Stanley Hand Planes

Stanley Hand planes are tools for shaping wood. They are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and smooth the surface of a rough piece of lumber. Planing is also used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfaces on work pieces usually too large for shaping. Many special types of planes are designed to cut specific shapes of moldings or to cut joints.

Hand planes are generally a combination of a cutting edge or plane iron held in a firm body that when moved across the surface of the wood, takes a relatively uniform and thin shaving. Depending on the length of the plane, when moved over the surface, removes the high spots in the wood.

Planes are designed so the the cutting edge or plane iron is held at an angle to the surface of the wood. The plane iron extends beyond the bottom surface or sole of the plane and slices off thin shavings of wood when pushed across the surface.

The Stanley No. 2 Smooth Plane was produced between 1867 and 1961. It measures about 7" long with a 1 5/8" wide cutter blade. The No. 2C had a corrugated sole.

Most No. 2's are marked with No. 2 on the toe of the plane.

The original black finish on Stanley planes is called Japanning. It originates from Japan and describes the glossy, highly polished black finish derived from natural resins. Japanning was popular in the late 1800's to early 1900's but the ingredients, gum shellac, linseed oril and red lead, made it quite toxic and is no longer used. Some say that a more recent version of Japanning is made from linseed oil and asphaltum, but those ingredients too, may be toxic. Except for the tool purists, it seems that a good coat of high quality black enamel would do just fine.

Parts of a Hand Plane

Most iron body planes consist of the following parts:

Mouth - the mouth of the plans is the opening at the bottom of the sole down through which the plane iron extends. When the plane is pushed or pulled over the surface of the wood, the shavings pass up through the mouth of the plane.

Plane Iron - the plane iron is a plate of steel or blade with a sharpened edge which cuts the wood.

Lever Cap - the lever cap replaced the wooden wedge. It holds the plane iron securely in place and against the body of the plane.

Depth Adjustment Knob - the depth adjustment knob controls how far the plane iron extends through the mouth. This determines the depth of cut.

Knob - Many planes have a wooden or metal know at the front of the plane.

Cap Iron or Chipbreaker - the cap iron serves to make the blade more rigid. It breaks the chips or curls the shavings as they pass up over the blade through the mouth ofthe plane.

Lateral Adjustment Lever - the lateral adjustment lever is used to adjust the plane iron by skewing it so the depth of cut is uniform across the mouth of the plane.

Tote - The tote is the handle at the back of the plane. On early iron planes it was typically made of rosewood or Cocobolo hardwood.

Finger rest knob - small block planes typically have a finger rest instead of a knob. The planes are so small they are typically used with one hand.The plane is held in the palm of the hand while the index finger rests on the finger rest to help guide and control the movement of the plane.

Frog - the frog is an iron wedge that is fastened to the body of the plane. The plane iron rests on the wedge which holds the plane iron at the proper angle. It slides forward and backward to adjust the gap between the cutting edge and the front of the mouth. The frog is usually screwed in place on the inside of the sole of the plane. On some planes it is only adjustable with a screwdriver when the plane iron and cap iron are removed. Other planes have a screw mechanism that allows the frog to be adjusted without removing the plane iron.