Wood Planing Tools

Manual Wood Planes

• Manual wood planes feature a single adjustable blade held in a metal or wooden block. Screw-type hardware adjustments will raise or lower the angle of the blade as well as adjust the depth of the blade's cut. A manual plane can be used for most planing needs. Most thickness planing today is done with a power planer, since manual planes are much slower. These planes are good for small projects and edge planing.

Hand-held Power Planes

• A hand-held power plane is very similar to a manual plane. It features a single, vibrating blade, with adjustments for angle and depth of cut. Hand-held power planes are much faster than manual planes, but still not the most efficient tool for thickness planing. When using a hand-held power plane, start with a very shallow cut to prevent removing too much material, or causing chipping, or "chatter" marks from deeper, uneven cuts.

Bench-top Power Planes

• A bench-top power plane is the tool of choice for surface planing large batches of hardwood, or thickness planing. They vary in size from 10 to 12 inches wide all the way up to more than 2 feet across. The bench-top plane operates with a rotating, multiple blade cutting head on the top and smooth feed roller on the bottom. The feed roller is adjusted up toward the blade head for thickness selection. Remove 1/16 inch of thickness or less in each pass for best results.

Sure Form Planes

• The sure form, or grater plane, has a metal screen on the bottom of a metal box, that features multiple round holes with cutting edges, like a cheese grater. This type of plane is good for DIY carpenters and beginners, since it takes a set amount of material with each pass to limit over-planing. Because the sure form will leave a slightly ridged surface, the surface will need to be sanded once planing is complete. These planes are mostly used for simple projects, such as shaping and shaving down door edges.