| I recently re-discovered a basic tool that I am now absolutely infatuated with. Its the good old hand plane. There are actually several types of hand planes including smoothing planes, block planes and a spokeshave. Spokeshaves can have either a flat or curved blade. See the pictures below for each type. |
| Typical Smoothing Plane This hand tool has largely been replaced by power planes and sanders. Its advantage over a belt sander is that its quieter, makes less mess and uses no electricity. |
| Typical Block Plane Typically used in the surfboard industry to shave stringers in foam boards. |
| Typical Spokeshave Often used to shave stringers in tight areas on foam boards. A spokeshave equipped with a rounded blade can be used to shape the handles of Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) paddles. |
Honestly, I have nothing against power planes. Well, except for the fact that they are noisy and messy. They do
have their place though. The venerable Skil 100 has been used to shape hundreds of thousands of foam boards
since the 1960's. I have used a modern equivalent to shape rails but they are really loud! Power planes are fine in
a shaping bay with a dust collection system but most of us don't have access to this kind of facility. I recently ran
across a hand plane that my dad gave me years ago. I never had much success with it because it was dull and I
didn't know how set it up. Well, I did the research, figured it out and now I love it! I'm sharing the information in the
hopes that more builders will re-discover this awesome tool.
By the way, you still need to do a certain amount of sanding (usually with a belt sander) to shape the rails properly
but using a hand plane will significantly reduce the mess of blowing wood dust. And your sinuses will thank you!
have their place though. The venerable Skil 100 has been used to shape hundreds of thousands of foam boards
since the 1960's. I have used a modern equivalent to shape rails but they are really loud! Power planes are fine in
a shaping bay with a dust collection system but most of us don't have access to this kind of facility. I recently ran
across a hand plane that my dad gave me years ago. I never had much success with it because it was dull and I
didn't know how set it up. Well, I did the research, figured it out and now I love it! I'm sharing the information in the
hopes that more builders will re-discover this awesome tool.
By the way, you still need to do a certain amount of sanding (usually with a belt sander) to shape the rails properly
but using a hand plane will significantly reduce the mess of blowing wood dust. And your sinuses will thank you!
| HOW TO SET UP AND SHARPEN A HAND PLANE By Jack Young |
The photo above shows the honing guide (part number
D1044) made by SteeleX and sold at www.grizzly.com.
There are several models on the market.
Upper right photo shows the iron clamped into the honing
guide. Once its set to the proper angle it is simply run
back and forth until a nice, even surface is achieved.
There are two angles on the iron called bevels that must
be precise. The primary bevel is ground to 25 degrees
and the micro bevel is ground to 30 degrees. The angles
are set by how far the blade extends from the guide.
When using th SteeleX D1004you clamp the iron so it
extends 1.5" for the micro bevel and 2.0" for the primary
bevel.
D1044) made by SteeleX and sold at www.grizzly.com.
There are several models on the market.
Upper right photo shows the iron clamped into the honing
guide. Once its set to the proper angle it is simply run
back and forth until a nice, even surface is achieved.
There are two angles on the iron called bevels that must
be precise. The primary bevel is ground to 25 degrees
and the micro bevel is ground to 30 degrees. The angles
are set by how far the blade extends from the guide.
When using th SteeleX D1004you clamp the iron so it
extends 1.5" for the micro bevel and 2.0" for the primary
bevel.
This is the Stanley plane that my dad gave
me many years ago. You can see the
surface rust because of its age. It was used
very little because I could never get it
adjusted correctly. Plus, at one point I
ruined the iron (blade) by trying to sharpen it
on a grinding stone without knowing the
proper angle.
The main parts of the plane are described
below.
me many years ago. You can see the
surface rust because of its age. It was used
very little because I could never get it
adjusted correctly. Plus, at one point I
ruined the iron (blade) by trying to sharpen it
on a grinding stone without knowing the
proper angle.
The main parts of the plane are described
below.
1) Knob - handle on the front of the plane.
2) Mouth - opening in the bottom of the plane through which the blade passes, and where the shavings pass.
3) Lever cap - holds the blade down firmly to the body of the plane.
4) Chipbreaker or Cap iron - curls and breaks apart wood shavings as they pass through the mouth.
5) Iron - plate of steel with a sharpened edge which cuts the wood. Sometimes called the blade.
6) Lateral adjustment lever - adjusts the iron by tilting it so that the depth of cut is uniform across the mouth.
7) Tote - handle on the rear of the plane.
8) Depth adjustment knob - controls how far the blade extends through the mouth.
9) Frog - sliding iron wedge that holds the plane Iron at the proper angle. It slides to adjust the gap between
the cutting edge and the front of the mouth. The frog is screwed down to the inside of the sole through two
parallel slots and on many planes is only adjustable with a screwdriver when the plane iron is removed. Some
planes have a screw that allows the frog to be adjusted without removing the blade
2) Mouth - opening in the bottom of the plane through which the blade passes, and where the shavings pass.
3) Lever cap - holds the blade down firmly to the body of the plane.
4) Chipbreaker or Cap iron - curls and breaks apart wood shavings as they pass through the mouth.
5) Iron - plate of steel with a sharpened edge which cuts the wood. Sometimes called the blade.
6) Lateral adjustment lever - adjusts the iron by tilting it so that the depth of cut is uniform across the mouth.
7) Tote - handle on the rear of the plane.
8) Depth adjustment knob - controls how far the blade extends through the mouth.
9) Frog - sliding iron wedge that holds the plane Iron at the proper angle. It slides to adjust the gap between
the cutting edge and the front of the mouth. The frog is screwed down to the inside of the sole through two
parallel slots and on many planes is only adjustable with a screwdriver when the plane iron is removed. Some
planes have a screw that allows the frog to be adjusted without removing the blade
This is the pile of chips I made shaping the rails of
my 12' Stand Up Paddleboard. The shavings fall
pretty much straight down as opposed to the dust
from a belt sander that flies everywhere. Note that
the rails were almost entirely rounded using the
plane. I only needed to touch it with the belt sander
and then finish sand.
The nicest part - my car, house, shop, and lungs
aren't filled with redwood dust! I actually purchased
a very expensive Makita belt sander that is much
quieter than my old Craftsman. It also has a dust
collection port that works - pretty well. I connected
my shop vacuum hose to the sander and it was
cleaner but really noisy. Plus I kept getting huge
static electricity shocks from the unit (I guess I
should wear shoes). No such problem with a hand
plane.
my 12' Stand Up Paddleboard. The shavings fall
pretty much straight down as opposed to the dust
from a belt sander that flies everywhere. Note that
the rails were almost entirely rounded using the
plane. I only needed to touch it with the belt sander
and then finish sand.
The nicest part - my car, house, shop, and lungs
aren't filled with redwood dust! I actually purchased
a very expensive Makita belt sander that is much
quieter than my old Craftsman. It also has a dust
collection port that works - pretty well. I connected
my shop vacuum hose to the sander and it was
cleaner but really noisy. Plus I kept getting huge
static electricity shocks from the unit (I guess I
should wear shoes). No such problem with a hand
plane.
To the left is a preliminary breakdown of the tool. Lifting
the lever on the lever cap (#3 above) allows you to slide
the parts from the body of the plane.
Note that the chipbreaker is attached to the iron (blade)
by a screw. You need to remove this screw to get the
pieces apart so you can sharpen the iron.
the lever on the lever cap (#3 above) allows you to slide
the parts from the body of the plane.
Note that the chipbreaker is attached to the iron (blade)
by a screw. You need to remove this screw to get the
pieces apart so you can sharpen the iron.
| This side view above shows the way the chipbreaker and iron should go together. Also note direction of the angeled cutting edge of the iron. |
| I hope this will help you decide to try using a hand plane. If there are any parts that aren't clear send me an email and I'll do my best to clarify. Also, if you have a plane that has a dull blade and you don't have the sharpening tool drop me a line. I'll put the proper edge on it for you if you just pay postage. jack@woodsurfboardplans.com |
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