In this class you will get to grips with a traditional style wooden bodied plane where the blade is held in place by a wedge. I really like this type of plane as they are light and feel amazing to use-they glide so easily across the surface. I will give you a new plane that you can work on and you will take it home with you after the class. The cost of the plane is included in the course fee. The class takes place on two consecutive Monday nights.
WHO IS THIS SUITABLE FOR?
If you have been on one of my other classes or have a little experience of chiselling and planing then you will get on fine. If you are a total beginner then you are welcome too, I want everyone to start using wooden planes!
After the class I hope that you will pick up your plane and use it for other projects. If you really like it you can add to your collection with others such as a scrub plane or a jointer for a modest cost.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
You’ll learn how to modify, sharpen, maintain and use a wooden plane. The plane you will work on is made by a company called Pinie that mass produce modern wooden planes in the Czech Republic. It’s not perfect but it is a good blank canvas to learn about tuning wooden planes, without being concerned about ruining an antique or expensive tool. It’s really interesting to me that a very traditional tool is being produced with high tech cnc machinery. It’s a bit like 3D printing a quill and inkpot!
The main adjustment needed with the planes is that the mouth where the blade sits is rather wide and that makes it hard to get consistent shavings, especially in wavy grained wood. It can be fixed by adding another piece of wood (of course!) which closes up the mouth of the plane. Its based on a Japanese method of repairing a plane that has become too wide as a byproduct of the sole being flattened many times.
In addition to learning how to tune up the planes we will also learn how to use them. I will show you how to adjust the blade depth, and the tools and techniques involved in this. You will get to try out your new plane on a few different woods such as cedar and beech so you will start to get a feel for how to use it. Once you have got the hang of it you will get to make a traditional Japanese style wooden straightedge.
