How to Use a Hand Plane (The Correct Method)

[@ThePhilGrimm]

Only this week John Heisz asked "Has KZbin made you a better woodworker?". Yes, obviously, because I have learned how to sharpen, set up tools and how to use them properly by watching videos like this one.

[@shanefairchild5114]

Matt. My Grandfather taught me a lot about woodworking. He was a lot like Paul Sellers (who you rightly referenced here during the video). Growing up I learned a lot. Then I discovered the like of Mr. Sellers on KZbin to continue my skills and love of woodworking and hand tools… But what an honour it is to find someone as young as yourself (you’re probably old enough to be my son) that has continued to keep the tradition of wood working alive and well. I continue to find so many useful tips from your videos. I thank you, and look forward to many more learnings from such a craftsman as yourself.

[@BorisBurger]

Matt really shows his teaching skills in this new series of videos, aimed at people who are eager to use the tools but do not quite yet have a solid understanding of the principles. Several things that have frustrated me so far are becoming a lot more clear now.

[@thewoodenduck]

Thanks, great video! My 12yo daughter came into the shed last night just before I watched this and asked why my planes were blade down! Still being taught the side method at school. Skewing the plane doesn't change the angle of the blade, it will always be 45° to the surface. What it does do is change the angle of attack so that you are slicing more than pushing the blade head on. Skewing also presents less blade edge in the direction of travel (like a lamorghini v a haulage truck), less resistance so it needs less force.

[@johncoops6897]

Yes, I also think he was wrong about the skewing thing. He got more tearout in the demo because he was hogging it off with a deeper depth of cut.

[@danschooff8478]

@@johncoops6897 and @Nick Drake I'm new to Matt's channel, and love his approach, but I agree the angle doesn't change, just the front edge first hitting the wood is narrowed. Also love that he, like Rob Cosman, recommends wax on the plane.

[@wortheffort]

Nice explanation techniques Matt.

[@1deerndingo]

Apart from being quite entertaining, very well constructed and full of very pertinent information this series of tutorials is very important. Hobbyist woodworkers mainly work by themselves. They start out learning the right things to do and slowly but surely develop some poor practices. Maybe only a few here and there and maybe in some cases more. They don't have a guide to tap them on the shoulder and correct those poor practices. This series does that. Thank you Matt.

[@kaasmeester5903]

Nice to get the basics explained from time to time, especially some background on the "why" of things. The info on skewing the plane, and on when and where to apply pressure was particularly helpful.

[@bobbycresap4440]

I am loving having the old Matt back. You are a natural teacher and entertainer. You have found your groove. Way back in the day you were super focused on teaching and you were doing amazing wood work so it worked. Then you hit a period where you were more entertaining and less a natural teacher. This new set of tutorial videos is the sweet spot for me. Keep up the amazing work and life will reward you!!

[@johncoops6897]

That's because he worked outside in the rain. It brought him back to his roots.

[@TheTypicalsloan]

Love your teaching technique and the detail and I watch Paul Sellers and Rob Cosman regularly.

[@BeesyWoodCo.]

This video literally solved so many problems ive been having as a newbie!! Between you and Rob Cosman, are the best videos for teaching Hand Planning. You both offer so much knowledgeable. And i learn something new from one and other. This video help out tremendously! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@worldtreedesign]

I know power tools very well but have just began deeply studying tradional hand tools this past year. You, Stumpy and Rob Cosman have been my top resources. Keep it up!

[@AdrianAghinitei]

You should check out Paul Sellers as well, then.

[@worldtreedesign]

@@AdrianAghinitei Thank you Adrian. I will do that.

[@DonsWoodies]

Excellent! Lots and lots of great explanations in here. Loved the "Looked me square in the eye and turned the plane on it's side". Made me spit a bit of coffee on the keyboard on that one.

[@stanmoderate4460]

Absolutely correct about the origin of laying a plane on it's side. I was taught woodwork at school (and hated it) in the late 50's. When you shared a two sided bench with someone else and only a 4" tool well full of tools between you, trust me, laying the plane on it's side was good advice. I still do it, but that's just habit.

[@johncoops6897]

I learnt in the 1960's and was taught to lay the plane on it's side, but ALSO that it was to stop it accidentally hitting on metal. What I generally do now days is just plop it down on a little edge rest (think of the rest for chopsticks). A scrap of ply, a dowel, even a pile of shavings will do! When I worked with a tool well, I put the plane pointing down into the well at an angle, so the blade is if free air.

[@BeatsMeWhyIBother]

And not just students sharing work benches. Some of those students would have gone into trade working alongside other trades and it was a perfectly sensible instruction to get into the habit of laying a plane down on its side rather than unlearning the habit later. Some of these 'it's a myth' guys come from the cabinet-making side of things and mostly worked in shops rather than on-site.

[@jmacca6906]

"Reducing Tearout (Old video, sorry!)" I remember watching that like it was yesterday! (Hint, it was (oh, and the other 5 times I've watched it)) Been learning more about the finer parts of woodworking and your videos are so incredibly helpful Heard the mantra of "Always put the plane down on its side or you'll blunt the blade!" a million times, and now fascinated to know that it isn't true Thank you for the very informative video, Matt!

[@vosifle]

Best tutorials on woodworking on KZbin! Thank you!

[@bigviper64]

Thank you for. This excellent video. My Dad was a Carpenter and I have a Jack Plane from WW2 and two Block Planes..not sure what kind they are or their age, but they are different from the ones you have shown. OK..I was going to clean up his Jack plane, took it apart and never got around to the actual cleaning due to other issues…when I went to reassemble the Jack Plane…here were all of th empieces and I had forgotten how to assemble it back together..I watched this video again and I think I have most of it back together except for 2 small screws!..Bewildered at this point…

[@barryboyall8437]

All your Matt's are just totally brilliant, funny and entertaining. I am fairly new to woodwork and have taken it up in my retirement. Matt's videos are by far the best on KZbin and are so comprehensive and informative. I don't bother to look at others any more. How come he's so clever and only in his mid twenties ? 🙂

[@pkkriz8610]

I really appreciate your philosophy on teaching. I always found people remember the "why" longer and helps them fill in gaps that straight instruction can create (i.e. grip the knob like this vs if you're doing this, gripping the knob in this way means...).

[@shadowfox929]

Just tripped across your channel. You cleared up a great deal of my misunderstandings about hand planes for me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I look forward to going back to the beginning of your videos and watching all of them.

[@pauleastham2177]

Thanks Matt I bought a (a bit naff) Stanley Handyman No.4 and block plane set from a DIY store 30 years ago and have been disappointed ever since. Partly because they weren't good out of the box, but mainly due to not knowing how to use, sharpen or tune them. Your plane series ( with a bit of Paul Sellers, Peter Millard, John McGrath & Rex Kruger) have helped me immensely. I've made the Handyman into a fairly useful wood weapon. Inspired, I've invested in 2nd hand old Stanley No. 4, 5 , 5 1/2 & 6. The vintage Stanley's are all getting some TLC and becoming more usable day by day. No way I can afford a L-N, Veritas, or something else exotic. It will be a while before I worry any proper joiners or cabinet makers, but it all does for me. All the same, I'm improving my work, improving my results and enjoying my woodworking more and more. Thanks to you Paul

[@jeffhill1380]

Appreciate the explanation of what is causing the problems and techniques of how to correct the problem. Understanding the cause is very helpful.

[@mellie4174]

So awesome! First time plane user here. This is gonna help me so much!

[@cindyharrison4191]

You and Paul are my go to teachers. And I just managed to plane my first square edge using your method. Just wanted to say your a great teacher 😊

[@FilthyCasualRacing]

Dude.... You just blew my mind with the Jars under your shelf. I'm 100% doing that with all my old jars. Can't believe I've never thought to do that.

[@devingray1671]

You rock man. No nonsense and you explain the why not just the what with practical examples.

[@hermanator2]

Loved this one, a big ‘thanks’ to you for covering this material. The excellent production value very much helps too!

[@gazobee]

Thank you so much for this and the sharpening videos. You have transformed my planing. I have just planed a board down by 2mm for thickness and it’s flat and smooth. Thank you.

[@TheBlueMuzzy]

Your new series of videos about fundamentals is what KZbin woodworkers need. I hope the metrics prove to be worth your time and effort.

[@wrongtown]

Love the use of the featherboard to demonstrate grain, can't say I've seen that particular example before but I reckon it's a good one!

[@jeanlucvassort6411]

Hye Matt, thanks for this reminder and congratulations for the EXCELLENT didactic demo at 11:23 of fibers, planing against or with the grain. Other explanations are so great. Beginners will appreciate and save time in their apprenticeship .

[@dianemiller7019]

This made planing so much clearer! Thank you! I’m still learning.

[@castillelarkin]

INCREDIBLE VIDEO! This is my kind of tutorial! About to use a planer for the very first time. Now, I just need to see if you have a video on how to set up the planer itself. ...Thank you!

[@realitystudioscustomshop]

today I took my brand new screwfix record plane out of the box, followed the sharpening, set up and planing tutorials. I just finished squaring a piece of teak for the first time in my life (I'm 51) Thanks for this very comprehensive set of videos, it's a game changer for folk like me

[@nachtdiertje1972]

Man, you talk a lot, but you also tell a lot. Thank you for your stories. I've been starting with handplaning im stead of electric planing and oh what a difference. Much better result with less energy. Indeed, you have to setup your plane, but you also have to setup the electric one, but when setup, it stays longer right then an electric one. Plus all the sanding I don't have to do. Again, Thank You

[@darodes]

“I’m on Paul’s team…. He’s definitely team captain” 😂😂 laughed SO HARD. Good stuff Matt. Great video

[@alanjones4020]

Much better video than some 2-3 years ago. Concise, well written, and well filmed. Perhaps in the future, you could do a video on how to read a shaving. Showing the good, the bad, and the ugly. If this video already exists, please reply with the link. Thank you and keep up the great work.

[@mirsadkazic5859]

The Gerard Depardieux in teaching woodworking. Absolutely fantastic.

[@grievouserror]

Sounds surprisingly similar to rowing, where about 70% of your power comes from a leg drive with contributions from the lower back and arms as you extend the stroke and finish. Thanks for another great video, Matt, especially the bit about skewing the plane.

[@ionut5316]

I really like your don't fret shirt lol. Thanks for the tips, body mechanics are essential for accurate planing.

[@Ailingstar]

Matt you truly are the BEST tutor for the craft, such detail and crystal clear instruction for every little detail. Very much appreciated.

[@ptcruiser2012]

More gold. Thank you Matt. You should do snooker videos as well. I am sure that most of what you say transfers to cue physics as well.

[@eaylcr]

Exactly the type of video you are brilliant at making. Thanks for all the advice.

[@peterwilliams6188]

Great video Matt - what plane are you using (make and size)? Thank you, Peter

[@davidclark9086]

This is a great review for seasoned woodworkers and a great starting point for newbies. I would like to see something on shooting with a normal plane. Regardless of how I hold the plane, it hurts so I think a down and dirty with closeup video shots would be very helpful to us all.

[@Jawsjawsjawsrg]

Thanks too 2 videos you have done on this subject, I may be able to go back and finish a hand plane project with out any sanding now.

[@ryancousins]

I can’t help but just listen to that beautiful sound of the plane running across the board and looking at those translucent shavings and getting more excited than I ought to be!

[@Erik_The_Viking]

Great tutorial! Definitely helps explain some of the issues I've been having recently planing some very figured ash!

[@chefe2152]

And right there,this is the difference between European and North American content creator,and not only here,but in many more different subject.I personally wasted soo much trying to learn ,be it sourdough making,espresso making ...... and many more ,than started following either English or German youtubers and boom,soo much more value and just to the point!

[@NilsdeWitte]

Hi Matt, excellent new series, very thorough and very helpfull, even for an "experienced" amature. I hope you keep this up, I'm loving it.

[@russellbraeuer2512]

“I’m on Paul’s team.” Tripped me out. The amount of respect he gets. It’s well deserved.

[@atlas2003]

I like very much this video about planes. The amount of good advices you provide is fantastic!

[@AdrianAghinitei]

It's worth watching these videos even if you're an experienced woodworker, as there are great tips you might not know.

[@Litlight1]

So amused to see your comments about setting a plane down on the workbench. 40 plus years ago in primary school, we were taught to set it down on its side. Even only just coming back to woodworking now after all that time, it is still a habit for me.

[@jalalghiasbeygi5609]

These fundamental videos are really helpful thanks man

[@micschemelin663]

Outstanding presentation on the proper technique and why it works. 👍. The use of stick wax reminded me of working with my Dad in his shop a long, long time ago. Thanks!

[@amadeol]

Excelente video, Gracias Matt saludos desde Córdoba Argentina

[@panchobrown7562]

Excellent explanation, thanks man. Any chance you can do a video on flattening a workbench top? Specifically how to approach this task with low angle Jack, and low angle Smoother…?

[@drekowski]

Very well done, really like your recent basic technique videos.

[@vasbites]

That's a delightful and instructional video. Most of the things I'm already doing, but it's good to reinforce and remind us of proper technique, and I've also learned a couple new things too!

[@TheBearGrylz]

Well done. Well explained. Even to an experienced plane user. That’s a nice plane and it’s set up very well. Good work as always.

[@bobbabcock3847]

Excellent tutorial

[@colmrafferty5257]

Excellent info Covers topics other videos overlook and bypass. I can tell you have put a lot of thought into contructing these recent videos Much appreciated

[@billyblackie9417]

You give good thoughts I subscribed because you are covering tutorial not covered in initial teaching and forgotten what you did learn and give hints on improving great job

[@TheSMEAC]

Hey brother! Appreciating the consistent content. I hope this finds you doing well.

[@tonyludlow2871]

Paul and you are my woodworking gurus😊

[@jensenjoinery]

Thanks for all the great tips, Matt. A great breakdown and ideas for what I can practice as a newer woodworker working with planes.

[@chrispallatto]

I’ve watched a few “how to set up a hand plane videos” and still couldn’t get it to work right. I was one of the beginners with the bevel upside down. To be fair, it seems illogical, but once I made the change, it’s working great. Thanks for the great video.

[@user-yx4wx4oq4g]

Do you ever use any japanese woodworking tools?

[@GrantHendrick]

Thank you for your helpful tutorial.

[@daniel_bohrer]

I find that I sometimes skew the plane a bit to get a wider reference plane when planing wide faces, e.g. laminated tabletops. I've never seen anyone mention it, so Is that a usual thing to do? And thanks for the whole how-to series in general, espescially the sawing video helped me a lot!

[@nubproru]

thank you for making all this useful videos

[@migueltorres6073]

Nice explanation techniques Matt.🙃

[@thomashverring9484]

Great video, Matt! So much good information.

[@stuartclarke9241]

Very interesting tutorial I'm currently fitting doors and need to take a mm or two off I can't believe how badly I was holding the plane but I would like to know how you would plane over a knot or would you use the with the grain principle? hope to hear your suggestions

[@johncoops6897]

The way that I deal with knots is to start on them first. Then either plane towards them either side, or away either side, depending on the grain direction. It's the same concept as when using a shooting board - you always cut a small taper on the far edge and then plane the main surface up to that. So if you knock the knot down first and work out from it, you have a much easier time that trying to deal with the harder wood and mad grain directions. In other words, there is no reason that you _MUST_ plane the entire length of the door in one single stroke.

[@stuartclarke9241]

@@johncoops6897 Hi John Thankyou for that method and info I will give it a try it also sounds like an energy saving way if doing it. With regards to doing the whole length in one pass I feel I loose accuracy so in small sections is deffinately best for me anyways 😃👍

[@johncoops6897]

@@stuartclarke9241 - the most energy saving way of dealing with door edges is to buy an electric planer and a pair of hearing protectors.

[@stuartclarke9241]

@@johncoops6897 I could get an electric planer but I don't mind the manual work I'm sure it's a handy skill to have I just want to make sure I'm doing it in the most efficient way and also the correct way 😃

[@johncoops6897]

@@stuartclarke9241 - I also plane doors by hand. You have more control that way.

[@kevinwheeler4161]

Rabbit holes indeed!!!! I had no idea what I was getting into leaving the sander lol. Amazing video as always

[@JoanMendoza]

Awsome vid, it showed me lots of places I could improve in.

[@micvanreijen]

2:24 I think that's exactly how you should use the plane. With confidence and a relaxed stance. In time you'll get a better grasp of the feel, the sound, the shavings, the resitance, the grain, the surface, your plane, the works. All tacit knowledge you needmto build up just by doing. And yes, you'll know how many strokes it takes to get to where you want to be, planing with confidence.

[@ssskids123]

Just a fantastic video! Educational and very entertaining.

[@Steve-dr7rr]

Hi Matt and I’m sorry to bother you I got myself a Stanley Bailey number 4 I took it apart to replace the tote and knob with walnut ones only the lever cap and the blade and chipper I’ve put everything back together and the blade adjuster in and out it tight even with screw backed off a bit and the blade only just gets to the mouth and I’m confused I did the same with my Stanley number 7 with no problem. My brain isn’t working on all 4 cylinders due to 2 small strokes. I’ve watched your videos and I couldn’t get it any advice would be appreciated Cheers Steve 👨🏼‍🦽👨🏼‍🦽

[@GuildOfTheBlackCrow]

Thank you.

[@mattbinge5832]

Just a note on the which way a plane should be placed, there is a chance be it a small one, but when you place the plane on its side, and you put it down to hard, this may change the setup of the plane and skew the blade, its not likely but depends how tight everything is, for me if your worried about the blade touching a surface other than what you want to plane, then use a rule and place the plane on the rule, but obviously don't put the blade on the rule, just the back end which will lift the plane so the blade won't touch the surface

[@johncoops6897]

Bumping the blade's lateral (sideways) adjustment is a big problem with laying a plane on it's side. It's certainly better to lay it down flat, and I also use the "prop it up with something" method like you described. That's mainly because I don't usually work on a lovely big flat workbench, and I have often have to place the plane down on the concrete (yes, there is nowhere else).

[@juannavarro760]

What are your thoughts about smooth/flat vs. corrugated soles? Is there any advantage/disadvantage?

[@karl_alan]

And another thing...setting the plane down on its side has been shown to actually be more likely to mess up your lateral adjustment...so please, put it on its bottom.

[@pkkriz8610]

Agreed. I started laying them on their side but noticed that sometimes a little too much of shock laying it down would throw out my lateral adjustment. What drove me to stop is that some of my planes don't have adjustment levers, and re-aligning with hammer taps made me connect the sideways knock setting the plane down to the problem.

[@abdonbaricante5887]

What brand of planer are you using sir... Thank you

[@philmillard4605]

Hi Matt, have you got the standard frog in your no 4.

[@jean-pierredesiebenthal5325]

Thanks for your great video. Love to hear what you have to tell us !

[@Oldwomanonabike]

So very helpful. Thank you.

[@abydosianchulac2]

Quick question on the point about back bevelling you mentioned: is there too steep a back bevel for dealing with tearout? Everyone says "you can go up to x degrees or more!" but no one ever says if there's too much of a good thing.

[@ai5506]

well the higher the cutting angle the harder it is to get it through the wood

[@johncoops6897]

That's like asking what length of string is the best length of string. As "A I" mentioned, the lower the cutting angle, the easier the cut and visa-versa. Why bother trying to make a "special plane" just to work with tearout? That means your plane is totally crap for the majority of your work. I just use standard high angle 45° jack planes and 25/30° bevels. The first cut will tell you where the problem areas are on your work. So, just flip the work around so you never plane against the grain. In some cases that just means planing diagonally rather than along the board. Sometimes that means coming in from both ends. So I just hog it off with the grain, then do a resharpen + hone + strop to get a super-sharp edge, and then make very fine finishing cuts - usually at a diagonal to average out the grain direction while making full passes. If you watch people like Rob Cosman, you will see him planing around corners, literally rotating the plane 90 degrees at the end of a cut.

[@abydosianchulac2]

@@johncoops6897 The reason I ask is because one doesn't need a special plane to reduce tearout, one only needs a second blade to swap into the same plane for that purpose. And if one is dealing with a lot of highly figured wood like fiddleback maple or apple or walnut crotches, flipping the wood around to plane every 1/16" or less in a different direction is, well, feel free to insert your preferred colorful adjective there. I don't ask what length of string is the best length of string. I ask if there's a point where the length of the string becomes too cumbersome to be effective for the task at hand. (Still, thanks for introducing me to a name I haven't encountered before.)

[@johncoops6897]

@@abydosianchulac2 - I didn't realise that you were talking about highly figured wood since that wasn't what this video is about. Nevertheless, the answer still remains... the amount that you raise the angle depends on what you need to do, and what you are doing it with. ... For example, lets say you started using a 45° plane with a blade that was honed to 25° and flat on the top. If you added a single-ruler height back bevel and it improved things for you, then that is a step forwards. If you added a 5° back bevel and that made it even better, then once again that is a win. You are now cutting with 45+5 = 50° ... However each time you increase the cutting angle, you increase the force you need cut the fibers. To a certain degree that can be reduced by angling the plane (which shears the fibers), as well as by using a narrower plane blade. Also the degree of sharpness becomes an important factor too - how sharp can you make the blade and how often do you wish to resharpen? ... Hence, there is no "maximum" angle, but at some point the negatives will outweigh the lessening of tearout. If you cannot get your plane sharp enough, or planing is causing you grief then use a sander instead. ... You said _"Everyone says "you can go up to x degrees or more!" but no one ever says if there's too much of a good thing"_ - but why would that matter to you? You are your own master - it's up to YOU to decide how high an angle will suit what YOU do with YOUR tools on YOUR projects. You'll soon know when you have too much of a good thing. ... So, the length of string that we find "usable" will always be different to what you find desirable, and in any case it will depend on what we each need to tie up with it. Never cut your string based on the what others tell you, especially if they say it's a "rule of the string", since that might be too long or too short for what you actually need.

[@abydosianchulac2]

@@johncoops6897 I'm confused as to your point about being my own master, because one gets to be a master by being an apprentice and a journeyman first, where one is asking questions about and receiving the accumulated wisdom and experience from the generations of craftsmen who came before you, which is what I'm doing. If you had a more generally libertarian, be-more-self-sufficient message to impart...well, if I were interested in repeating others' experimentation wholesale for myself instead of plumbing the depths of their collective experience, I wouldn't be on the educational side of KZbin? More directly, I'm asking about an upper bound here, not a prescribed angle to use. I know that there is no point to a 45° back bevel because the front edge just becomes a plane perpendicular to the worksurface, but had anyone ever found success at 44°? 40°? I'm aware of the physics of the increased effort that goes into trying to plane with the cutting edge at an increased angle to the surface, but I'm asking if there a point that angle is to steep to accomplish anything? If the answer is "no, you can still get results despite the difficulty," then awesome, that's exactly what I was looking for. If the answer is "yes, beyond x° the blade can't catch the wood unless sharpened beyond what most craftsmen could hope to accomplish at home," that is also exactly what I was looking for. After three and a half decades on the planet, I've learned how to figure out what my body is capable of; what I'm asking is what the tool is capable of.

[@JeanMinutile]

Great video and great advice as always ;-) My worth on the team blade on the bench is probably minuscule but I'm with you on that one as it also avoid having a sharp blade exposed... BTW I have yet to see a plane storage solution in which the plane is stored on its side, are the people on the other team always retracting the blade before storing their plane ?

[@ewoljn]

This was a super helpful video, Matt! I don't have European planes but I learned a lot, the grain direction especially so, I really liked the feather board demonstration. Do you plan to make a video on Japanese planes or have any body positioning suggestions?

[@EdwardShearerK260]

Thanks. Very informative.

[@Andy_XT]

Thank you, Matt!

[@johnnichols8553]

Useful video, but I would also like one on WHEN to use a handplane. I got my first, a vintage Stanley No 4, cleaned up, sharpened, all set up...but now I don't know when I should actually reach for it when making something.

[@kevinronald4137]

Matt, with your comments about skewing a plane on end grain is there a design or way this could be applied to a shooting board? Good to see you back.

[@ThomasKentgaming]

For example, the Veritas shooting plane already applies these principles. Bevel up and skewed blade.

[@nathantaylor1434]

Hey Mat, can you answer the question of what speaker that is you have sitting on your workshop shelf it’s driving me crazy

[@martincruz4153]

Amazing video!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@Mark_Wood]

Great video!

[@0Haldor0]

Late to the party but ey, thank you very much for this quality video series!

[@billyblackie9417]

Very useful tips good man

[@johnschillo4452]

great training