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    Fine Woodworking Project Guides

    Handplanes

    Guide Home
    Chapter
    • All About Handplanes
    • Planes for Surfacing and Smoothing
    • Planes for Joinery and Shaping
    • Block Planes
    • Scrapers and Scratch Stocks
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    Bevel-up Jack: Change the Angle of Attack

    You can change the cutting angle of these hand tools to tackle a variety of planing tasks.

    Author Headshot By Jeff Miller Jul 26, 2021

    When compared with bevel-up models, I find that standard jack planes are a better choice for first-time buyers because they leave a slightly better surface when doing fine work and they adjust more easily, characteristics that are beneficial, especially for someone relatively new to planing. That doesn’t mean bevel-up planes don’t have a place in the shop. With the blade bedded at a low angle, these planes were originally designed for surfacing end-grain butcher-block tops, but they have gained popularity as a general jack plane alternative. The likely reason is their versatility.

     

    Low angle for end grain. A blade ground at 25° results in a cutting angle of 37°, which is perfect for cleanly slicing end grain. That’s why a low-angle plane is ideal for use with a shooting board.

     

    Out of the box, a bevel-up plane is typically sharpened for a 37° cutting angle, which is…

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    Previous: Jointers and Other Long Handplanes Next: Handplane Fundamentals: Special-Purpose Planes

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    All About Handplanes
    • Handplane Basics
    • Setting Up a Plane
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    Planes for Surfacing and Smoothing
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