A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Planes

The philosophy of balance.

At a glance, a Chinese plane looks like a Japanese plane with a stick across it. Look closer and it is a push plane, its blade held by a wooden wedge, which makes it look more like a traditional Western plane. Pick one up and the resemblance stops there. The mouth sits toward the back of the body, and the sole touches the work in three places, as a Japanese plane's does. Why this design, and how do you use it?

The word that matters most with Chinese planes is balance. A Chinese plane balances just ahead of its mouth, so the user can shift directly between the front registration surface (AB) and the rear one (BC) on the sole.

Stand behind the workpiece and hold the plane with both hands on the handle, index fingers extended. Lift it into the air: you should be able to change its forward tilt with very little effort. If the toe or the heel keeps dropping, check the center of gravity. To move it, take material off the heavier end by shaping or chamfering, or, if a lot has to go, cut a section off that end. Your thumbs can tuck behind the blade or under the handle. Keep your palms down on the plane. With the wrists raised, your knuckles can scrape the work as you plane.

As the plane enters the cut, your index fingers press down to keep A and B on the workpiece.

Once the plane is fully on the work, release the index fingers and move the pressure back, onto the handle or onto the body under your palms,

so that the front does not dip as the plane leaves the cut.

The motion comes easily if you anchor yourself behind the workpiece and keep your arms semi-stiff. As with the forward roll of an ab roller, gravity draws your head and chest down and your hands slide forward. Your body weight supplies both the force and the shift in pressure: the further forward the plane travels, the less directly your weight bears down on it, so the index fingers ease off and the palms press down without your thinking about it. With the upper body absorbing vibration, the cut stays steady and you can feel the grain through the whole stroke.

For me, this never gets old.

Cheers,

Luke