Shaving down the edge of a door that sticks in its frame Planing down crown molding, door trim, window trim, or baseboards that do not fit Slicing off an edge of a solid wood or engineered wood floorboard to make it fit Shaving down the edges of sticky cabinet doors or drawers
Safety Considerations
The blade on a hand plane is literally razor-sharp. While the blade is secured within the tool and is generally out of harm’s way, be careful whenever changing the blade. Never place a hand or any part of your body in front of the plane during use.
How to Use a Hand Plane
Effective hand plane usage depends on a number of factors such as a solidly secured work material, a sharp plane blade, pushing the plane in the right direction, and firm, decisive movements. Because planes have the tendency to slip, stay safe by always pushing the plane away from you and never placing fingers in front of the plane. While it may be tempting to purchase a small trimming or pocket plane (between 3-1/2 inches and 6 inches long), these planes are difficult to control. Most significantly, though, short planes follow the waves and dips in the wood, essentially transmitting the same waves and dips back to the wood. Longer jack planes provide a smoother surface by bridging the gaps and shaving off the humps. When you must plane a work material that has grain running in opposite directions (such as with the rail and stile on a door or shutter), clamp a sacrificial block of wood on the side of the cross-grain area. This way, when the plane reaches the cross-grain section, it will tear out the sacrificial block, not the work material.
