Boatbuilding Hand Planes

In this boating life there's one obsession that stays true, but there are others that wax and wane enjoyably with the passage of time.

Once such pleasure is hand planes. Those simple, centuries old tools that are designed to take shavings off wood; to shape, thickness, or smooth a piece of timber. The real joy comes from their use, which is a beautifully satisfying experience.

Hand planes are used by all craftsmen who work with wood. There are planes specific to every trade and the unique tasks they perform. However, with just a hint of bias, it’s sometimes said that the boatbuilders of old had the finest collection of planes of any of the woodworking trades.

The boatbuilder will do a very wide range of woodworking tasks in their lifetime, from fine joinery in interior fit outs to big heavy work when framing and planking big boats, to shaping spars and oars, just to name a few.

For each of these tasks the boatbuilder will need planes specific to the task. Many planes can be bought off the shelf but others will either need to be found second hand, modified from other planes, or made new.

Everyone these days seems to use metal planes. They collect, polish and adore them, and often pay a very high price for them. However, it must be remembered that the finest furniture ever made, and the finest boats for that matter, were all hand crafted using wooden planes, often made by the user.

Up until recently I was a metal plane guy; as they are widely available and easy to use. They are the sort of tool that everyone starts off with. It wasn't until recently that I read a chapter in a book that changed my outlook.

All my planes are ‘users’ they are kept in fair condition, and don’t mind being covered in a bit of dust.

The chapter, aptly named 'boatbuilding planes' was written by the famous small-boat builder and historian, John Gardner, in his book “Building Classic Small Craft”. For those who are unaware, John Gardener was a living treasure who did more for the preservation of small craft in America than anyone else. The sort of guy that only the Yanks could produce.

In his writings he gives plans for three boat builder's planes; a jointer, a jack and a smoother. He speaks widely about the many aspects of making and using planes. The difference, John states, between a boat builder’s bench plane and that of the other trades is that the boatbuilder’s plane will be of the 'razee' style, i.e. cut down at the rear end, and often these planes are narrower than the average. The jack for example, is typically 16 inches long and houses a 1 3/4 inch blade.

What an absolute joy it was to find a variation on the common jack plane specific to the boatbuilder, a type that has evolved over hundreds of years to work specifically for the tasks of boat construction. I was gearing up to have a go at making one of these planes when I chanced upon a plane for sale online. There was not much information other than it was a 16 inch razee jack plane. I purchased it half-heartedly. However, when unboxing I realised I had something special. The plane was almost identical in appearance and dimensions to that of the plans in Gardener's book, and had a 1 3/4 inch 'buck bros' iron (the largest American manufacturer of plane irons). The timber is dark. I suspect it's rosewood.

So I now possess a true American boat builder’s jack plane. The name R. Chipchase is stamped in a few places over the plane. My assumption is that Chipchase was a skilled and proud boatbuilder from the States. Perhaps this was his favourite plane that he made himself. How this beautiful plane ended up here in Australia I would love to know. I feel like it should be in a museum, but it gives me joy to know it'll still being used for its intended purpose. Having never owned a wooden plane before, it took me a short while to get used to adjusting the blade, using a hammer, but once I had this down pat, I really don't find it any harder than turning the knob on a metal plane.

The other trick I learnt, which I was aware of before, but was always hesitant to implement, was grinding a curve in the blade. Most planes should have curved blades. Jack planes have the most curve, about a 10 inch radius, and smoothers and jointers much less. The curve on the jack helps to remove thick shavings easily, the curve on a smoother helps to leave a smooth surface, without any 'tracks' from the sharp corners of the iron. Curving the iron has definitely helped improve my work.

There are many online sources to buy second hand tools. I’ve been lucky enough to get some of my planes from older relatives, retired and working boatbuilders, as well as purchasing my own both new and second hand.

During the years of my apprenticeship, when I was acquiring tools at an alarming rate, I became friendly with the owner of a local antiques bazaar. I went in one day looking for old tools. He didn't have much on the shelves but gave me a torch and said I could look under the old house. This was a wonderful experience . The smell was just as you would expect from a dirt floor under an old Queenslander, packed with antiques of every conceivable type. It was a true rabbit warren, and once inside, it felt like a maze. I eventually came across a large assortment of old tools and I was like a kid in a lolly shop. Over the years of my apprenticeship, and still today, I visit this old antiques shop, and if the owner is in a good mood, he'll pass me the torch and let me go through the piles of tools.

I am looking forward to a lifetime spent collecting, making and especially, using hand planes. What a joy.