Setting a wood plane cutter

guido

Well-known Member
Hello,

Any one here knows how to set the dept on the blade a wood plane? Getting it straight is also not easy! Is there a tool for this purpose? My little plane, with a 2in. blade has no guide to keep the blade straight


Guido.
 
Been a long time since high school wood shop! But best I remember... The depth of the blade depends on the type cutting and the hardness of the wood. If you are hogging down soft wood, set it deep. If you are working hard wood, set it shallow. You'll figure it out, just takes some trial and error.

As for getting it straight, the better planes have a lever that moves the blade holder side to side to get it straight. The smaller and economy models, you just have to work it by hand to get it straight.

One thing that was critical, the blade has to be razor sharp to work! The plane should be laid on it's side between uses, stored in a special holder that protects the blade, or remove the blade when not in use.
 
How much of the blade to expose varies with the grain's characteristics, wood hardness and how much wood you want to remove with each pass. Start off with a tiny amount of blade exposed and go from there. Getting the blade straight - eye-ball it and try to tighten things up with out moving it! A small hammer is useful to tap the blade straight after its been snugged up a little. You'll have an easier time planning if you plane with the rise of the grain rather than into it. Planning into the grain tends to cause the blade to dive. This can be a real problem working soft wood with a small, short-nosed plane.
 
BOY do you ever have that straight. Seventh and eighth grade shop class and Mr.Warsinsky would hand you your A** if you put a plane on it's flat! To get a blade razor sharp and true is a real skill. You need some very good tools to do it right. I ended up taking all five of my blades to a guy who does sharpening. Worth the cost though.
 
I remember we had an attachment on the bench grinder that held the blade at the correct angle. Lay it in, make a pass, dip it in the water. Then hone it with a stone and oil. A very tedious procedure, especially for a 14 year old!
 
I have a 6 inch jointer with 3 adjustable blades, BPIA to get blades perfect. So when I purchased a planer, I wanted a no brainer, no adjustments on blades. That's why I bought a 13 inch dewalt, 3 blades. Just put blades in, pins to hold it where needed.
 
It is one of those Zen things. When I sharpen mower blades with a 4 1/4 grinder and use a sander disk I slowly move back and forth like in a trance. You can get a really awsom edge if you take care. Thing is a plane blade has to be dead straight. Now a "plainer" has to have all three or four blades perfect and set exactly the same. My dad had one of those hung bear plainers and put in a new set. He spent several days getting it correct. The pride of a well done job can just bust your buttons when it is done correctly!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top