History
Most hand planes are categorized as either bench or block planes and have been around since Roman times.
In the early days, the most basic ones were made from wooden blocks with a rectangular slot cut across the centre for the metal blade to slot in. The blade (also known as the iron) was secured with a wooden wedge. Examples recovered from excavations at historic sites in various parts of the world indicate more "modern" methods of construction. Some of the Roman planes resembled modern planes, consisting of a wooden core wrapped in iron. Even bronze was used in some instances.
Leonard Bailey started producing a line of cast iron-bodied hand planes in the mid 1800s. The patents were later transferred to Stanley who, to this day, still manufactures the Bailey designs.
Modern hand planes are still made of very much the same combination of materials consisting of cast iron and wood with bronze in some instances.
Types of Hand Planers
Block Planers are used for smoothing and flattening uneven and curly pieces of timber. The blade is at a fairly shallow angle with an upward bevel. With their low blade angle, block planes are designed to shear off end grain, making them very useful for trimming and fitting
Bench (or finishing) planers are used for larger projects. Bench planes are similar to block planes and used for smoothing or flattening timber. However, the blade is fitted at a steeper angle with a downward bevel.
Pocket planers are used for one-handed speed cutting and trimming. They are small enough to fit in your pocket or toolbox. The blade can be adjusted or replaced simply with the turn of a knob.
Spoke planers (or shavers) are used for shaping edges and cutting rounded shapes in timber. They are useful for shaping chair legs and seats or curved templates. Cutters are replaceable and are usually adjustable for depth of cut and shaving thickness.
Trimming planers are slightly larger than a pocket planers and are used for detail planing as well as for the smoothing and flattening of smaller pieces of timber.
Types of Power Planers
The first power (air) planer was produced for the shipping industry during the First World War.
Hand power planers are great for adjustment of door edges and trimming of flat areas such as floors, decks and tabletops. They are sometimes referred to as edge or door planers.
Cordless hand power planers with power output of 14 and 18 Volts are now available, which makes them extremely handy for off site applications
The bench (or bench top) planer comes in two varieties. The thickness planer is used for smoothing rough timber or reducing the thickness of a board while the jointer is used for straightening the edges of a board.
The combination planer is a combination of a jointer and a planer, which is very handy for home use as it provides two functions on a single footprint.
The surface planer (push) is more of an industrial tool and is certainly not your average home tool. These are used for very large areas (floors and decks) that require more than what a belt sander can offer.
| Price : $75.00
