Plane adjusting gauge

[Robert Engel]

Brian - YES!! So quick and easy.

If you want to be anal measure the shavings from each side with a micrometer (no, I've never done that......;-)

[Pat Barry]

Thanks for the responses guys. Jim, your link provided a lot of very useful insight. My takeaway is nearly everyone agrees that this type of tool is unnecessary. I tend to agree with that generalization but still wonder if the tool might make the entire process much quicker. I don't know that I'll buy one just yet but will give some of the ideas posted a try - I think I might need to find a magnifier with a ringlight though as I do find seeing difference like this difficult these days, even with my high power bifocals.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the responses guys. Jim, your link provided a lot of very useful insight. My takeaway is nearly everyone agrees that this type of tool is unnecessary. I tend to agree with that generalization but still wonder if the tool might make the entire process much quicker. I don't know that I'll buy one just yet but will give some of the ideas posted a try - I think I might need to find a magnifier with a ringlight though as I do find seeing difference like this difficult these days, even with my high power bifocals.

Instead of the magnifier, use your fingers to feel the shavings. In the end, it is the resulting surface that matters, not how the plane was set.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

I used to feel for the projection, but nowadays I have opted for wider plane mouths and it doesn't work so well anymore. Now I just set the plane to no shaving at all, then adjust it slowly deeper and then I look for where the shavings are entering the mouth. Off to one side and I adjust the lateral. For me this is a very easy and quick procedure, and I don't need to fumble with small test blocks, and I don't need to turn the plane upside down. On wooden planes I still peek down the sole to look at the projection. My eyes are still good, but unfortunately also not improving anymore.

[mark kosse]

I remember when digital anyoldthing came out. It was so great, so easy to read. And it was...until the first time the battery died. Ok, get another..oops, it died too, and at only 4.00 a pop.

The digital anything phase has long passed.

[Daniel Rode]

I do a similar thing but with a thin scrap of wood. 1/16" x 3/4" x 1-2" or anything remotely close to that.

I just use a chunk of paraffin while I'm waxing the plane sole. Pass it over at both sides and judge from there. This checks both the lateral adjust (if that matters) and also gives me a pretty good idea of the shaving thickness the plane is likely to produce. Two birds (really three, I guess) with one stone, all for about a nickel's worth of paraffin. This is not intended to be snide and I hope it does not come off as such.

[Zach Dillinger]

I do a similar thing but with a thin scrap of wood. 1/16" x 3/4" x 1-2" or anything remotely close to that.

I used to use wood but I realized I could save time by accomplishing two things at once, namely waxing the plane sole and checking out the settings.

[Pat Barry]

Author of "With Saw, Plane, and Chisel: Making Period Furniture with Hand Tools", due late 2016 from F&W Media / Popular Woodworking Books..

Congratulations on the new book Zach!

[Frederick Skelly]

Congratulations on the new book Zach!

+1. Congratulations!

[Reinis Kanders]

Congrats. Can't wait to read it. Will be interesting to see how many sell.

Congratulations on the new book Zach!