How to Set Up a Hand Plane to Get RIDICULOUSLY Thin Shavings - Essential Skills for Woodworking

Setting up a woodworking hand plane to get ridiculously smooth and thin shavings can be a bit of an artform. In this video I give you a comprehensive walk through on setting up a Bailey #3 Bench Plane and a Stanley #4 Smoothing Plane to get amazing results and a finish ready surface . I got the shavings as thin as .0005. Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next week. Thanks for watching! Please like, comment and subscribe. Cheers!

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[benheinrich]

I’m a complete newbie to this entire field, and I’m already obsessed.

[JonnyBuilds]

Great info! You're the high school shop teacher I never had...

[castletransport]

There's something so unbelievably satisfying about hand planing. Thanks for showing us this, much appreciated

[MoichiAnaiNin]

Excellent video with lots of tips I haven't seen on other channels yet. (distance of the chipbreaker, mouth opening, final adjustment for fine shavings)

I've just started setting up some used wooden planes, and the details you mentioned also apply to them. Thanks a lot.

[caseydurrans]

Great video! I had no idea I was missing a chip breaker on my plane. I could never figure out why my plane sucked so bad even with a super sharp blade. Thanks!

[nualln]

I mean this in the nicest way, but how do you not have a million subscribers? I hope your channel grows quickly since you have some of the best, most concise, quality woodworking content on YouTube. Keep the videos coming!

[KomarProject]

Brother your so right. Nothing better then getting those silkies. Makes me want to go play on my tool wall. Great job dude

[gthiesfeld]

This video came at a perfect time. I just picked up a used hand plane last week. I've watched several videos, but this one really brought it all together for me.

[rjtumble]

"Go until you get wood" is generally good advice, thanks. :)

[denisdionne]

Thank you so much, I was that guy that couldn't get the plane to work at all. Since using your sharpening techniques and the plane setup, I love using the plane.

[alexander_konig_coaching]

I found an old hand planer from my dad’s shop and I went through all of your videos… omg how helpful!! Great instructions! Now I have a a beautiful hand planer and can have those fine shavings! It really makes woodworking more enjoyable! Thanks again!!! 👍🏻💪🏻👍🏻

[rustythecat]

Tip to correct a shaving looking like an accordion by adjusting the the chip breaking backward a very slight amount is priceless! Been using hand planes successfully for many years but did not know cause of that type shaving. Thanks, Johnathon.

[GeorgeSA]

Thanks. I learnt a few things here that I didn't about adjusting a hand plane. You've inspired me to take out my hand planes and give them a try.

[stevenriviere]

Jonathan, your video made a heck of a difference in my two Stanley hand planes. I’ve got a #5 that was my great grandfather’s and a #4 that was my stepdad’s grandfather’s...neither have been used in decades. Between your scary sharp video and this plane tuneup video both are making wispy shavings. Can’t thank you enough!

[rextored]

I'm so so grateful to you. A million thanks! It's the first time I've been able to set up a hand plane to actually work; even when I hadn't sharpened the blade yet (just out of the box) I managed to get shavings and plane down some pieces to fit together. I had not taken this cheap Stanley plane out of the box because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it work as it happened to me once before with a cheaper one. I'll get to sharpening the blade now. 👍💪🤘

[MegaSchew]

lord! thank you! I am new to wood working and bought myself a block plane but had little clue on how to get the thing to work correct. Thank you so much for this video.

[avrumisolaimani]

i’m 15 and i learned how to sharpen and adjust a hand plane from you thank you!!😁😁😁

[Whatthensayyou]

By 2:51 you already taught me something I never really understood before in a super simple way to understand! I had always stayed away from planes because of their price and not knowing how to set them up.. I am adding a smoothing plane to my cart now!!!! Thanks man!!!

[thijs]

was having some serious issues. but after fiddling around, and after sharpening on a glass plate. I figured out I'd taken that advice of ''a hairs width'' a little bit to seriously, it's more like a 10th of a mm. Now taking that full width shaving is like a dream. Thanks man

[bigpicturethinking]

I have my #4 dialed in so cherry that it actually adds thickness to the surface I am working.