Block plane
Encyclopedia
A block plane is a small woodworking
hand plane which typically has the iron
bedded at a lower angle than other planes, with the bevel up. It is designed to cut end grain
and is typically small enough to be used with one hand.
According to Patrick's Stanley Blood and Gore, Stanley marketing materials states that, "A Block Plane was first made to meet the demand for a Plane which could be easily held in one hand while planing across the grain, particularly the ends of boards, etc. This latter work many Carpenters call 'Blocking in', hence the name 'Block' Plane." Tradition also claims that the block plane gets its name from its traditional use to level and remove cleaver
marks from butchers' blocks
that were built with the end grain facing up.
A block plane is frequently used for paring end grain. This is possible because block planes have their blades set at a shallow bed angle, allowing the blade to slice through end grain more efficiently. For this to work the plane is frequently held at an angle sometimes as much as 45 degrees to the direction of travel. The angled cutting edge slices the wood fibers as they pass from one end of the cutting edge to the other.
A block plane has many other uses in woodworking. Typically, it is used for cleaning up components by removing thin shavings of wood to make a component fit within fine tolerances. Chamfer
ing (angling square edges) and removing glue
lines are some of the other uses woodworkers find for it.
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
hand plane which typically has the iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bedded at a lower angle than other planes, with the bevel up. It is designed to cut end grain
Wood grain
In speaking of wood the term grain refers to the alternating regions of relatively darker and lighter wood resulting from the differing growth parameters occurring in different seasons . The term is used in several ways. Perhaps most important is that in woodworking techniques...
and is typically small enough to be used with one hand.
According to Patrick's Stanley Blood and Gore, Stanley marketing materials states that, "A Block Plane was first made to meet the demand for a Plane which could be easily held in one hand while planing across the grain, particularly the ends of boards, etc. This latter work many Carpenters call 'Blocking in', hence the name 'Block' Plane." Tradition also claims that the block plane gets its name from its traditional use to level and remove cleaver
Cleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
marks from butchers' blocks
Butcher block
A butcher's block is a style of assembled wood used as heavy duty chopping blocks, table tops, and cutting boards...
that were built with the end grain facing up.
A block plane is frequently used for paring end grain. This is possible because block planes have their blades set at a shallow bed angle, allowing the blade to slice through end grain more efficiently. For this to work the plane is frequently held at an angle sometimes as much as 45 degrees to the direction of travel. The angled cutting edge slices the wood fibers as they pass from one end of the cutting edge to the other.
A block plane has many other uses in woodworking. Typically, it is used for cleaning up components by removing thin shavings of wood to make a component fit within fine tolerances. Chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ing (angling square edges) and removing glue
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
lines are some of the other uses woodworkers find for it.