Uses for a Shoulder Plane

[Jim Koepke]

Fine Woodworking has a .pdf displaying 9 uses for a shoulder plane:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-guide/article/9-reasons-to-own-a-shoulder-plane.aspx?&lookup=auto&V18=&V19=&V20=&V21=&V22=&V23=&V24=&V25=&V26=&V53=&V54=&Taun_Per_Flag=true&utm_source=email&utm_medium=eletter&utm_content=20130202-hand-tool&utm_campaign=fine-woodworking-eletter

Dang, didn't realize it was such a long URL. Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/afw9u47

jtk

[Brent VanFossen]

Thanks for pointing this article out, Jim. There are many good ideas there.

[Jim Neeley]

Thats a good article, Jim, thanks.

They did miss a use... putting a chisel-tip on your pencil.

Cheaper than a jointer, which I've used before! <g>

[Mike Cogswell]

Excellent article which demonstrates why I have multiple shoulder planes. The baby, a LN 1/2 <http://www.lie-nielsen.com/viewimage.php?grp=1215&layout=blank> is never far from hand. I find myself using it constantly.

One tip - you needn't waste time clamping a fence to cut a quick rabbit. With their nice, crisp, edges it's easy to tip the side of the plane into the line from a wheel marker. When you mark the depth and width, carry the marks around to the sides. Tip the edge of the plane into the top mark and take a swipe the length of the rabbit to establish the width. Move the plane over a bit and take another swipe with the plane flat. That should get you down far enough that you can now follow the shoulder you established with the first swipe. If you are taking very fine shavings, you may need more than one tilted swipe to create the shoulder, no problem, except each tilted pass moves the plane slightly over. That means that after you have changed to flat passes you will no longer be on your original line. Once you've cut to the depth, simply lay the plane down and use it as a shoulder plane to trim the side of the rabbit to the line.

I can cut a rabbit in less time than I spent typing this.

My thanks to Matt Bickford, who taught me this trick.

[Don Dorn]

Thanks Mike - (while slapping forehead). Going to give that system a try rather than breaking out the 778.