Shoulder & Bullnose Planes – Setting the Blade

A sharp and properly shaped blade is the first step in getting your plane to cut beautifully. The second part is setting the cutting depth and mouth opening.

What Should I Do First?

The lever cap screw should be snug enough but not overtightened. A quarter turn after full engagement is plenty. Never torque it down – this may damage the plane.

The four side alignment screws enable you to accurately position the blade as well as prevent it from shifting in use. They are initially adjusted so they just touch the blade, then backed off ever so slightly (1/8 of a turn or less). They should not require adjustment when removing or replacing the blade after sharpening.

The mouth opening is controlled by loosening the toe locking screw and making the adjustment with the toe adjustment screw. Avoid overtightening! The smallest opening that will enable a shaving to escape is best. Retighten the toe locking screw but be careful not to overtighten it.

The grip of the large and medium shoulder planes can be fine-tuned to your preference with the pivoting knob on both planes, as well as the front knob on the large plane.

Why is the blade wider than the sole of the plane?

The side of a shoulder plane frequently works against an adjacent vertical surface. The blade protrudes just a slight amount on what we call the working side. In use, the protrusion will very slightly undercut the intersection of the vertical and horizontal surface, achieving a crisp cut.

How do I set the cutting depth?

There are a couple of methods for setting blade; try them both and see which works for you. Each begins with the cutting edge retracted just below the sole.

Blade-Setting Method #1:
Sight down the sole, either from the front or the rear. Slowly advance the blade until the cutting edge just begins to emerge. Ensure that it’s parallel to the sole by pivoting the blade adjuster. Take a test cut and assess the results. Advance or retract the blade and make fine lateral adjustments as needed. Continue the process until you achieve an even shaving of the desired thickness. Very slight adjustments in shaving thickness can be achieved by changing the blade clamping force.

Blade-Setting Method #2:
Instead of sighting the blade, this approach uses a small scrap of wood (approximately 1/8" × 3/4" × 1 1/2") to test the cutting edge as it emerges. Run the scrap wood past the cutting edge at both corners of the blade. If the blade doesn’t take a shaving, advance it slightly and try again. The initial goal is to ensure the cutting edge is parallel to the sole; make fine lateral adjustments until both shavings are the same thickness. You can then focus on setting the blade projection for the desired depth of cut.