How to choose a manual plane: tips and feedback. How to use the manual plane planer correctly

Despite the wide assortment of electric cars offered by shops, carpenters are still very popular with ordinary hand tools. The fact is that with their help, the processing of a tree can be made somewhat more qualitatively. Most often modern carpenters have in stock both types of planes. Electric is used in the initial processing of blanks, and manual is used for their debugging.

Design Features

To know how to choose a good hand plane, you should have an idea of its design. There are such tools from the following main details:

1. Housing. This element of construction is made mostly of wood. It is in it that all the main components of the plane are attached.

2. Knife. It is sharpened at a certain angle.

3. Clamp. Can be executed from different materials. It can be a metal plate or a bar.

4. The chipmaker. Installed slightly above the knife. As already can be judged by the name of this element, it serves to break the chips and its direction.

5. Adjusting screw. This structural element is responsible for changing the position of the knife relative to the surface to be treated.

This design has all the universal hand planes in wood. The basic elements described above are also present in other, specialized varieties. On the body of any plane, among other things, there are two handles.

What to look for when choosing

The main element of the plane design is a knife. It is on its quality that you should pay attention first. Made of this element should be made of quality steel. In this case, the plane can be used for as long as possible without the need for sharpening. Of course, it is visually difficult to determine how successful the material was for the planer's knife. Therefore, first of all, it is worth paying attention to the reputation of the manufacturer's company.

Of course, the cutting tool must never be unsteady. At purchase it is necessary to check up and a forward handle. She must also hold fast. In addition, when choosing a plane, you should pay attention to the size of the handle for the right hand. The length of this element is different. A tool with a small handle to a person with large brushes may simply not be suitable.

Varieties

Of course, it is necessary to choose a manual plane, proceeding from and for what specific purposes it will be intended. Today there are several types of planes on sale. The most popular are:

• Universal. This is a common plane, which you can perform most carpentry.

• Jointer. The body of this instrument is longer than that of the usual one. Used jointer to handle overall workpieces.

• The end plane. The knife of such a tool is located at a more flat angle. This allows qualitatively to process the end fiber.

• Zenzubel. The shovel of this variety is used mainly for sampling different kinds of joiner joins and folds.

Reviews about brands of planes

In the modern market, a carpenter's tool of this type is realized from different manufacturers. Many brands are very good quality. Good reviews of masters, for example, deserve the planing of companies such as Bailey and Handyman. Tools Bailey are appreciated above all for the excellent quality of knives and long life. Sharpening of a knife of a hand plane of this mark is made rather seldom. Sometimes there are comments, which mention a not too high-quality assembly. But even if some errors are found in the purchased instrument, they can usually be easily and quickly eliminated, and independently. Handyman Handbooks, judging by the reviews, are also convenient and reliable. Their lack is considered only not too neat design.

Do not advise experienced masters to purchase products of the brand Groz (India). Despite the fact that the products of this brand are classified as expensive, especially good quality, they, judging by the reviews, do not differ. The build quality of them is simply disgusting, and at the same time it is inconvenient to work with them.

How to use

The hand planes in wood are simple in design, and they are quite easy to use. The main thing is to do the work smoothly, without jerking. In particular, this applies to very long blanks. If this condition is met, the surface of the finished product will be very accurate and even. Stand at planing should be on the side of the workpiece, putting one leg forward.

The top and bottom surfaces of the products are easy to process. It is somewhat more difficult to do work on the edges. In this case it is important to secure the knife very firmly. Vibrate in the shoe, it should not in any case. Strict edges are placed solely in the direction of the fibers.

There is also a technique that allows high-quality processing of very wide billets. In this case, the product is first squared with a plane on the diagonals, adhering to the direction of the fibers. Next, the plane is checked for smoothness using a special ruler. At the final stage, debugging is performed. At the same time, a thin layer of chips is removed from the workpiece parallel to the edge.

How to sharpen a knife

Of course, the manual plane, like any other tool, requires some care. No matter how good the tool's knife is made, sooner or later it will all the same be blunted, and it will have to be sharpened. Most often this procedure is performed on a special stone, called a donkey. The latter is previously wetted with water. When grinding, it is desirable to moisten the knife itself. Press it to the stone should be as tight as possible.

The grinding angle of the hand plane depending on the model can be different. Most often this figure is 30 degrees. When working on a bundle, you usually simply pay attention to how the blade was ground from the beginning.

Sometimes experienced carpenters sharpen the knife of the plane and on the circle. In this case, it should not be pressed to the edge, but to the side surface. When using a circle, you can also get a pretty good quality sharpening. Hand shovel with such a knife will be very convenient. But only if the abrasive fine-grained abrasive wheel is used. After sharpening on such a tool, debugging is usually performed. Do this procedure or on a piece of sandpaper, fixed on a table, or on a bar. Check the quality of the sharpening is quite easy. To do this, you just need to carefully inspect the blade. If it does not shine, then the knife is sharp enough to be used.

How to set up a manual plane correctly

To perform this procedure, you need a special screwdriver. Such tools are designed to set up planes. Their distinctive feature is the large width and insignificant length. The main purpose of adjusting the plane is to set the value of the blade exit above the surface of the sole. If the knife protrudes too far, the plane will begin to shoot very thick shavings. Slightly the same exposed blade will simply slide over the surface of the wood.

For the initial processing of blanks, the output of the knife should be about 0.5 mm. If the plane is to be used for finishing, the blade should protrude slightly above the sole.

How to store correctly

Experienced masters believe that the knife for the manual plane is dull at the most, not even during work, but because of improper storage. After finishing the blasting of the blanks, this tool should be cleaned of chips and put in a specially designed box for it. In this case, the position of the tool should be such that the blade of the knife protruding from the body is not at the bottom, but on the side.

If the manual plane is to be stored for a very long time, it must be disassembled and cleaned properly before laying it in a box. Knives and other metal parts should be wiped with an oiled rag.