Plane Blade: Fitting and Care

Notes on fitting, adjusting, and maintaining your Zen-Wu replacement plane blade.

Fitting

Our blades are cut to the Bailey and Stanley pattern and drop into those planes and their descendants, including Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, and WoodRiver. On most planes the blade and chipbreaker seat with no modification. Set the assembly down so the adjuster engages the chipbreaker slot and the lever cap holds it square.

Replacement blade seated in a Veritas-pattern plane, top view and three-quarter view
Veritas planes.
 Replacement blade seated in a Bailey or Stanley pattern plane, top view and three-quarter view
Other brands (Bailey / Stanley pattern).

Filing the mouth

If you have an old Stanley, some castings from certain eras of production need the mouth filed slightly to take a thicker blade. To open the mouth, hold your file at 90 degrees and file 2 to 3 mm.

Cross-section showing the blade, frog, and where to file the mouth at 90 degrees
File square to the sole, at the front edge of the mouth.

Before you file, mark a line with a utility knife or a fine marker about 2 mm in front of the mouth. The line keeps the mouth square across its width as you work.

A square laid across the sole, marking a line with a utility knife in front of the mouth
Mark with a utility knife, 2 mm in front of the mouth, against a square.

Installing the blade

  1. Align the hole and slots. When the blade is installed, line up the hole in the blade with the slot in the chipbreaker so the depth adjuster can engage.

    Three views of the blade showing the hole and chipbreaker slot aligned

  2. Hold by the corrugations. The anti-slip corrugations on the chipbreaker give a better grip while you seat the assembly.

    A hand holding the blade and chipbreaker by the corrugated face above the plane

  3. Adjust laterally with a slim tool. Lever with a screwdriver, or another slim tool, for controlled fine lateral adjustment.

    A screwdriver used as a lever for fine lateral adjustment of the blade

The laminated edge

The laminated construction cuts down on harmonics and makes the blade easier to sharpen. We recommend keeping the bevel flat, as it comes. The chipbreaker's secondary bevel is lapped and ready to use.

Sharpening and care

Sharpen flat by hand, as soon as you notice the edge dulling. If you sharpen on waterstones, flatten them regularly. Dry the blade after wet sharpening and oil it before any extended storage.