Hand Plane Basics            
                                    

               In this tutorial I discuss hand planes, their uses and techniques. Hand planes have been in use in woodworking
               shops for centuries and are a very versatile tool. Hand plane use can range from preparing or dressing wood,
               creating joinery on wood to finishing or smoothing of the wood.

               Hand planes are but one tool in the hand tool arsenal which every fine furniture shop should strive to acquire.
               The first part of the tutorial describes different types of hand planes and their uses. The range of hand planes
               covered is from the more common hand planes to a few specialty hand planes. Following this section is an
               introduction to hand plane techniques with step by step sequences of more common handplaning operations.

               The step by step sequences describe how to create and smooth an edge joint on a board, how to dress a
               rough board to a predetermined thickness and flatness. Block planes are covered with steps on handplaning
               the end of a board as well as creating a chamfer along the edge of a board.

               Workshops can be primarily machine oriented at one extreme and hand tool oriented at the other extreme.
               In between there are hybrid workshops which benefit from both machinery and hand tools. I favour workshops
               which utilize machinery to process wood from the rough stage and then use hand tools in the later stages of
               furniture making.

               Very often, it is more expedient to simply tune or create a joint using hand planes rather than go to the trouble 
               of setting up machinery to do the same task. The dust free and quiet environment which hand planes provide is a
               large advantage for the small shop or where noise is an issue. This tutorial will answer many questions you have
               about hand planes and their use in the workshop. I use hand planes extensively in my furniture making workshop.
               Instead of unhealthy dust, I generate wood shavings and get exercise!

                

               More comprehensive information and photos available if you purchase the tutorial below. Once payment is processed,
               select "Return to White Mountain Design" to be able to download and save this "Hand Plane Basics" tutorial.

                                                                        Hand Plane Basics    $7.50