- Hand planes feature a metal tongue, or blade, situated on an angle in a metal frame or wooden block. The angle and depth of cut are adjustable by mechanical means and should be tested before cutting into your project piece. Blades can be sharpened with a grinder or file, but are best left to the professionals if precision is going to be a large factor in your work. They have the tools to grind the blades at the exact right angle to get the desired results.
- Power planes have a rotating blade that skims the surface of your wood as it passes between a pair of rollers. The blade is positioned on top and skims the surface of the wood to give it a smooth finish and cut the thickness down. As with hand planes, the blades must be kept sharp for optimum performance. Since planer blades, known as knives, require a precision cut to operate safely and efficiently, hire a professional when it comes time to sharpen your blades. Power hand planes are also available and are operated in a manner similar to manual planes.
- Use a power planer to adjust the thickness of your stock. Set the depth of cut to 1/16 inch or less and make multiple passes through the planer until the desired thickness is reached. This is to prevent "chatter," or bouncing, which creates horizontal dips across the face of the board, and chipping, common with very hard woods such as rock maple. Always wear safety glasses when operating power planes and keep your hands well clear of the blade.
- Clamp your door or material edge against a work bench or in a vise with the edge to be planed face up and level. Set the depth of the planer to 1/16 inch or less and run along the edge of the material to skim the material from the surface. Use a combination square to check the planed edge for square and adjust the planer blade as required for a square edge.
Hand Planes
Power Planes
Planing for Thickness
Planing Edges
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