Fig. 168.—Smoothing Plane.
Fig. 169.—Iron-fronted Smoothing Plane.
Fig. 170.—Knocking out Iron of Smoothing Plane.
Fig. 171.—Defects of Smoothing Plane.
SMOOTHING PLANE WORKING BADLY.
Any of the following defects may prevent a smoothing plane working properly, causing it to tear up the surface of the work. It may be close at A (Fig. 171), so as not to pass the shavings between the back iron and mouth, or, if very open at the same place, it would jump at the ends of a board being planed; the back iron may not fit close to the cutting iron at B, which would cause shavings to pass between them, clogging the mouth; the cutting edge may be thick as at D, when the black portion would have to be removed with the grindstone, the iron being finished on the oilstone, or it may not bed properly behind the cutting iron at C, which would cause the iron to chatter. In this case, the remedy is to glue a thin piece of card or leather on to make the back level as described on p. 51.
REBATE PLANES.
A rebate plane (Fig. 172) is made of beech, and is 9 in. long, its width varying considerably, but a useful size is about 1 1/2 in. The cutting iron extends the full width of the plane, thus enabling the angles of rebates to be cleaned up. A back iron is not used with this plane. To withdraw the iron of a rebate plane, it should be taken in the left hand, grasping the wedge and the iron firmly with the palm, as illustrated by Fig. 173; the wedge is then smartly struck with a hammer until removed; in Fig. 173 A is a front and side view of the iron, and B is the wedge. In sharpening the iron upon the oilstone, take great care to keep the edge straight across. In replacing the iron, it should be adjusted so that, upon glancing down the face of the plane, it shows equally across its width; if this is not carefully attended to, a long corner may result.
Fig. 172.—Rebate Plane.
Fig. 173.—Rebate Plane taken Apart.
OTHER VARIETIES OF PLANES.
The joiner and cabinet-maker have occasion to use many other kinds of planes, only few of which, however, require to be mentioned here. The bead plane illustrated by Fig. 174 is for the purpose of working the moulding known as a bead (this will be described later). Bead planes are made in sets, ranging from 1/8 in. to 1 in., in a set of eight. The router, or old woman’s tooth (Fig. 175), is a kind of plane used for working out the bottoms of rectangular cavities; it is used for cutting cross grooves in timber to a certain depth, particularly when the groove does not go the whole width of the stuff, as, for instance, with sinkings for treads and risers in strings. It has a broad sole, and its cutter projects the depth of the required sinking. The chariot plane (Fig. 176) is a plane used for the small parts of the work which cannot be conveniently got at with the smoothing plane. Also it is used for planing end grain and cross-grain work; the iron being very near the toe of the stock also renders the plane very useful for chamfering and for planing work recessed out of the solid. The best chariot planes are made of gunmetal, with a steel face. They are not used very much now. Chamfer planes are used for taking off sharp edges to form chamfers. There are great differences in their shapes, as may be seen from Figs. 177 to 179. Fig. 177 shows Preston’s plane, Fig. 178 Melhuish’s plane, and Fig. 179 Nurse’s plane. A mitre shooting plane is illustrated by Fig. 180, and a plough or plough plane, a most important tool, whose use will be fully described later, is shown by Fig. 181.
Fig. 174.—Bead Plane.
Fig. 175.—Router or Old Woman’s Tooth Plane.
HOW TO USE THE JACK PLANE.
In use, the jack plane is pressed down on the work and thrust forward with a steady but deliberate stroke (see Fig. 182), when, if in proper condition, it should take off a shaving nearly as wide as the iron and as long as the piece being planed. Keep the face of the plane well oiled just in front of the iron. Always work with the grain if possible (Fig. 183). A far thicker shaving can be taken off smoothly in this way than if worked as in Fig. 184, which requires more careful work with a more finely set plane. Do not use the plane at an uncomfortable height. When the board to be planed is in position, and the worker takes the jack plane in hand ready to begin, a line drawn through his elbow and wrist should be rather lower than higher at the wrist, though if the forearm is level it will do. Do not attempt to take off thick shavings at the outset, and do not be disappointed if a shaving is not taken off from end to end at the first trial. If the wood has any hollow in it, it will be impossible to do this, and even if it is perfectly straight the beginner will have great difficulty in doing it. Beginners always plane too much off the end near the bench stop, and are too apt to move the arm in the arc of a circle. These errors must be avoided by careful practice. Try to plane the centre of the material rather than the margin, for if a good plane is in proper order it is impossible to make the wood much too hollow or concave; whereas, however good the plane, careless use of it can and will make the work convex in every direction. Probably there is no better lesson than to try to face up—that is, level—two pieces of stuff so that they will, when brought together, be in mutual contact. This simple job will require much perseverance on the part of a beginner if it is to be done successfully. Good progress will not be made if the wood practised upon is too small; little pieces are sure to be made convex in length by a beginner. Take a piece not less than 2 ft. long, though experience has shown that the best results in this exercise are obtained by using pieces of spruce 4 ft. long, 4 1/2 in. wide, and 3 in. thick; this is too stiff to bend, and affords a good surface. When some facility has been obtained, the blade of a 12 in. square or a straight-edge should be employed to test the work. To take a surface out of winding, get two straight-edges—say, 12 in. long, 1 1/2 in. wide, and 1 in. thick, and see