Building a Wooden Hand Plane

1. First, purchase the blade and chip breaker. Always have the hardware on hand before building anything. Fewer mistakes in fitting and measuring are guaranteed.
   
   
2. Square up the block of wood you have chosen. For this project we chose a sole of cocobola and the main body of spalted lacey sycamore, but any good, quality wood will do.
   
   
3. Make the block 1" wider than the blade and of appropriate height to engage the screw, which holds the chip breaker to the plane iron. The length is up to you, depending on the type of plane you are building. 14" will be used to build a plane 12" long. This plane is 2 3/4" tall when finished.
   
   
4. 5" from the toe, using a tri-square, mark the mouth of the plane on the bottom of the block. From the leading line of the mouth, go 1/8" back towards the heel and make another mark. The mouth is now laid out.
   
   
5. Transfer the lines from the edge of the mouth. From the forward edge of the mouth, draw a 60° angle forward to the toe on both sides of the plane. On the aft line of the mouth, draw a 45° angle aft towards the heel. Transfer both of these lines across the top of the plane. Now place your assembled blade and chip breaker on the edge of the 45° line and trace it onto the sides of the plane.
   
   
6. Using a pattern, cut at a 1 to 8 rise and run; this will represent the wedge. Trace the pattern onto the side of the plane. If the blade will be using a chip breaker, draw the wedge so that it is riding up the back of the breaker slightly.
   
   
7. About 1" from the top of the plane, draw a 3/8" circle in contact with the surface of the wedge. This is where the dowel hole will be drilled. If you are using a wedge pad on the dowel, be sure to include the dimensions of the pad, add about 5/16" clearance between the dowel and the chip breaker. This pad gives a larger gripping surface for the wedge. On the upper surface of the plane, lay out the lines for the sides of the plane 3/8" from the sides.
   
   
8. Now, at all eight corners 1/2" down and 1/2" from the corners, drill 3/8" holes 3/4" deep for the locating dowels, which will align the sides; back up after you have sliced them off with the band saw. Do not put the dowels in the holes until after you have cut the sides of the plane off. Cut the 3/8" dowels to 5/8" long. Cutting the dowels shorter than the depth of the hole will allow the dowels to be slightly beneath the surface when you clamp the sides to the center during glue-up.
   
   
9. For the dowel for the wedge to fit up against, bore the 3/8" hole either clear through or, with a Forester bit, leave about 1/8" of material on the right side of the plane. It is up to you if you like the dowel being totally exposed or showing on just one side. (Photos 1, 2, and 3 show these steps.) On the band saw, cut the sides of the plane off.
   
   
10. Next, using the lines on the center section, reestablish the lines on the sides for the blocks you are about to cut from the center section. These will be at 60° and 45° with a 1/8" mouth.
    
    
11. Cut the center piece on the band saw; cut to the inside of the lines. Save the triangular shaped piece, which you have cut out (Photo 4) to use for the wedge. By laying out the wedge on the upper surface of the triangular block, the grain of the wood in the entire plane is in the same orientation. If you don't like it that way, make your wedge out of some other piece of wood with an interesting grain. Just be sure you have the grain running lengthwise in the wedge. (Photo 4 and 5)
    
    
12. If you are using a chip breaker, now is the time to let in a groove on the blade bed to receive the chip breaker screw. Set up your router and go for it. Don't go for a snug fit, your lateral adjusting set screws will be used for final alignment. A very good alternative to routing the groove is to bore a 1" hole 5/16" deep to receive the chip breaker screw. (Photo 6)
    
    
13. There is some sanding to be done on the blade bed. Do not try to get out every little mark left by the band saw blade. The blade will fit in better with more friction if you leave the blade bed surface rough. The tiny ridges act like the bottom of deck shoes to grip the blade.
    
    
14. You do not want the throat area to be left rough. With the sides aligned by the dowels, mark the inner edges with a pencil. Remove the sides and, using a scraper, take the machine marks off. DO NOT SAND OR SCRAPE ANY OTHER MARKS OFF THE INNER FACE OF THE SIDES OR THE TWO INNER BLOCKS. THIS WILL DESTROY YOUR GLUE LINE, GIVING A VERY POOR FIT!
    
    
15. Now it's glue-up time. To be safe, do a dry glue-up. Assemble all the parts with the dowels and clamps, but no glue. This ensures that everything is fitting correctly and you know the best order of glue-up.
    
    
16. Apply glue to the surface of one side, but do not get glue into the throat area. Put the dowels into that side with the protruding parts facing the inner blocks. Apply glue to the mating edges of the inner blocks. Slide the blocks onto the protruding dowels. Place glue on other face of the blocks and insert the dowels. Apply the glue to the second side and slide the side onto the dowels. Clamp carefully. Be sure you have a good tight joint all the way around the plane. Using a damp cloth, wipe off the excess glue or wait 20 minutes or so until the squeeze-out is tacky and peel it off. Let the plane sit clamped for 24 hours.
    
    
17. After the glue is dried, remove the clamps and cut off 1" from each end, unless you just want to use the dowels as a decorative element. I like to use a 1" radius for the ends of my planes and a 2" or more radius for the curved area behind the blade. Scrape off the glue squeeze-out and sand through the grits to 220. On the edges, a 3/8" round over bit, set a little deep on the second cut to give the raised look to the sides, works well. Be sure when using the round over bit to not go past the center sections of the block. The bit will gouge down into the throat area if the guide bearing drops over the inside edge. (Photo 7)
    
    
18. The three lateral adjustment screws are set into the sides. They are 1/4" x 3/8" stainless steel set screws. Place them with two on one side about 3/4" from the top and bottom, and the third in the center of the other side. It is amazing how these assist in keeping the cutting edge even with the sole of the plane. Do not tighten these set screws; just have them touching the edges of the blade. The wedge will keep the blade in place.
    
    
19. The wedge almost always needs a little trimming and touch up. Don't get too upset if you mess up a wedge, they don't use much material. If you manage to get the blade bed out of alignment, you can make up for it by sanding the bottom of the wedge to compensate.
    
    
20. Now is the time to adjust the mouth of the plane so the blade can do the cutting. Either by planning, sanding or jointing, remove material from the bottom of the plane to open the mouth. Ideally the distance between the front of the mouth and the blade is the thickness of the shaving. Work slowly and proceed with caution. Filing the leading edge of the mouth can also give more clearance.

On this plane, a boiled linseed oil finish was used, followed up 24 hours later with butcher's wax. Bright finishes are great-looking for show planes, but not a working plane.

To use this type of plane, place the blade beneath the wedge and gently tap the wedge into place with a small wooden mallet. Place the plane onto the wood you wish to cut and tap the blade into the surface of the wood. Be gentle. If the blade is protruding too far out, tap gently on the back of the plane to vibrate the blade to a less aggressive cut.

To remove the blade from the plane, tap a bit harder on the back of the plane. To bring the plane into a deeper cut, tapping on the toe of the plane will bring the blade forward. With some practice, you will be adjusting this plane to cut shavings in less time than possible with a "modern" plane. As an added benefit, a wooden plane slides over the surface with far less friction than a metal-bodied plane.

—Roger Goad, a devoted woodworker since childhood, is now a nationally known expert in this field. Recently, he has joined fellow Wood Post contributor Michael Dresdner in creating a woodworking school just east of Tacoma, Washington. Since 1987, Goad has taught in both the public and private sectors.