Shoulder plane use / technique
VTAndy4
>Hello,
I'd like to hear from those who use shoulder planes. How do you use your shoulder plane -- what applications and what technique for holding the plane? How does the design of the plane (including size) affect the range of uses of it? I don't intend this as a thread for comparing brands unless a key feature allows for a use that others would lack. I am also aware that some craftspeople don't use shoulder planes -- that's really a topic for another thread.
My use of a large shoulder plane is limited to fine-tuning the shoulders of tenons -- so it is really used as a "fine" tool, with a finely set mouth and a finely honed blade. It is not a tool that I am holding and using for an hour like a trying plane, so some of the comfort issues that have been brought up in the past have not seemed crucial to me. I understand that some people use this tool to make raised panels, but I have not tried that yet. A friend uses his large shoulder plane to fine tune rabbets cut with machinery -- he says he usually requires one or two passes. Does anyone use a shoulder plane to clean up a dado? (Obviously a job for a smaller should plane than the one I have.)
-Andy
