Jointer Fences for Hand Planes

[Jim Koepke]

Tool makers were always looking for a new tool. An adjustable fence for a hand plane seemed a good idea to make planing edges to a predetermined angle seemed like a tool every person planing wood would want.

Like so many other new tools the jointer fence didn't have a lot of woodworkers beating paths or breaking down doorways to buy one. Otherwise, they would be more commonly found at yard sales and auction sites.

They are useful for many woodworkers.

Though more experienced woodworkers can square or bevel an edge without one. It is easy to mark out the edges of a bevel with a marking gauge and work to it. Many can even cut a perfect bevel by marking it on the ends of the workpiece. Those who make much molding do work similar to this all the time.

Once one has established a flat face on a board, it is fairly easy to square an edge.

Flattening the face first helps to prevent splinters when riding fingertips or knuckles along under the plane when squaring an edge.

At one time it was my hope to purchase a jointer gauge. After getting more experience with hand planes it occurred to me it wasn't needed.

jtk

[steven c newman]

So...did you even notice the degree scale on the fence?


The way to plane matching edges for a panel glue up....you fold the panel up like a book or a map....plane those edges then unfold back into a panel....requires you to clamp the 3-5 boards together like a book...because you will need to flip this over and jointer the other set of edges..BTDT...

Everyone seems to think a jointer fence is just for jointing an edge.....but,,why did the makers add an adjustment to where you can bevel a beveled edge? Which is the main design this fences were made for.....

To use it only for jointing a straight edge...is wasting most of the fences uses....

[steven c newman]

And waste half of the uses the fence was designed for.....Think about it, next time you want to add a bevel to the underside of the Dining Room Table's top...

The fence is not just for Jointing...it can FIT on a Jointer Plane, sure....but some will also work on Jack Planes...and a few work on smaller planes...

Maybe try one when raising a panel?

[Richard Coers]

Tool makers were always looking for a new tool. An adjustable fence for a hand plane seemed a good idea to make planing edges to a predetermined angle seemed like a tool every person planing wood would want.

Like so many other new tools the jointer fence didn't have a lot of woodworkers beating paths or breaking down doorways to buy one. Otherwise, they would be more commonly found at yard sales and auction sites.

They are useful for many woodworkers.

Though more experienced woodworkers can square or bevel an edge without one. It is easy to mark out the edges of a bevel with a marking gauge and work to it. Many can even cut a perfect bevel by marking it on the ends of the workpiece. Those who make much molding do work similar to this all the time.

Once one has established a flat face on a board, it is fairly easy to square an edge.

Flattening the face first helps to prevent splinters when riding fingertips or knuckles along under the plane when squaring an edge.

At one time it was my hope to purchase a jointer gauge. After getting more experience with hand planes it occurred to me it wasn't needed.

jtk

How do you know they weren't turned in during the WWII scrap drives since power machinery had taken over that task. How you come up with that not beating a path to the door is beyond me. Myself and others have explained how we use it, and it has value to us. But you can just stay with your believe it is a waste of $20 I needed to buy one.

[Eric Brown]

How do you know they weren't turned in during the WWII scrap drives since power machinery had taken over that task. How you come up with that not beating a path to the door is beyond me. Myself and others have explained how we use it, and it has value to us. But you can just stay with your believe it is a waste of $20 I needed to buy one.

Consider that the first tool Lie-Nielsen made was a plane with a fence and Lee Valley also made one at the beginning. Now Lee Valley is also making fences for bench planes. You would think that they thought they were useful or they wouldn't make them. Sales must be ok because they still make them. Even make special ones for their planes. Like I said at the beginning of this post there are ways around not having a fence, but there are times when it's useful. In the end there is no shame in using or not using a fence. I respect those who have a different opinion. Everybody's right, nobody's wrong.

[David Carroll]

I agree with Jim on this point. The fact that you don't see them everywhere, at every garage sale and antique store (the way you do planes, for example) suggests they were not in widespread use. This leads me to the conclusion that most woodworkers find them unnecessary. No judgement here, by the way. If you have one and like using it, there's nobody telling you not to, (well, Warren maybe). But we give our opinions freely, which you are free to ignore.

Your idea that they may have been turned in for scrap during WWII actually supports the idea that woodworkers didn't find them very useful, because they apparently didn't turn many planes in, given how many are left.

I mentioned in an earlier post that at one time I had one and liked it. It worked fine. But at the time I only had one jointer and used it in a variety of operations, some of which the fence would be in the way. Putting the fence on and off got to be a nuisance. So I stopped using it. I struggled making square edges for a bit but got better at it and never used it again. My ex sold it on Ebay.

I never thought of using it for making long bevels or chamfers, though I don't include these regularly in my work, and when I do I use the methods that Jim outlines, but I am sure that it would work fine.

You didn't waste your money and if you only paid $20 for it you did well. I paid that for mine in the late 1970s and it sold for $75.00 a couple of years ago.

DC

[Prashun Patel]

I own a Veritas bevel up jointer plane and also the fence for it.

For one-off joints, it's too finikcy to set up. It's easier just to joint "freehand" and measure for square. It's not that hard, and very satisfying.

I do use the fence sometimes, but it too is not perfect; it has to be set up just so, and rechecked every so often. So I find myself using the fence in conjunction with freehanding. I might start off with the fence to get close, and then free hand to finish once the majority of the edge has been squared.

I do like having the option when I need the assist.

[Mark Rainey]

I have and still use fences at times. For the woodworker who does not joint often enough or has never learned to have confidence they can be helpful. But they are training wheels. They can interfere with skill development. So we have to be honest ( in Neanderthal land ). To those very skilled in hand tool work, when they see a fence, they see an adult on a bike with training wheels. I believe Tom King said something to the effect that if you bring your fence to the job site, you might also wear a dress to work.

[Reed Gray]

For me, the learning process is to get it as close as I can by eye and feel, then make it 'perfect' with the fence. After all, that is what they are for, at least to me. I have a hard time getting the blade dead on square to the sole than anything else. I don't have the 'feel' for that, yet. As I was reading the comments, I was thinking about using one of the track saw set ups as a track for a plane..... Hmm...

robo hippy

[steven c newman]

So...IF I need a 12 degree bevel ( like when I do raise panels by hand) AND I also had one of those adjustable fences......how would YOU plane it, and have it the same all the way around that panel?

The fence is just like any other tool..it..is..just..a..tool.

Sheesh...

[Mark Rainey]

If you need ANY bevel, use a BEVEL gauge, or sliding bevel. Leave the fence in the basement or closet.

desk on frame.jpgbevel gauge 1.jpgbevel gauge 2.jpgbevel gauge 3.jpgBevel gauge 4.jpg

Mark out your lines with your BEVEL gauge, plane to line ( can remove bulk with handsaw ).

[Jim Koepke]

So...IF I need a 12 degree bevel ( like when I do raise panels by hand) AND I also had one of those adjustable fences......how would YOU plane it, and have it the same all the way around that panel?

The same way as always, after all you have the adjustable fence not me.

The angle would be lain out on the edges at the ends and drawn all around the edges of side to be beveled. This could be done in pencil or with a light hand on a marking gauge or panel gauge.

If one wants the raised part of the panel to have a distinct border, it can be defined by a rabbet plane before the bevel is cut.

The ends should be done first since they are more likely to have blow out to be cleaned up when the sides running with the grain are beveled.

Raised Panel Door.jpg

This was one of my early raised panels. I knew nothing about proportions or other fundamentals of raising a panel. This was done with a #16 rounding plane and a #5 or #6 bench plane. A fence was not used.

The borders around the raised field should all be of equal size. We learn from our mistakes. d

jtk

[steven c newman]

Not really what I was talking about...

I tend to do those 12 degree bevels be marking 2 lines...1 along the edge, and the second one in the "field" and both are lines I plane TO...

As for a Fence.....never even OWNED one...doesn't mean I don't know HOW to used one...to paraphrase Matt. Quiggley....


June 1st, Raise a panel .JPG
Panels I deal with...YMMV, of course..

[Eric Brown]

Added one more fence to the group. It's a Buckeye that is 8 1/2" long by 2" wide. Probably made by the Buckeye Vise and Saw Company. It is similar the Stearns. Not sure if it originally had clamps or not.

Buckeye Fence Outside.jpg

Buckeye Fence Inside.jpg

Here it is attached to a Buckeye Vise & Saw #5 plane made for Fulton. The clamps are homemade.

BVS #5 Plane and Buckeye Fence 1.jpg

[Richard Hutchings]

I recently jointed a back and top set for a dreadnought guitar. I started with a big shooting board, basically, a fence. Maybe not exactly because the planing was done on the side instead of on top. I just couldn't get a good joint doing this so I stuck the boards side be side in my vise and planed them knuckle under. of course they did not have to be perfectly square but, it made all the difference as far as getting the joint flat with no gaps. I used a #3 Stanley and loved the process. Candled the joints and the were perfect.

I have all of the larger planes and sometimes like to use my $20 wooden jointer for this.