A smoothing plane or smooth plane is a type of bench plane used in

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

. The smoothing plane is typically the last plane used on a

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surface, removing very fine shavings to leave a smooth finish. When used effectively it quickly produces a finish that equals or surpasses that made by

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Description and history

The smoothing plane is the shortest of the bench planes. Under the Stanley Bailey numbering system for metal-bodied planes #1 to #4 are smoothing planes, with lengths ranging from to . The #4 plane, which is in length, is the most common smoothing plane in use. Historically wooden smoothing planes in the United States have typically been long with irons wide. As with other bench planes, until the end of the 19th century the bodies of smoothing planes were predominantly wooden, typically made out of

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Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more ...

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Fagus grandifolia ''Fagus grandifolia'', the American beech or North American beech, is a species of beech tree native to the eastern United States and extreme southeast of Canada. Description ''Fagus grandifolia'' is a large deciduous tree growing to tall, w ...

'' in North America). Wooden planes were largely superseded by iron-bodied planes and to a lesser extent transitional planes. Despite the predominance of the heavier iron-bodied planes, vintage wooden planes remain in common use, while new wooden smoothing planes are available from a small number of manufacturers. Being smaller than other bench planes, the smoothing plane is better able to work on smaller workpieces and around obstructions. Since the 1700s wooden smoothing planes have predominantly been 'coffin shaped' – wider in the middle and slightly rounded – making them more manoeuvrable. It has also been claimed that the coffin design exposes more end grain, enabling the plane to better adjust to changes in humidity. The irons (blades) on smoothing planes are often slightly rounded at the corners to minimise the risk of gouging out tracks or marks in the workpiece, and on a metal plane the throat or mouth is usually set tight to reduce the risk of tearout. In Britain the name smoothing plane dates back to at least the 17th century.

Use

A smoothing plane is typically used after the workpiece has been flattened and trued by the other bench planes, such as the

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, fore, and

jointer A jointer or in some configurations, a jointer-planer (also known in the UK and Australia as a planer or surface planer, and sometimes also as a buzzer or flat top) is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board's length ...

planes. Smoothing planes can also be used to remove marks left by woodworking machinery. When used effectively alongside other bench planes, the smoothing plane should only need a handful of passes removing shavings as fine as or less. The workpiece is then ready to be finished, or can be further refined with a

card scraper A card scraper or cabinet scraper is a woodworking shaping and finishing tool. It is used to manually remove small amounts of material and excels in tricky grain areas where hand planes would cause tear out. Card scrapers are most suitable for ...

. The smoothing plane is usually held with both hands, and used in a similar manner to the other bench planes.Hand Planes Reprint from Handwork In Wood by William Noyes Though designed for smoothing, a smoothing plane can be used as an 'all-round' bench tool and for rougher work depending on how it is set up.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoothing Plane Planes da:Høvl#Skrubhøvl, Slethøvl og Pudshøvl