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      Figure 1-14. The Sole of a Chinese-Style Plane You can see the brass mouthpiece dovetailed into the sole that is used to form a tight mouth and reduce wear.

      The plane is pushed using a slightly oval-shaped handle that is inserted through a hole in the plane body behind the blade (though there are some variations of this from region to region, a fixed, oxbow-shaped handle being the most common). The palms of the hands straddle the plane and the handle. The fingers are on top of the plane in front of the blade and the thumbs are behind the blade. This is a comfortable position, allowing good body mechanics when planning. I am not used to it, however, and often use the plane without the cross handle. The handle itself is friction-fit and removes for storage or transport, or to accommodate the recalcitrant Westerner like myself who prefers not to use it.

      The traditional blade is often laminated and parallel rather than tapered, but I would hesitate to say that this is always the case, as modern manufactured versions often use high-speed steel. The smoothing plane I bought, rather than having a laminated blade, had a piece of steel about an inch long braised onto the end of a longer, softer piece that forms the main body of the blade and projects from the plane. This piece of edge steel is extremely hard, and appears to be high in alloys, as it does not sharpen easily. I have never seen a blade constructed in this manner; I bought an extra one when I had the chance (Figure 1-15).

ANATOMY OF A CHINESE PLANE

      It was not long ago that even seeing, let along buying, a Chinese plane was a rare thing. Now, not only is the classic style used throughout China and Southeast Asia available, but the market includes high-end Australian-made versions, as well as a number of regional styles.

      The classic style of cabinetmaker’s plane is typically used to plane tropical hardwoods and so has a high blade angle. A set of prep, true, and finish planes would have angles of 55°, 60°, and 65° respectively. Because of the high-pitch angles, the plane usually relies on a tight mouth opening for controlling tearout, though sometimes a token chipbreaker would be supplied. The mouth opening usually is faced with a brass piece to reduce wear.

      Some of the regional models have the cross handle let into the top and screwed to the body and may have an oxbow shape, rather than having a hole in through the body for the handle, a minor difference. Another regional difference, including planes from Taiwan, is a lower, wider proportion, reminiscent of Japanese planes, but with sweeping ergonomic curves to the body. The blade assemblies on many of these look like Japanese-blade assemblies, as well, with a wedge-shaped metal chipbreaker under a metal cross pin. However, the chipbreaker in these planes really does wedge the blade in place, as the blade itself is not wedged into the body the way the Japanese plane blade is. I have not worked with these, so I do not know if the result is a compromise in the ability to adjust the position of the chipbreaker or in the effectiveness of the wedge to hold the blade in position. If this design is successful at both of these (I’m not sure if this is a traditional design or a new hybrid), then it is a stroke of genius. One of the advantages of the Japanese plane is the ability to easily adjust the chipbreaker back and forth for different types of cuts. This can be done because the blade is wedged independently of the chipbreaker. In this Chinese plane, the blade adjustment is dependent on the chipbreaker’s position, and adjusting the chipbreaker too far one way may affect whether the blade will hold its position.

      In the classic Chinese-style plane, the blade edge is positioned very near the center of the length of the sole, making entering and exiting the stroke about as balanced as it can be.

      The main reason I use Chinese-style planes is their high blade angle and the effectiveness of that angle on tropical hardwoods. The central placement of the cutting edge is an added bonus. Many of the regional styles of Chinese planes are being sold with 45° blade angles and an alloy-steel blade cut from stock. As such, they have no real advantage over most other planes, other than perhaps price, and preferable ergonomics.