Plough Plane - Quick Tip

Plough planes are an absolutely essential joinery plane. Only the most basic of projects can be made without them. The creation of grooved construction ushered in frame an panel construction and the age of the joiner. Although simple tools there are some nuances that are well worth being aware of. Let me highlight one for you now.

Life isn’t all plain grain and light fluffy shavings, sometimes we have to to against the grain. When we do this with a plough plane we can create all kinds of issues. Because the plough is a single iron plane pitched at 45 degrees or so and it’s working to below the surface of the wood it can really lever up nasty grain and leave a ragged appearance to the edges of the groove. To combat this define the edges of your groove with a marking or mortice gauge. The grooves in the situation shown are very narrow and the pins of my mortice gauge would not get close enough to enable it use so two marking gauges were used. When you can, use a mortice gauge, it’s quicker!

Don’t over think this process! Some of you may look at the pin in this gauge and worry that it doesn’t create a 90 degree corner. This does not matter one bit and is undetectable when in your piece is assembled. And what would you prefer, an imagined issue or a clean groove? As with all the “tips and tricks” you see here and elsewhere they are not my invention and have been used since people started to work wood. But it’s always good to share them again and again. I’ve made a quick video of the process so you can see the results in a squirrely piece of oak.