Mis-placing Your Plane? | Paul Sellers
Mis-placing Your Plane? | Paul Sellers
Paul shows how he handles and places his bench plane in the day to day of woodworking for practical use.
For more information on these topics, see https://paulsellers.com or https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com
“This is what people tell me I should be doing, after 50 years of using this bench plane.”
PC plane crowd?
hah! I do not believe my life would be improved by meeting the fool who would attempt to correct the Master of Woodworking.
Thanks Paul for taking the time to explain the points of view.
I remember even here in NZ been taught to lay your plane on its side.
But after watching you and others and reading through the comments it appears to be a ‘preference’?
I must admit your way seems to make the most sense to me, especially when trying to work efficiently.
Thanks, again.
A more sensible solution would have been to teach kids to make a wooden caddy that you put the plane in set upright when it is at rest and not in use or resting between wood faces.
Because the plane is in it’s caddy when it is not in use, you are not likely to put screws or other metal objects into it.
Thanks to you Paul
I really enjoy your attitude and smooth way of working through knotty issues.
You are not confrontational, efficient in speech, polite and forthright.
I am enjoying more than just woodworking from your videos.
Best
I always "stand" my plane up because it has handles on it for that. I don’t think they were designed to be used like a shooting board plane all the time.
Good stuff Paul, there has been and especially these days, a lot of "programing" going on in the world.
In my school anyway we are still thought how to use bench planes and like you said we’re still made to lay it on its side when not in use
As in all things, the right way – is the one that works, for you. However, when learning it is best to follow what you are taught. When you have mastered the discipline, then find your preferred way.
Thank you Paul. The VERY first time I laid a plane down on its side. I messed up the alignment. The plane itself taught me this lesson. XD
Having been taught to lay my plane on its side, I was ‘bawled out’ for laying my Lee Enfield on its bolt (just after a ‘winning’ score that renewed my marksman badge.
I have been teaching basic woodworking at a men in sheds project. since I saw you mention it in a previous video now that is the way I teach. I have not had any planes damaged or cut fingers it’s just trying to get them to keep their benches tidy. all to old to clip around the ear great video by the way
I put my plane down as Paul but on a piece of old carpet underlay
so this cauliflower ear i’ve got wasn’t necessary. LOL
I never had shop in school, but it never occurred to me to have my plane sitting any other way on the bench but upright. That would seem to be the safest way to keep it.
After sharpening the blade to 50,000 grit I find it best to have something soft under the plane. So I keep a few shavings handy, or a scrap of wood for under the front of the sole.
Nice video.
I always place my planer with a tip on a bar, so the planer does not touch the workbench.
This advice doesn’t translate well to site work, for the extra nano second it takes to flip the plane 90 degrees, putting your plane down on its side is not a bad habit to get into if you’re likely to plane at your bench or on something in-situ on site.
You may at some point need to put the plane down on a harder surface than the plane iron or sole, this clearly increases the risk of damage to the plane’s components, or alternatively you need to place the plane down on something softer e.g. a nice sanded / polished table top or floor or window board etc, is it a good idea to put the plane down set blade first?
But as the man said, its up to you.
I was told the ones who begun to put the plane on the sides was guys who was working outside the workshop. When adjsuting a door, for instance, in a crowded job site, the only place to put the plane on is often the concrete ground…
But the guy who told that to me (passed away a long time ago) was never putting his planes on the side…
Finally someone understands me!
Paul, great little blog – I also got many a clip round the ear from the teacher back in the mid 70s. If anything it made me to grow up respect my tools. I now try and teach my grandchildren similar techniques but no right or wrong… just look after it. thanks Paul. (RIP Mr Massey)
is it possible to make a living from bespoke woodwork if i started in the next few years? ( im about to go off to chippingdale school of furniture)
I used to stir my tea clockwise but I was told that I had it all wrong.
The misconception in my day was that the blade would get bent under the weight of the plane, being upright. This cannot happen as thought. The blade is most protected this way and the frog is holding it in place.
Good points – practical application trumps theory in my book any day of the week. I have had the plane go out of adjustment many times laying on its side, getting bumped or knocked by others working in the same area.
When I am using a plane, I always set it upright. Laying it on it’s side doesn’t make any sense for me For young students, it teaches them to think about caring for tools.
I only release my grip, gravity does the rest!
Right on
Oh so that’s why! First time I heard about this, some guy said it would dull the blade (makes loads of sense………) But thought to my self (How does it dull when it just sits there on wood?) I didn’t take into account that there are people that would lay the plane on top of nails or other kinds of metal (Well, kids are kids..) I would however understand it, if it were due to people accidentally pushing the plane while standing there and then scraping the workbench.. I went to carpentry school for a short while in around 2012, we were not told to rest the planes on their side.
Placing the plane on its side is just asking for bloody knuckles
School workbenches were for two students at a time. They had a tool well in the centre which prevented tools rolling onto the floor, and allowed you to manoeuvre your workpiece without having to clear the bench. Planes were also laid on their side so they sat within the well, below the working surface.
Assuming that putting a plane blade onto wood will cause some blunting effect over time I can quite easily understand why a teacher would ask pupils to place it on its side and not flat onto the bench. They and or a technician have better things to do than to be constantly sharpening blades. In order to keep the plane blade sharp for the maximum amount of time I know that some teachers insist pupils use a short, thin length of wood to rest the toe of the plane on – thus raising the cutting edge clear of the bench whilst having it facing safely away from careless fingers and also keeping the plane in the ‘ready to use’ position.
Yeap it makes sense to be more efficient if you’re not otherwise damaging the tool. Thanks Paul.
If there is one thing armchair woodworkers like to point out it is the plane on sole vs side argument. Thank you for putting this to rest (again). Maybe now we can move on and do some real woodworking instead of beating this dead horse on such an insignificant detail.
Guys at the workshop like to came and talk to me while I’m working from time to time and if I’m not using my planes they will usually pick up my plane while still talking to me like they are trying to hide they are about to put my plane on its side, it happens a couple times a week
One good reason not to place your plane on the side: *knuckles*
Once you have inadvertently brushed your knuckles up against a plane on the side, you stop doing that.
Even the most careful of us will nick ourselves from time to time. I bet even Paul has gone through a few band-aids over the years. But we don’t have to make cuts and nicks more likely, when it doesn’t even save any time to be careful.
Put the plane blade down. Put down the saw with the teeth facing away and the axe with the head facing away. It costs you no time.
To protect the blade, I place my planes on squares of cork when not using them. An A4/letter sheet of cork cost me a couple of quid/bucks, and fits two planes.
i always put my planes on scrap pieces of wood so the blade dont come in contact with anything,i learned that a dried drop of glue can mess up a cut on inlayed ebony.
If plane users are concerned about damage to the edge of the blade why not rest the toe of the plane on a thin strip of wood so the blade is not contacting the workbench surface?
Thanks for clearing that one up. I was programmed to put a plane on its side.
i usually put the toe on a batten or – my secret weapon – a bit of yoga mat cut to size
Yeah, I can see the arguement for either, but upright is how my grandfathers always didi it, because of both the adjustment issue and raking their knuckles accross the blade when on its side, so I generally leave mine sitting upright as well. Planes marking knives, and chisels are typically the only metal on my work bench when I’m using them. If I am using saws or screws my cbisels and planes get put up first. My work bench is too small to wirk when cluttered.
Paul Sellers is the source of truth. #respect
Good man,
I think this is just another case of where preventing damage to the blade turned into a religion. I don’t lay my plane down on it’s side either, and I always place it on a surface that won’t damage the blade.
Persons telling a Master Craftsman how to handle his craft implements in his house is reason enough to kick them out, unless they are 12 years old or younger/ your wife/ or senile elder Master Craftsmen.
I, too, must have been taught in the 1950s to lay the plane on its side, because after years of DIY it has become a habit. But since I’ve started observing in your videos how you handle your tools, I’m now just putting the plane down. Saves time, and to me it always seemed awkward to have to turn one’s wrist in order to lay the plane on its side.
Excelente explicación, estoy de acuerdo con su teoría. Muchas gracias, abrazos y bendiciones. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
At my school (1970’s) we had our sideburns ‘tweaked’ for putting a plane sole-down on the bench.
I had a very good shop / woodworking teacher in HS. ALWAYS lay the plane on its side or I got verbally dinged by the instructor.
My father in law, a Mexican born and trained oficio of 60 or more years of shop time, taught me the first time I worked with him the plane stays face down never on its side or I got verbally dinged by my Father-in-law.
An explanation like yours is always preferred. Thank you sir.
Love your explanations of the historic "whys" of things!!! Please keep them coming, I am catching up on SO MANY of your videos! THANK YOU sir!