Microsoft Word - Woodshop 101 Part 1 of 3

Note to Parents

Block planes when, used

responsibly, are safe tools,

but they can cause a painful

cut on a careless finger.

Children should never use

their fingers to check to see

if the blade is sharp.

Instruct them to use a piece

of paper run along the

length of the blade. If the

blade is sharp, it will have

no difficultly slicing the

paper.

Lesson 7

Using a Block Plane

There are many different kinds of hand planes that

woodworkers have available to help them work wood.

Some of the larger ones are used to flatten wood, medium

size planes are usually all purpose hand planes and the

smaller ones are used for detail work like making wood

smooth and ready for finish. There are still many other

specialized hand planes that can do some amazing things,

but one hand plane is used more than all the others by

woodworkers; and that’s the block plane.

Let’s get familiar with the block plane by looking at its

different parts. (See figure 1).

Cutter Lock Lever

Lever Cap Depth Adjustment Nut

Mouth

Adjustment Knob

Mouth LateralAdjustment

Adjustment Body Lever

Lever Cutter

Mouth

Plate

Things You’ll Need

A block plane with a sharp
blade

Several pieces of scrap wood
about ¾” x 12”