setting cut thickness on hand planes

[Jim Koepke]

I never, ever measure the thickness of a shaving. That is just silly. The surface remaining is what matters, not what you are removing.

There is only one reason I can think of for measuring the thickness of a shaving... curiosity.

For me it seems enough to know that with a freshly sharpened blade my #5 can quickly remove saw marks and then be set for a thin shaving to remove any tear out left by taking the thicker shavings.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

For my wooden planes: Sight down the sole, adjust with workbench. Tap wedge on edge of workbench.

That's the only disadvantage of my softwood bench. I can't use it as a hammer. It would soon be riddled with dents. Of course, it's just a bench, but a flat bench is a nicer working surface.

I learned lately that it is wise not to set the wedge too tight. Adjusting the plane is much easier when it isn't overtight. Of course this means the fit of the wedge should be good.

[Zach Dillinger]

That's the only disadvantage of my softwood bench. I can't use it as a hammer. It would soon be riddled with dents. Of course, it's just a bench, but a flat bench is a nicer working surface.

I learned lately that it is wise not to set the wedge too tight. Adjusting the plane is much easier when it isn't overtight. Of course this means the fit of the wedge should be good.

You're right, and that's one reason why I like my birch workbench. Of course I'm not hitting all that hard either. And you're right, you should never have the wedge too tight. That's why a quick tap on the edge of the bench is just about perfect. You can't slam it that way, like you can with a hammer. At least I can't... I'd break all my fingers if I tried.

[Charlie Stanford]

That's the only disadvantage of my softwood bench. I can't use it as a hammer. It would soon be riddled with dents. Of course, it's just a bench, but a flat bench is a nicer working surface.

I learned lately that it is wise not to set the wedge too tight. Adjusting the plane is much easier when it isn't overtight. Of course this means the fit of the wedge should be good.

My financials have me firmly in the 'benchtop should be softer than the materials worked upon it' camp. Firmly in that camp.

[Sean Hughto]

My financials have me firmly in the 'benchtop should be softer than the materials worked upon it' camp. Firmly in that camp.

What exactly do you do on/with your work on your benchtop that would damage pieces if the top were hardwood? I have a maple top - lots of dings in it from edge tools, saws,etc., but I can't remember it ever hurting a workpiece. Just curious.

[Zach Dillinger]

Like Sean, I don't ever recall damaging a work piece just because my bench is birch not pine. Damaged because I'm tired? Sure. Damaged because I screwed up? Sure. But not because my bench is too hard.

[steven c newman]

The real fun part is when one tries to adjust a block plane like thisSDC13342.jpgand the depth adjuster just slips. A few taps to get to START shaving, is all. Wood was Poplar.

[Stew Hagerty]

I looked a few pages back and It's probably already discussed - but how do you set the blade height on your hand planes? I'm sure there are lots of methods and most are correct. We all have our methods and I for 1, am sure that there are probably better ways then my method. I'm a self taught woodworker for the most part and I'm still learning.

I've always assumed that if I set my blade 1/16 of an inch, I'll get a 1/16th inch thick. I've also heard the expression of achieving paper thick cuts, (the perfect cut) so when setting the hand plane thickness, I place my hand plane on a piece of paper with the blade overhanging the paper. I let the blade rest on the bench top and secure it. If I need a more aggressive cut, I use 2 pieces of paper.

This works for me - what works best for you?

First of all Bernie, the thickness of the shaving you want depends on what type of plane you are talking about. With my #5 Jack, I want a fairly thick shaving and with my #40 Scrub plane I want shavings that are practically chunks. However, with my #7 or #8 Jointers I want to get down to between .004" to .005". My #6 Try plane is set for a similar .004" to .005". Now my #4 1/2 is set for .003", while my #4 consistently slices off shavings of approximately .002". I also have an ECE Primus 711 Smoother that I like to dial in for wispy shavings .001" in thickness.

Like others have said. Sight down from the front until the blade protrudes a bit. Then set the lateral adjustment before backing the blade back just until it disappears. Do test cuts until you get the thickness you want.

The only plane you would ever want to take 1/16" shavings with is probably a scrub. Paper thickness, I believe, is generally about .004". Based on that, you can compare it to the thicknesses I like to shoot for. I wouldn't try to set it the way you are though. You can get a Wixey Digital Caliper for around $25 on Amazon. Set your plane up the way I outlined, then do test cuts and use the caliper to measure the shavings.

[Adam Cruea]

Like Sean, I don't ever recall damaging a work piece just because my bench is birch not pine. Damaged because I'm tired? Sure. Damaged because I screwed up? Sure. But not because my bench is too hard.

Completely off topic, but how do you like birch for your benchtop? I was going to go with that before I went with hickory.

[Zach Dillinger]

It's a very nice top. Really heavy bench, pretty stable except for the glue creep (my bench was made from scrap drawer sides, 4" wide, 3/4" thick and 16" long, so it has a lot of glue lines). $50 for enough to make the top, so price was more of a consideration than anything.

[Jack Curtis]

I keep a small board of hardwood, usually walnut or oak or cherry, as a sacrifice to the plane blade setting gods. I place the plane (usually Japanese wooden) on the board, then insert the blade and help it find its level, also on the board. Then I either hammer in the wedge or sub blade, or if the blade acts alone, I give it a swift hit. That usually sets it perfectly.

That method doesn't work very well for special planes like scrubs.

[Bernie LeBlanc]

Thanks for all the info... now I know I don't know much about hand planes. I honestly have a lot to learn and judging from all of your enthusiasm, I know it will be worth the effort to learn about such a wonderful and fun tool to use. I have a small collection of hand planes and I believe 2 of them are smoothing planes, 2 small planes (all adjustable) and one old wood plane my sister - in - law bought me for Christmas. I had no idea how to adjust the blade on that monster and it's been a show piece. But after the info above, I know how to adjust it so I will refurbish it and use it. So thanks for teaching me about my antique and most of all, thanks for teaching that I don't know much about planes.

I do know I own a Stanley #80 which is a scraper. I really like using it for the heavy scraping and I even used it to strip finish off old pieces of furniture. It does a nice job without damaging the surface. Thanks again to everyone.