setting cut thickness on hand planes

[Bernie LeBlanc]

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?

[Archie England]

I sight down the nose of the plane and turn the brass knob until a bare glint of blade emerges. I then test that projection to see how well it whisps away a shaving. For finishing, its got to be super thin; for coarse work, it could be much thicker. I usually back off on the knob just a bit in order to produce thinner shavings. If heavier shavings are desired, I run out the blade a tad more. Be sure not to run your fingers down against the newly protruding blade. I've heard you can get a nasty cut that way :).

[Gary Hodgin]

I follow the same siting down the sole as Archie, but when I see the blade extended through the sole I back of just enough for the blade to disappear. I then take a scrap piece and try to take a shaving. I keep adjusting until I get the shaving I want.

P.S. There's no way I could take a 1/16" shaving. That's about the thickest I like to take on my power jointer. I consider a .005-.007" shaving to be thick. On rough planing with my scrub and jack my shavings are thicker but I've never measured them. I set the shaving as thick as I can and still be able to plane without too much effort. My smoothing plane shaving is around .001-.0025".

[Kees Heiden]

When the mouth isn't too wide I set my planes by feel. I feel with the fingertips of index and middlefinger how far the blade protrudes. With a bit of practice it's very sensitive. You also feel immediately the latteral setting. Of course this doesn't work with wide open mouths, you could easilly cut yourself, so I peer down the sole on the fore, jack and scrub planes.

I started this practice with wooden planes. It's helpfull because the hammer and the blade are in the right position for tapping, not upside down.

When using my Stanley smoother for a very fine shaving I first protrude the blade a bit too much, so I can easilly see the lateral setting. When that is correct I retract the blade and then while moving the plane along the board I slowly adjust the blade lower until it starts cutting. No scrap piece testing, right onto the project.

[Steven Lee, NC]

I put my plane on the workbench, put in the blade till it sits their naturally via gravity and lock it in. I then back it off a hair and start to plane a test board lowering the blade till it just starts to plane. I then start tweaking the lateral adjuster and depth adjust till I get a super whispy shaving. I then set the depth to where I need it :D. Eyeballing never worked for me.

[Adam Cruea]

When the mouth isn't too wide I set my planes by feel. I feel with the fingertips of index and middlefinger how far the blade protrudes. With a bit of practice it's very sensitive. You also feel immediately the latteral setting. Of course this doesn't work with wide open mouths, you could easilly cut yourself, so I peer down the sole on the fore, jack and scrub planes.

I started this practice with wooden planes. It's helpfull because the hammer and the blade are in the right position for tapping, not upside down.

When using my Stanley smoother for a very fine shaving I first protrude the blade a bit too much, so I can easilly see the lateral setting. When that is correct I retract the blade and then while moving the plane along the board I slowly adjust the blade lower until it starts cutting. No scrap piece testing, right onto the project.

Both techniques here are how I adjust my planes.

After I sharpen my blades, I back them up enough so they don't protrude, then I slowly get them to where I can just catch a fingertip on them and feel for proper lateral adjustment. Then I start moving along the piece to take the desired shave for it. After I'm satisfied, I flip the plane over and sight down the sole just to make sure everything is okay.

Considering my eyesight sucks, my fingers usually get the plane adjusted faster than my eyes can.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

This thread makes me remember that I really need to monkey with my #4 - the lateral adjustment does not stay over different depth adjustments, and vise versa. . .

[Jeff Duncan]

I still set mine the way I was taught in HS shop class....flip it upside down, sight it against a light source looking from the business end, and adjust the blade down until you just see it protrude from the body. Then I take a test pass and fine tune from there.

As for paper thick, (thin?), cuts, that's possible only with a well tuned plane and sharp blade. If your plane and blade are good-to-go you can get shavings thinner than paper....(well I guess it depends on what type of paper?)....thinner than copy paper! If your system works for you then I surely won't tell you to try it differently, then again if you want to try another method try sighting by eye and adjusting from there. Never hurts to have multiple techniques;)

good luck,
JeffD

[Derek Cohen]

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?

Hi Bernie

Are you referring to with or without adjusters? Smoother, jack, jointer ...?

For adjusterless planes I use a glass setting plate I built.


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/SettingBladesInPlanes_html_60fde0a3.jpg

Just a sheet of 10mm glass epoxied to flat hardwood.

When setting up a plane, the blade must not be permitted to project beyond the mouth.

It is much easier to adjust the blade outward, that is, increase projection, than to retract the plane blade. One increases projection by tapping on the back edge of the blade with a hammer. One retracts the blade by either tapping on the rear of the plane body with the hammer, or tapping on the nose of the plane (often a plane will have a button placed on the nose for this purpose).




Place plane on glass setting plate.
Insert blade and hold it flat against the glass. Because of the cheek design, the blade is loose and will slide down and into the mouth. This must be held in place to avoid the extra, unwanted projection.
Insert wedge and continue to ensure that the blade is still flat against the glass.
Firm up the wedge.
At this point the plane should be set up to take fine shavings. If you want a deeper setting, just tap the blade down, and then firm up the wedge.


Adjusting a HNT Gordon Smoother ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/SettingBladesInPlanes_html_m76bd31bf.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

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?

Bernie,

Welcome to the confusing world of hand planes. Derek brings up a good point in asking what kind of planes you are using.

The SMC site has recently changed format. Our Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs is now in the "Sub-Forums" at the top of the Neanderthal Haven page. The Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs is an amazing archive of discussions on questions such as yours.

Here is a post of mine from the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148076-Getting-Started-With-Hand-Planes

Rest assured there are many other ways to do the same thing. Also, this was posted a few years ago and my knowledge of using planes has improved since then.

There is almost always a piece of scrap on my bench for setting plane blades.

The sighting down the sole of a plane doesn't work well for me. Some who use this method also use a scrap of wood to test their setting before putting it to their work piece.

If a plane hasn't been used for a few days, sometimes I will run my fingers over the blade from heel to toe to gauge where it was last set.

Being of a larger frame and size than many people it is very difficult for me to take a shaving that is much thicker than about 0.015". That is not even close to 1/16".

Just for the record, people who have been doing wood working longer than me use your paper on the table method.

Most of the time my preference is for making a shaving thinner than what setting with paper achieves.

My average thick shaving will be in the 0.010" range when removing saw marks.

jtk

[Sean Hughto]

This is the beauty of bevel down classic Stanley-Bailey style bench planes. Run the plane over the wood - spin the wheel or move the lateral adjuster as required and try again. Dialing it in on the fly is the best way I've found.

[glenn bradley]

Dialing it in on the fly is the best way I've found.

Agree. I have a decent sized chunk of scrap that I use for this. When it gets too far gone I upgrade another scrap from "scrap" to "blade setting device" :).

[Steve Friedman]

I am relatively new to woodworking, but (like Adam C.) my fingertips are much more accurate than my eyesight. I draw lots of blood, but never setting a plane this way. Then, I use a small narrow scrap of pine (learned from Deneb at Lie-Nielsen) to check that the blade is taking equal shavings at both corners. Creep up on final depth after I start planing. Works for me.

Steve

[Bob Jones]

I use Stanley planes. I sight down the sole to get close and I adjust by outcome (surface finish and effort required). I never, ever measure the thickness of a shaving. That is just silly. The surface remaining is what matters, not what you are removing. :)

[Zach Dillinger]

For my wooden planes: Sight down the sole, adjust with workbench. Tap wedge on edge of workbench. Try cut. If too thick, hit plane heel on workbench twice, tap wedge on edge of bench. Repeat as necessary. If too light, tap toe on workbench twice. Tap wedge on edge of workbench. Repeat as necessary. Plane 'till I'm done.

For my infill planes: Same as above, replacing my workbench with a small hammer and replace the tapping of the wedge with check the screw.

[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 this257925and 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.