Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

There are a variety of reasons why many woodworkers, including some skilled craftsmen, never
use a shoulder plane. Some, for example, have such solid chiselling skills that they can pare
tenons without any difficulty, while others have top-notch sawing skills and can cut flat and
square tenons. Most of us, however, can benefit from using the shoulder plane not only in
shooting shoulders, but also for various other cutting tasks.
Not Just for Hand-Tool Users
A shoulder plane is also useful for power-tool users because it trims wood with a precision
that no machine can match. It allows you to fine-tune joinery work up close, which is often
impossible or unsafe to do using machines. I once used a shoulder plane to fine-tune a sliding
dovetail joint, which was cut on the router table, to a perfect fit. At times when close enough
just doesnt cut it, the shoulder plane is the tool to reach for, even in a power-shop environment.
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Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

The Shoulder Plane

We use the shoulder plane upright like a bench plane, starting by putting pressure on the toe,
then even pressure on the body and finally full force on the heel as the plane leaves the stock.
But as youll see later, we also use it on its side or tilted at an angle or in pull strokes.
With its cutting angle at 42 or so, the shoulder plane is suited for handling all grain orientations
(cross, long and end). In my shop, a shoulder plane serves four key functions, but to perform
those functions well, it must be properly set up and equipped with a sharp blade. First, set the
blade for fine cuts and, for tenon work, just proud of the cheek of the plane. Make a test cut to
check that the shaving is fine, full-width and of consistent thickness.

The blade can be set either flush with or proud of

the cheek depending on the task.

Set the plane to cut full-width fine shavings of

consistent depth.

Precision Trimming
A shoulder plane excels at making precise or square cuts as required for tuning tenon
shoulders and cheeks. Some shoulder-plane users are frustrated when they end up with outof-square shoulders or shoulders of different heights on the sides. Or, they find that their tuned
cheeks are neither parallel nor centered. Lets see how these frustrations can be avoided.
Tuning the Cheeks
In a mortise-and-tenon joint, the cheek fit is most important for joint strength, while the
shoulder fit matters most for the joints appearance. To adjust the thickness of the tenon, I use
the shoulder plane for its quick set-up and precision. Even British woodworker and teacher
Paul Sellers, who uses the router plane for cheek work, likes to leave his tenons a hair proud
and make the final passes with a shoulder plane for unmatched precision and fit.
Use a square to check for high spots on the cheeks and mark them with a pencil. Hold the rail
down on a bench hook and plane off the high spots, taking care not to make any overlapping
cuts.
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Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

Avoid overlapping cuts as they can lead to unparallel surfaces or tenon cheeks.

Count the number of passes made on the first cheek and repeat the same number of passes
on the other to keep the tenon centered. Finally, to prevent breakout, plane halfway from each
end in push and pull strokes.
Tuning the Shoulders
Use a square on four sides to locate any high spots. Remove the high spots one at a time,
starting with the long shoulders first. For narrow tenons, rather than using spacers to support
the plane on its side, I prefer to shoot the workpiece in an upright position by clamping the
board in a vise.

For narrow stock, it is easier to plane the shoulder in the upright position.
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Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

For short shoulders, I use a chisel to pare the shorter shoulders to line up with the long ones.
Sometimes in soft wood, if the short shoulders are only a hair proud, I can rely on clamping to
compress the parts to a tight joint. Learn to choose your tool wisely.
Cutting and Tuning Rabbets or Dadoes
My skew rabbet plane is the workhorse for cutting rabbets, but I often use a shoulder plane to
tune rabbets in both the width and depth for a snug fit. Sometimes a shoulder plane is a better
choice for cutting rabbets, such as those for a lap joint. To cut a rabbet, I scribe the layout
lines and use the shoulder plane with a simple squaring jig to cut a shallow wall on the side. I
then remove the jig and shave with the plane against the wall.

Place a chisel or blade in the scribed line to

position the squaring jig or a batten.

Once the shallow wall is in place, use it to guide

the plane for the rest of the cuts.

Freehand cutting can be made more precise by placing your fingers under the toe to act as a
fence guide for, say, a ship-lap joint. Lastly, the shoulder plane also excels at cleaning up or
removing the machine marks on the bottom of a wide dado or groove.

Your fingers often work well as a fence, sometimes saving the need to clamp a batten.
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Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Shaping
A shoulder plane, like a rabbet plane, can be used as a roughing tool to remove waste for
moulding or shaping work. I like to use it to cut close to the edge profile before turning to
moulding planes for the final shaping passes. This reduces the wear on both the iron and
the moulding-plane body. The slim body of the plane sometimes makes it the tool of choice
to ease edges or cut round profiles on narrow stock when other shaping tools such as a
spokeshave cannot reach or when I prefer not to sand.

The hollow and round are used in the final

stage to shape the ovolo and cove profile.

The shoulder plane is a handy shaping tool for

narrow work.

In cabinetry work, I can use a shoulder plane with better precision than my apron plane for
fine tuning or accurate fitting, such as refining a drawer bottom to fit grooves. In dovetail work,
I can cut a shallow rabbet on the interior side of the tail board to align the tail and pin boards
squarely. The creative and joyful use of a shoulder plane is for each owner to explore.

The rabbet makes the transferring of marks to the pin board a breeze.
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Get More From Your Shoulder Plane

Woodworking Newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 4 - March 2015

Text and photos by Charles Mak

Charles Mak is a businessperson and enthusiastic hobby woodworker, teacher, writer and
tipster. He works part-time at his local Lee Valley Tools store.
Further Reading
Gochnour, Chris. Shoulder Planes Reviewed. Fine Woodworking. July/Aug. 2004. Pp 42 -47.

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