How to set up and use the plane correctly?

Competent setting of the plane guarantees high-quality and safe work. To achieve a good result, it is important to follow all the stages of preparation for work, adjust the angle of the hand plane knife and other parameters. We will talk about this today.

Despite the large number of power tools for woodworking, carpenters and joiners are in no hurry to give up such a simple and reliable tool as a plane. Indeed, in comparison with a grinder, it has undeniable advantages:

• no wood dust during operation - the main, but not the only advantage;
• the blade does not need frequent replacements, as opposed to sandpaper;
• no power access required - is also important, especially in small workshops.

The main details of this tool.

• Frame... All other elements are based on it. It can be wooden or metal, the main thing is that its sole (lower part) must be strictly flat.
• Knife... This is a working body. It must have a good one-sided sharpening at a certain angle.
• Clamp for a knife ("frog")... It provides the necessary blade overhang and, as a result, speed and quality of work.
• Front handle... Used to hold the tool and set the direction of movement. It is held with the left hand.
• Back handle. Designed to transmit pushing forces. In some models, its role is played by the body.
• Chipbreaker... Installed slightly above the knife. It is designed to reduce internal stresses in the workpiece material and prevent chipping on the machined surface.
• Adjusting screw position of the knife.
• Slit in the solethrough which the knife interacts with the workpiece ("mouth"). On expensive models, the size of this gap is adjustable.

In simple wooden planers, the last 2 elements may not be present. There are many varieties of this tool. These are single, and double, and sherhebel, and grinders, and much more. Accordingly, you need to work with these tools in different ways. But in principle, the designs are no different. Therefore, their configuration is performed in a similar way.

To prepare the plane for work, you need to do the following:

• adjust the knife overhang;
• adjust the position of the chipbreaker (if any);
• adjust the mouth gap.

The overhang of the knife affects the thickness of the removed chips, the speed of work and the cleanliness of the resulting surface. For rough processing it should be about 0.5 mm, for finishing it should be less. The process of setting up a metal plane is not difficult, but it is very different in different models. Anyway adjustment is made by turning the adjusting screw. Usually the screw has a left-hand thread, and when turned clockwise, the overhang increases.

Follow the steps below to set up the wooden plane correctly.

• Hit the back of the case with a hammer a couple of times. This will loosen the wedge that is holding the blade. Then it must be removed.
• Adjust the overhang of the knife to a shallower depth than required. It is advisable to look at the end of the tool in order to visually control the position of the blade.
• The knife has one-sided sharpening. On most models, it is chamfered back into the body.
• Install the wedge.
• Correct the position of the knife. To increase reach, hammer against the upper, non-sharp edge of the knife. To reduce it, blows need to be made on the end of the plane. Hit the sides to get the knife and wedge straight. The edge of the knife should be clearly parallel to the sole of the planer.

If the height of the knife is too low, the blade will not cut, but will slide along the surface. Next, set the position of the chipbreaker. It should be at a distance of 1-5 mm from the sharp edge of the knife. The more - the easier it is to plan, the thicker the chips are and the worse the quality of the processed surface. It is secured with a screw or an eccentric clip. Adjust the mouth gap. The smaller it is, the higher the quality of the product, but the lower the productivity.

Some models allow you to adjust the angle of the knife. It is different for working with different types of wood.

• 45 degrees - for planing softwood. Most planers have such an angle of inclination.
• 50 - for solid wood.
• 55 - used in profile planers for processing soft materials.
• 60 - in profile planers for hard wood.

The sole of the planer is checked periodically. It should be flat. To check, attach a ruler to it in several directions and look at the gap. Small gaps are allowed, but not at the "mouth", not at the beginning or at the end of the sole. It should be taken into account that these gaps on a metal plane appear larger due to the reflection of light from a shiny surface. In reality, they are less than 2 times.

If the sole is uneven, do the following:

• remove the blade from the planer;
• fix the sandpaper on an absolutely flat surface;
• sand the sole until the correct result is achieved.

The quality of the outsole is defined as follows:

• if there are many small shiny spots evenly distributed over the sole, it is flat;
• if the shiny spots are large and few, sanding should be continued.

The main method of checking is the removal of test chips. The chips should be the same thickness across the entire width of the planer. Skillful hands are the main thing when working. Therefore, we will tell you how to use the plane correctly.

Each master has his own style of work, but the general features are the same.

• You need to plan smoothly, avoiding jerks... You need to stand to the side of the workbench with one foot forward.
• You need to plan along the direction of the grain. If the workpiece is wide, it is best to first guide the plane diagonally and then level it flat. To do this, you need to use a special ruler.
• The workpiece must be stationary. Vibration is not allowed.
• If the tool is clogged with chips, then it must be pushed down through the "mouth". If this does not work, the chips are pushed up with a chip. Do not use metal objects for this purpose, as they will damage the sharpening of the blade. For this reason, the plane should not be placed on the workbench with its sole.
• Some craftsmen hold the plane at a slight angle in the direction of planing. This improves the finish but accelerates the wear on the outsole.

Be careful when working. Follow a few simple rules.

• Pay close attention to the quality of the workpiece. Working on wet wood is not recommended.
• Do not push the chips out with your hands.... This can cause you to cut yourself or get splintered.
• You need to set up the tool before planing on a workbench., put it on one side with a blade in the opposite direction from the worker.
• You need to transfer the instrument to another person blade towards yourself.
• Dropping the instrument is not recommended.

For information on how to bring a manual plane into working condition, see the next video.