Be sure to use the correct plane for the job. Remember that the longer the plane, the better it will straighten the edges on longer work pieces.
Store any plane with the cutting blade retracted to avoid injury and wearing out the cutting edge prematurely.
When not in use, always rest a plane on its side.
Always try to plane with the grain of the wood.
A plane won’t work properly if the blade isn’t as sharp as possible.
Don’t try to plane too much in one pass. Start with a shallow cut setting and gradually increase the depth.
Spokeshave
Used for detailed shaping of curved work, such as chair legs and seats, as well as for chamfering edges.
Replaceable cutters adjust for depth of cut and shaving thickness.
Generally 10” in length.
Bench Plane
An adjustable tool used for trimming, beveling, fitting and shaping wood, and smoothing rough spots left by sawing and drilling.
Blades are positioned bevel side down at a 45-degree angle.
Models range in size from 9" smooth planes to 24" jointer planes.
Smooth planes are smaller (generally 9” to 10”) and lightweight and used for flattening and smoothing the face of boards and other all-around work.
Jack planes are longer (12" to 17") and heavier than smooth planes, have more cutting capacity and are used for smoothing and squaring rough lumber surfaces.
Jointer planes, the longest (approximately 22” to 24” long) and heaviest of planes, are used to shape edges of doors or long boards so two boards may be joined together to make a close fitting joint.
Block Plane
Is much smaller than bench planes and used for smoothing the end grain of boards and shaping small pieces of wood.
Blades are positioned bevel side up and set at a low angle (12 degrees in low angle models and 20 degrees in standard models) to permit very thin shaving of work piece.
Available in both adjustable and non-adjustable models, adjustable block planes feature steel screws, usually on the end of the plane, to vary the height of the cutting iron.
Some block planes have an adjustable mouth to vary chip thickness. A very narrow mouth is best for fine finishing, while a wider mouth allows quick stock removal on less critical work
Trim Plane
Smaller plane, generally 3-1/2: long.
Ideal for light detail work, including model work and sculpture
Surface Forming Plane
Blade design makes them much safer than most cutting tools and easier to use than a conventional plane.
Used for quick, single-handed trimming and cutting, particularly on drywall and PVC.
Leaves a rough surface on wood.
Available in regular, round and half-round patterns
Rabbet Plane
Also called a rebate plane.
Lightweight tool (generally 4” long) used by cabinetmakers and do-it-yourselfers to cut rectangular recesses (called rabbets or rebates) out of the edges of boards and to make grooves in flat surfaces.
Has an adjustable mouth for either fine or course work.
Cutter is positioned at front of plane to enable tool to fit closely into corners
Router Plane
Used to make dados or grooves in areas inaccessible to a regular plane.
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