If you mean the centuries-old hand tool that woodworkers still rely on today, you’re likely referring to the hand plane—one of the foundational tools of traditional woodworking.
What is a hand plane?
A hand plane is a tool with a sharp blade (iron) set into a body. You push it across wood, and the blade removes a very thin shaving.
Woodworkers use planes to:
- Flatten rough boards
- Make surfaces straight and smooth
- Reduce a board to a precise thickness
- Straighten edges
- Create bevels and chamfers
- Fit doors, drawers, and joints
- Prepare surfaces for finishing
Traditional wooden planes have been used for centuries, while modern metal-bodied planes follow designs developed largely during the 18th–19th centuries.
The main parts
A typical bench plane has:
- Body/sole – The flat bottom that rides on the wood.
- Iron/blade – The sharpened steel cutter that removes wood.
- Cap iron/chipbreaker – Helps control the shaving and prevents difficult tear-out.
- Frog – Supports the blade at the appropriate angle.
- Lever cap – Holds the blade assembly securely.
- Mouth – The opening through which the blade protrudes.
- Front knob – Where your front hand guides the plane.
- Rear tote/handle – Where your rear hand pushes the plane.
How to use a hand plane — step by step
1. Secure the wood
Clamp the board firmly to your workbench.
It should not move at all when you push the plane across it. For edge planing, position the board so you can comfortably push along its length.
2. Check the blade
The blade needs to be genuinely sharp.
A dull blade makes planing much harder and can cause:
- Excessive force
- Chattering
- Tear-out
- Uneven surfaces
For general work, the cutting edge should be polished enough that it forms a clean, continuous edge.
3. Set a very small blade projection
For your first attempts, make the blade take a very thin shaving.
A small projection gives you much better control. You can increase the cut gradually once you’re comfortable.
4. Identify the grain direction
This is extremely important.
Look at the wood fibers and try to plane with the grain, similar to the direction you would naturally stroke a piece of wood.
If you plane against the grain, the blade can lift fibers ahead of the cut, producing tear-out.
Grain direction can change within the same board, so inspect the surface rather than assuming the entire board runs one way.
5. hand to guide the plane and your rear hand to provide plane relatively straight instead of twisting Position the plane
Put the plane on the board with the sole flat.
Use your front hand to guide the plane and your rear hand to provide the pushing force.
Keep the plane relatively straight instead of twisting it from side to side.
6. Start the cut
Apply pressure toward the front of the plane as you begin the stroke.
Push the plane smoothly along the board.
Don’t try to force a large shaving. A properly adjusted plane should cut with surprisingly little effort.
7. Transfer pressure as you finish
As the plane approaches the end of the board, gradually shift pressure toward the rear.
This prevents the front of the plane from digging down and creating a low spot at the end.
A useful pattern is:
Beginning: pressure toward the front
Middle: relatively even pressure
End: pressure toward the rear
8. Examine the shaving
Good planing produces a thin, continuous shaving.
If you’re getting thick, broken pieces, the blade may be set too aggressively, the blade may be dull, or the grain direction may be unfavorable.
9. Check the surface
Use a straightedge or other appropriate measuring method to check whether the surface is actually becoming flat.
Don’t rely entirely on appearance. A board can look smooth while still being uneven.
For flattening, repeatedly check:
- High spots
- Low spots
- Twist
- OverallOnce the board is flat and at the desired dimensions, reduce the blade projection and take very light straightness
10. Take finishing passes
Once the board is flat and at the desired dimensions, reduce the blade projection and take very light finishing passes.
These produce a smooth surface suitable for subsequent finishing.
A particularly useful technique: skewing the plane
You don’t always have to push the plane perfectly parallel to its length.
Slightly skewing the plane across the board can make the effective cutting angle shallower and can produce a smoother cut.
For example, instead of:
→ → →
you can use a slight diagonal:
↗ ↗ ↗
This can be particularly helpful when working difficult grain.
How to flatten a board
For a rough board, don’t immediately try to make the entire surface perfectly smooth.
A traditional sequence is:
- Find the high spots.
- Take deeper cuts where material needs to be removed.
- Work progressively across the surface.
- Check flatness frequently.
- Reduce the blade depth.
- Take lighter, longer passes.
- Finish with very fine shavings.
A jack plane is commonly used for relatively substantial stock removal, while a jointer plane is designed for producing long, straight surfaces. A smoothing plane is intended for final surface preparation.
How to plane an edge
Suppose you’re preparing the edge of a board for a glue joint.
Place the board securely on its side and:
- Check the edge with a straightedge.
- Identify high areas.
- Take controlled passes.
- Frequently check straightness.
- Check that the edge remains square to the face.
- Finish with very light cuts.
For a long edge, a long plane can make it easier to maintain straightness because its long sole bridges small irregularities.
How to avoid tear-out
Tear-out is one of the biggest challenges for beginners.
Try these techniques:
- Sharpen the blade.
- Take a smaller cut.
- Plane with the grain.
- Use a plane with an appropriately tight mouth.
- Reduce the effective cutting aggressiveness when working difficult grain.
- Take a very light finishing cut.
- Consider skewing the plane slightly.
Sometimes the grain changes direction, making tear-out difficult to eliminate completely. In that situation, extremely light cuts and careful attention to grain direction become particularly important.
Common beginner mistakes
Pushing too hard
If you’re having to use enormous force, stop and investigate. The blade may be dull or taking too deep a cut.
Taking too much material
A hand plane isn’t necessarily faster when you make the blade cut deeper. Excessive blade projection often makes the tool harder to control.
Ignoring grain
This is probably the most common cause of disappointing results.
Not checking flatness
Smooth doesn’t necessarily mean flat.
Poorly sharpened blade
A beautifully adjusted plane with a dull blade will still perform badly.
The most important skill: sharpening
Learning to sharpen the iron is arguably more important than learning fancy planing techniques.
A basic sharpening routine is:
Flatten/establish the back → sharpen the primary bevel → create a small secondary/micro-bevel → remove the burr → hone/polish → test the edge.
The exact sharpening angle depends on the plane and the wood you’re working with, so there’s no single angle that is ideal for every situation.
Safety
A hand plane is less hazardous than many powered woodworking machines, but its blade is extremely sharp.
- Keep fingers away from the mouth and blade.
- Never leave a plane resting blade-down on a bench.
- Retract the blade when storing or carrying it.
- Clamp work securely.
- Don’t try to catch a falling plane.
- Keep the work area clear so you can maintain a stable stance.
A good beginner exercise
Take a straight-grained softwood board and deliberately make very thin shavings. Don’t initially worry about removing lots of material.
Concentrate on three things:
sharp blade → correct grain direction → smooth, consistent stroke.
Once you can reliably produce thin continuous shavings and a flat surface, you have learned the core technique behind centuries of hand-planing practice.