There are a variety of planes used in wood working each with its particular purpose. However, when all is said and done, the main purpose of the plane is to reduce the thickness or width of a piece of wood. A plane may be made mainly from wood or metal; however, they all have a sharp metal blade that is used to shave the wood to its desired shape.

Anatomy of the Plane

The plane consists of several parts including the sole, mouth, frog, cutting iron, cap iron and screw, lever cap, locking lever, depth adjustment knob, and lateral adjustment lever.

The sole is the base of the plane, similar to the concept of the sole of ones foot. In this case it is the bottom of the plane. Attached to it is a handle and knob that are used to push the plane. The mouth is an opening in the sole of the plane. The cutting iron, or blade, is exposed through here. The frog is a sloped body that is attached to the sole of the plane. It is adjusted to set the size of the opening of the mouth. The lateral adjustment lever is attached to the frog and is used to square the cutting iron with the sole. The cutting iron rests on the frog is what actually cuts or shaves the wood. The depth of the cutting iron is adjusted by the depth adjustment knob that is attached to the frog. It is held in place by a cap iron and cap iron screw. The lever cap sits on top of the cutting iron and cap irons under tension from the frog. The locking lever is released to remove the cap and cutting irons.

Types of Planes

There are two categories of planes: the block plane and the bench plane. The block planes are used to smooth end grain. The bench planes are used to square and smooth wood in line with the grain, and include the jack plane, jointer plane, and smoothing plane (which is used when extremely smooth results are required).

One of the more common planes is the bench plane, which as described above, is used to reduce the thickness or width of a piece of wood, usually in order to straighten or smooth the surface.

Another fairly common plane is the jack plane. Its name, derived from the term jack-of-all-trades, aptly describes its variety of uses. Its main purpose, like that of the bench plane, it to bring wood down to size; however, when it is fitted with a properly ground and sharpened blade, it can be used for general straightening and smoothing, in addition, because of its length, it is suited to planing long edges needed for jointing purposes.

Another plane, similar to the jack plane, is the smoothing plane. It is shorter than the jack plane, measuring about 8-10 inches in length compared to the jack planes 14-18 inch length. While it can be used for general purpose planing, it is used mainly for light planing in order to provide an excellent surface finish.

The jointer plane is used to level surfaces and the edges of long boards. It is longer than the jack plane, about 22 inches in length. The length of the plane allows it to bridge over low spots instead of riding up and down irregularities.

The block plane, mentioned above, is used to smooth end grain of wood. It will cut bevels and chamfers, and trim small bits of material. Unlike most planes, this one can be operated with one hand.

When working in confined spaces, the bullnose plane can be used. It is used to smooth rabbets, chamfers and other small surfaces. It is a very compact plane with its blade near the front allowing it to work in close to a corner or end of a stopped cut.

Planes can be used to create long rabbet joints with or across the grain, using a rabbet plane. These is a specialty plane with an adjustable fence which keeps the plane on course. The depth of the rabbet can be controlled be adjusting a dial on the plane.

Another use for a plane is smoothing curved surfaces. There are two planes that are particularly suited for such work, they are the circular plane and the spokeshave.

The spokeshave is not technically a plane, however it does accomplish the same job. It can only be used on curved surfaces: convex surfaces using the flat faced spokeshave, while a concave surface using the curved face spokeshave. It is suited for making chamfers and smoothing narrow curved edges.

The circular plane has a flexible sole allowing it to be adjusted to follow either a convex or concave curves.