of wood and make it level. Hand planes more commonly found in woodworking shops and are used in the home to plane doors to fit.

About Hand Planes
Hand planes come in a variety of styles and sizes. They are designed with an adjustable blade that fits through a slot. The adjustment of the blade determines the amount of wood that is shaved. The lower the adjustment the more wood that is removed. The blade is held in place by a screw that is tightened to lock the blade in place and loosened when the blade needs to be changed.

Different Type of Hand Planes
Choosing a hand blade that is right for you depends on the type of project that you are working on. To fix door that have become difficult to close or that have swelled due to moisture requires a block plane. A block plane is used for trimming and fitting wood. Projects that require the removal of large amounts of wood are accomplished with a jack plane. A smoothing plane is used in woodcraft and projects that require precision and the removal of small amounts of wood.