Advanced Handplane Skills: A Comprehensive Guide to Precision Woodworking

Meet Steve, a skilled artisan with a keen eye for design and a mastery of hand tools like handplanes and chisels. Steve creates stunning furniture and turns ordinary wood into works of art. His teaching approach at the Artisan's Asylum is infused with his passion for craftsmanship, making every class a dynamic journey into the world of woodworking, where students discover their own creative potential.

This intensive class is designed for woodworking enthusiasts seeking to master the art of handplaning. Participants will delve into essential skills such as disassembling and reassembling hand planes, setup and fine tuning of the plane mechanics for specific applications, as well as advanced handplaning techniques such as using a shooting board. Various handplane models will be covered as well so users can select the right tool for the right job. By the end of the course, participants will gain the expertise needed to confidently use handplanes for a wide range of applications, produce flawless surfaces, and troubleshoot common planing challenges effectively, making this class essential for anyone serious about refining their woodworking skills. This class combines theoretical knowledge with practical exercises to ensure participants leave with the ability to produce high-quality results consistently, making it an invaluable resource for anyone passionate about precision woodworking.

Important: It is a prerequisite that all students have already learned handplane blade sharpening, as this topic will only be covered very briefly. If they have not already learned this essential skill, they may want to take one of our sharpening classes, such as "Fundamentals of Handplane Blade Sharpening" or "Mastering Chisel Sharpening: Essential Woodworking Skills Workshop," first.

The materials fee for this class is $25. This is separate from the ticket price and is to reimburse the instructor for any tools or materials used in this class. This will be paid once, directly to the instructor at the start of the first class meeting. This instructor accepts payments in cash and through Venmo.

• Types of Handplanes and Applications: Smoothing planes, Jack planes for general use, low angle Block planes for end grain, Shoulder planes for joinery, Router planes for precise depth control, Spokeshaves for shaping curves, and Plow planes for grooves and rebates.
• Handplane Anatomy, Assembly/Disassembly: Learn the components of handplanes — body, blade, chipbreaker, lever cap, adjustments — and the proper techniques for disassembly, maintenance, and reassembly.
• Setup of a New or Used Handplane: Master the essentials of setting up a handplane, including flattening the sole for smooth operation, adjusting the frog for optimal blade performance, and thorough inspection and cleaning techniques.
• Adjusting and Fine Tuning a Handplane: Develop precision skills in adjusting blade depth, lateral blade adjustment, and mouth opening and chipbreaker adjustments tailored to different wood types and grain directions.
• Handplane Technique: Refine your woodworking finesse with proper handling and grip techniques, edge squaring, and handling different types of woodgrain.
• Advanced Techniques and Troubleshooting: Skills such as using shooting boards for accurate edges and miters, jointing edges for seamless glue-ups, overcoming challenges in planing difficult woods such as tearout and chatter for professional-grade results.

Several species of wood, wood vices, sharpening stones, and shooting boards.

All items are optional, but are recommended so that students can learn on their own equipment:

- Any handplanes owned by the student.

- Sharpening jigs and stones

- Notebook and pen

Closed-toe shoes are required.

All students should have already learned hand plane blade sharpening, as this topic will only be briefly covered. If they have not already learned this essential skill, they may want to take one of our sharpening classes, such as "Fundamentals of Handplane Blade Sharpening" or "Mastering Chisel Sharpening: Essential Woodworking Skills Workshop," first.

Students must be 16 years old or older. All students under 18 must be accompanied by and under the direct supervision of a responsible adult.

Learn more about our class and ticket cancelation policies Here.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Artisan's Asylum, 96 Holton Street, Boston, United States