SPECIAL PURPOSE PLANES

Special purpose planes are unique planes are used after the bench planes to cut or trim special features
on pieces of wood. The spokeshaves that we learnt about in book two are classified as special purpose .

Block plane

o A block plane is a small plane that is identified by a rounded rear top.

o It is available in lengths that range from 127 mm to 178mm. These sizes enable the plane to be
held in one hand.

o Blade sizes range from 38mm to 44mnm.

o The blade is fitted with the bevel side of the cutting edge facing upwards at an angle of 20° to
the sole.

o Some block plane blades are fixed at an angle of 12° to the sole to increase the cutting
efficiency.

o The plane has no cap iron. Some models of block planes have an adjustable mouth.

Uses

1. Trimming end grain. For example, when trimming dovetail pins to flush them with drawer sides,
you should use a block plane. Use a block plane to flush a top rail to a stile on a flat frame.

2. Trimming edges of manufactured boards and laminated plastics.

3. Levelling the corner of joints where the end grain meets the face grain.

4. Planing small workpieces which cannot be held In a vice or on the workbench.

5. Planing bevels or chamfers on small pieces.

6. Planing a tapered part.

Finger plane

o The finger plane is a very small plane that is operated by using fingers rather than hands

o It is about 35mm long and 18mm wide.

o The blade is about 12mm wide.

o The blade is held in position by a simple cramping device.

o The sole can either be flat or curved. The curved sole is also known as the violin maker's plane
 o The finger plane is pushed by putting a fore finger in a slot located on its body as is the case
when using a thimble

USES

The finger plane is used for the following purposes;

1. Planing very small pieces of wood when making models or toys.

2. Levelling inlays that are laid across Curved surfaces.

Palm plane

o Palm planes are also very small special purpose planes about the same size as the finger plane.

o These small planes have a handle that fits in a palm for better control.

o A palm plane whose handle resembles the tail of a squirrel is known as the squirrel tail palm
plane. The blade of a palm plane is held by a cap iron and a single screw at an angle of 40° to the
sole.

Uses

o A palm plane is used where a block plane will not fit.

o It is used for precise planing of small parts used in making models.

Shoulder plane

o A shoulder plane is one of the most versatile special purpose planes.

o It is about 230mm long and 30mm wide.

o Its blade is held at a very low angle with the bevel side of the cutting edge facing upwards.

o The blade flushes with both sides of the plane body

o This enables the plane to work in corners of perpendicular surfaces

Uses

1. Cleaning the shoulders of large tenons that have not been perfectly cut. It cuts right into the
corners of the shoulders.

2. Fine planing across the grain of tenon cheeks cheeks.

3. Trimming rebates.

Bull nose plane

 o A bull nose plane is a smaller version of the shoulder plane.

o It is generally 100mm long and 25mm wide.

o The plane is sometimes called a bull nose rebate plane if the blade projects to the sides of the
body.

o This plane is identified by a curved upper front part and a blade that is fixed close to the front
edge.

o The blade is fixed close to the front edge to allow the plane to plane very close to tight corners
especially when trimming stopped rebates

o Some bullnose planes have removable front sections.

o This allows them to plane right into corners.

o The blade of this plane is held up at 180 to the sole

Uses

o The bull nose plane is used to plane right into corners.

o It is used to trim stopped rebates and stopped chamfers.

Router plane

o It is sometimes called an old woman’s tooth or witch's tooth.

o It is fitted with an L shaped blade that faces the front of the tool.

o The blades are available in different sizes.

o The blade is fitted to a cast iron body that has two knobs shaped handles.

o Most router plane bodies have predrilled holes.

o These are used to screw wide boards to the body in order to extend size of the sole.

o This allows the plane to span wide gaps.

USES

The router plane can be used for several purposes:

1. To level the bottom of trenches in order to obtain uniform depth. The sides of the trench must
first be cut with a tenon saw before using the router plane. It can also be used to level the
bottom of shallow mortises
 2. When fitted with a fence, it can be used to level the bottom of grooves

3. To level the bottom of recesses used inlays.

4. To remove the bulk of wood from the background of relief carving.

5. To remove waste from hinge and cabinet lock recesses. To do this simply outline the position of
the recess using a chisel. The router plane is used to remove waste to the exact depth of the
recess.

6. When fitted with a fence, a router can be used to level the bottom of recesses made on round
edges.

Rebate plane

o A rebate plane is sometimes called a rabbet plane or open sided plane.

o It is identified by a blade that protrudes slightly from the side of the plane body.

o To avoid injuries, your fingers should be kept away from the body of the rebate.

o Generally, rebate planes can be classified into the bull nose rebate plane, fillister or side fillister,
bench rebate plane and the side rebate plane.

Uses

o The rebate plane is used for cutting rebates in wood

Bull nose rebate plane

o The rebate plane has a blade that is fixed at a very low angle to the frog.

o It has no fence or depth gauge.

o The mouth is positioned very close to the front edge of the plane and protrudes to the sides of
the plane

o Uses

o The plane is sed to trim stopped rebates and shoulders of tenons.

Filister rebate plane

o This is a type of rebate plane that has a fence attached to its body.

o The fence is attached to the body by two sliding bars.

 o These bars can be adjusted to run parallel to an edge in order to cut rebates that run parallel to
an edge.

o The fillister plane also has a depth gauge that is set to enable the plane to cut rebates to
required depths.

o It also has a spur which enables it to cut across the grain.

o The blade has no cap iron.

o It is fitted bevel up at an angle of 500 to 55° to the sole.

Uses

o The fillister rebate plane is normally used to cut rebates which measure up to 45mm wide and
18mm deep along the grain.

o When fitted with a spur, it can cut rebates across the grain.

Bench rebate plane

o A bench rebate plane is sometimes called a badger plane.

o It is as long as a jack plane but narrower in width.

o The grinding angle and sharpening angles are also the same as those found on a jack plane
blade.

o The blade of the bench rebate plane however protrudes slightly on either side of the plane.

o This enables the plane to be used to trim rebate corners.

Uses

o The bench rebate plane is used to trim large rebates such as those found on door and window
frames.

Side rebate plane

o This rebate plane has two blades that cross each other in the body to allow it to be used to cut
either to the right or left.

Uses

o The side rebate is used to trim the edges of grooves and housings.
o It can be used to trim tenon shoulders.

Plough plane
o A plough plane is a special purpose plane that It is fitted with a side fence.

o This fence can be set to a certain distance from an edge.

o It also has a depth stop which is used to adjust the depth of the groove

o Cutters of different sizes are supplied with the plough plane. These range from 3mm to 10mm.

Uses

o The plough plane is used to cut grooves.

o When fitted with a spur the plough plane can cut trenches across the grain.

o cut grooves using a plough plane, you should begin cutting from the front part of the groove and
work gradually backwards until the required groove is achieved.

Moulding plane

o This plane is similar to a plough plane.

o However instead of having a flat tipped cutting edge, the cutting edges of the blades used on
this plane are shaped in different profiles.

o The blades are supplied in different sizes

Uses

o The blade is used to cut mouldings along the edge.

Match planes

o These are two planes that are used to cut the tongue and groove joint that is used in matched
boards.

o One plane operates like a plough plane.

o It is fitted with a blade that cuts grooves on the edge of one member of the joint.

o The other plane is fitted with a blade that cuts a tongue on the edge of the other member.

o The blade on each set of the match plane is fixed at an angle of 600 to the sole.

Uses

o The two planes are used to cut tongues and grooves.

supplied in different shapes of different sizes.

Shooting board plane

o The shooting board plane has an L shaped body

o The vertical side of the L shape is the sole.

o It is joined perpendicularly to a bottom.

o The mouth is located on the vertical side of the L.

o It is slanted at 200 to the sole.

o This enables only one point of the blade to enter the wood first, rather than having the whole
cutting edge digging into the wood at once.

o This provides a Soft start and makes it easier to push the plane.

o The handle is set at an odd angle.

o it leans to the vertical side.

o The plane can be bought as either right or left handed.

Uses

o The shooting board plane is used on a shooting board to slice the end grain when shooting.

o It can also be used to trim mitres on a mitre shooting board.

A compass plane

o A compass plane is sometimes called a circular plane.

o It has a flexible spring steel sole which can be adjusted to take either a concave or convex shape.

Uses

o The plane is used to plane true concave or convex arcs.

o It is heavier than a spokeshave.

o This gives the plane greater momentum and reduces chattering (bouncing up and down) when
using it.

Cabinet scrapers

o A cabinet scraper is a hand held tool that is used to remove very thin shavings from wood in
preparation for finishing.
o It is often used to clean off stubborn wood grain such as cross grain or diagonal grain where a
plane will tear off the grain when used.
Exercise

1.Identify the special purpose planes shown below

a) Mmmm

b) b.
c) c.
d)
2.a. Distinguish
i. a shoulder plane from a bull nose plane
ii. a bull nose rebate plane from a fillister rebate plane
b. Why is a shoulder plane able to plane into corners of perpendicular surface?
3. State the angle at which the blades of the following tools are held to the plane blade:
a. bull nose plane
b. fillister rebate plane

4.Why is,

a. The mouth of a shooting board plane slanted at 200 to the sole

b. The compass plane made heavier than the spokeshave?

5. Explain how to cut grooves with a plough plane