This could work, but will not be very efficient. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Search Search for: Search. Create a free Team What flattening jointer plane sole query Teams? Nothing wrong with a block plane; they are great for end grain, because they are bevel-up. Grip the back handle with your rear hand, making sure that your index finger does not try to find a place to rest on the iron or chip breaker.

Is there some trick to grinding the edges square to the sole? Maybe like clamping a square to the sole to angle the edge properly? Squaring the edges sounds like something I would only want to do once in my entire life so if anyone has any tips to help please let me know. The squareness of the edge produced is determined by the adjustable angle the blade edge forms with the side. The angle of the sole, as long as it's reasonably close a couple degrees maybe is not a principal factor.

So you can lay the plane on its side on a flat surface, and then just adjust the blade to where its edge is square and that will give you a square edge. If you decide you must get the side square, one approach is to place a square as in 90 degrees surface next a sheet of abrasive paper, and hold the sole flat against the reference surface while rubbing the side on the abrasive.

This is a metalworking operation, and one might typically use an angle plate as the reference surface. Lacking one of those, you would have to find the best 90 degree reference you can. Both the reference and the abrasive should be placed on a very flat surface, such as a piece of plate glass or perhaps granite tile.

This procedure may take quite a bit of time and elbow grease. I would start with a coarse grit, say 80, maybe 40 if there were a long way to go.

After a few strokes, you'll be able to tell from the extent of the scratch pattern just how far out it is. You can progress to finer grits as you approach flat, or maybe not care much about the surface finish since it will only be used for shooting. It may actually work better if it has coarse scratches in it, as long as the very surface is smooth enough to slide without binding; some scratches may serve to hold more candle wax and make it slide more easily for longer between wax applications.

Which size of plane to use for shooting is partly a matter of preference. Some like to shoot with a no. Note: for shooting board ends it can be very advantageous to use a larger plane because the greater heft can't as easily be stopped in its tracks by the resistance of the end grain in harder hardwoods. But sharpness of the iron and plane settings play a role here too — the sharper the iron is the better, adjust for a light cut, cap iron should not be positioned ultra-close to the edge.

You can get it much closer using the common lapping technique used these days of rubbing the plane back and forth on abrasive paper or cloth. The trick to improving squareness is that you can lean more heavily on the sole side or the opposite and you'll slowly remove more material there, beginning to bring the cheek to square.

Then you just need to slog away until you're done remembering to stop frequently to check for square. You can also do this work with metalworking scrapers and file work. This requires some practice to get good results filing in particular but metalworkers tell us both are better for achieving a truly flat surface on a plane. The cheek doesn't need to be square to the sole The lateral adjustment on a bench plane means that if the sole is slightly out you can compensate for it by adjusting the tilt of the iron assembly until its cutting edge is square to the sole.

Not critical even when jointing If doing edge shooting for jointing purposes making glued-up panels it's not vital that a board's edge ends up perfectly square to the face, as surprising as that sounds. What matters is that the edges of each pair of boards are complementary Flattening Jointer Plane Sole Data angles.

In order to ensure that each pair of edges is at a complementary angle you simply need to plane one of them face up, the next face down. Here's a picture that may help if you're having difficulty in visualising this.

It's for hand-planed edges but the same principle applies this is also applicable to using a powered jointer incidentally :. If you can plane dead square, by hand or in a shooting board, that's great, but as you can see you don't have to sweat it too much if you don't. Scanny is right. Just make sure that your off square variance is not more than the adjustment capabilities of your plane.

My stanley 4 only gives a few mm on each side. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. A woodworking vise is the preferred option to clamping the piece from the sides so that the entire top surface is free to plane. An important part of using a jointer plane is the motion used to run the tool over the wood board you are flattening. Two hands are used with the tool, so the natural thought is that you can simply move the tool back and forth or side to side.

This could work, but will not be very efficient. Be sure to note the direction of the grain, and plan to plane as much as possible along that same line. Grip the back handle with your rear hand, making sure that your index finger does not try to find a place to rest on the iron or chip breaker.

Pressing against these can knock the lateral adjustment out of whack. Make sure your forearm is in a straight line behind the jointer plane following the direction of the sole. With the front hand, hold onto the tote, or front handle, with a comfortable strong grip. Lean forward, putting the strength and stability of your body behind it.

Push from the back hand while pressing down with the front hand, keeping the sole as flat on the surface as possible. Forward strokes should be straight, while bringing the jointing plane back to its original position is often easier to do in a half-arc. On a wide, long surface, you can perform this action in a rapid, but smooth, motion.

For narrow edges and ends of planks, use a slow, steady motion. Since there is very little material surface to keep the sole flat, it is easy to tilt to the sides if moving too quickly. Check your shavings as they come out of the jointer plane — they should be even from side to side. If one side is thicker than the other, you are creating a bevel that will need to be corrected. Learning how to use a jointer plane is much the same as learning to use any other plane , the main difference is just that a jointer plane is a longer version.

Because of the additional length, be sure to check that you have enough room around your project to use the jointer plane to its full ability. An expert at home repair, remodel, and DIY projects for nearly 40 years. His first experience came in completely restoring an antique home. Completely redone from the inside out, and restored to its original form, the home is a featured design by renowned Southern California Architect Cliff May, considered to be the father of the California Ranch Home.

Now Dennis spends his time on fine woodworking projects and tool comparisons. Facebook Twitter Pinterest.

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