Shoulder plane advice

[steven c newman]

I have the Auburn Co. No. 181....and use it quite a bit....( and was only $10....)

[Bill Carey]

Naturally, I go to order the medium and they are out of stock until Oct.

[Mark Rainey]

Naturally, I go to order the medium and they are out of stock until Oct.

It is just as well Bill. Three people have recommended the router plane instead. You can really thickness the tenon to perfection with the tool if it does not come off the saw just right.

[David Eisenhauer]

"Each to his own", "more than one way to skin a cat", etc Bill, but for me, it is much easier to use a chisel on tenon shoulders and cheeks, or a router plane on larger tenon cheeks that are twisted. I have used a shoulder plane to clean up the long shoulder on a sawn/split/chopped out tongue of a breadboard end of a table with lots of success. Most tenon shoulders on typical furniture are usually only 1/4" wide and how long? 1", 1-1/2"? Not a lot of room to deploy the shoulder plane in, but they do work well when sharp and set to take a whisker-thin cut. For me, a sharp chisel tip will drop into my layout line that I sawed right next to when cleaning up the shoulder line.

[Jack Frederick]

I have the large LN shoulderand find that the spoon on that lays in my hand easily. I don't have to grasp it to get a secure push through the material. The larger body offers multiple grips too. With a guide hand or one handed I think it may be a good option for you.

[Don Dorn]

Bill, I have the Lie-Nielsen large shoulder plane, but it can be uncomfortable to use repeatedly. Are you planning on using the shoulder plane for the tenon shoulders or the cheeks? A router plane is very nice for adjusting the cheeks.

I found it odd to use as well. Then, someone said, you need to pull it, not push it and now find it works much better. Frankly though, I dont reach for it often, but when I need it, not much else will do the job.

[Jerry Olexa]

I converted a few years ago to using my router plane to trim/clean tenons..Instead of my 3 shoulder planes....I use a pivoting action with the router plane and it works cleanly and fine! Just my thought.

[Jim Koepke]

Harry Strasil, may he rest in peace, posted on making a router:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?119557

The sixth post shows a version he made specifically for trimming tenons.

A router can be handy when adjusting a tenon or two.

When my project included 24 tenons a chisel with a low angle bevel proved faster.

Paring a Tenon.jpg

Shoulder paring also went quickly:

Shoulder Paring.jpg

This also allowed for a slight undercut for a better looking fit.

According to Patrick's Blood & Gore, the Stanley versions of these planes were designated Cabinet Maker's Rabbet Planes:

"designed for fine Cabinet Work where extreme accuracy is required."

Even with two, so called, Stanley shoulder planes (a #90 & 93) and various other rabbet planes used on shoulders and tenons, my chisels still get the job done faster and just as clean on most jobs. Where the rabbet planes really come into play is when making joinery for pieces in the 2X4 and larger range:

Rabbet Plane on Lap Joint.jpg

A Carriage Maker's Rabbet Plane, #10-1/2, can be handy on a large lap joint.

jtk