Tool of the Month April 2016

Welcome to April's tool of the month blog post!

This month it's the no 4 1/2 smoothing plane!

The number 4 1/2 smoothing plane is one of the most used hand planes in my workshop, almost every piece of furniture that leaves my workshop will have been on the receiving end this tool.

The smoothing plane is generally the final bench plane used for surface preparation prior to the assembly and polishing of a piece of furniture. It's a short bodied plane with a thick blade and a finely set mouth designed to take very very thin shavings, leaving behind a smooth glass like surface that doesn't require sanding.

My plane is made in the USA by Lie-Nielsen, it's fitted with a higher angle frog (York pitch) which increases the cutting angle from 45° to 50° this gives the cut more of a scraping action, and is very handy for reducing tear out on timbers with a difficult grain.

Planing some beautiful American walnut.

That's it for April, look out for May's blog post coming soon!