What should I do first?

Disassemble the plane by removing the sliding section, fence and guide rods. Clean all machined surfaces with a rag dampened in solvent/degreaser. The rust preventative you’ve removed should be replaced with a silicone-free surface treatment such as Boeshield T-9 or Veritas Tool Wax. Put some on the guide rods to ensure the components slide smoothly. Use a light machine oil on the adjuster.

How do I sharpen the blades?

For any blade, begin by polishing the back, working your way up to your finest stone. Often, this is enough to get going, especially in softwoods. To sharpen the bevel of square-edged blades, we recommend a honing guide because of the consistency it provides, and it makes working such short blades much easier. Profiled blades are trickier; use a progression of slip stones, diamond hones, or dowels/paddles with lapping film. Keep a light touch to avoid altering the blade’s shape.

To install a blade, insert it bevel down on the bed; ensure the slot at its top is engaged with the depth adjustment knob, and that its side is registered against the machined side of the bed. Gently tighten the lever cap screw. When using narrow blades, you can remove the sliding section and install the small blade guide knob in the threaded hole adjacent to the bed.

For better control and a smooth finished surface, always set the blade for light cuts.

Setting the Depth Stop

For cutting rabbets and dadoes, you’ll need to set the depth stop to a specific measurement. You can use a ruler, but it’s much easier if you have something with a stop that registers on the skate, such as a combination or double square. Be sure the scoring spur is retracted.

Using the Plane

The key to getting accurate results is to keep the plane upright and the fence in good contact with the workpiece.

You can hold the wooden sub-fence instead of the metal handle to maintain the registration with the work.

To plane, start with a few short cuts near the far end of the board, then move further back with each stroke, eventually making continuous full-length strokes.

To help prevent tilting, you can extend fingers of your dominant hand to provide a triangulated grip.

Now it’s time to put your plane to work. In our next tutorial, we’ll cover the processes for making the wide range of cuts that make the combination plane so versatile.