How often are planes used in timber framing?

LaneC · June 04, 2014, 10:28:51 PM

Hello all.
I have recently read the Jack Sabon book about timber framing, and I have been watching as many videos as possible on the subject. I have also been researching as much as possible, and I am wondering about the use of planes in timber framing. From what I have seen/ read, most tenons are made with the use of the slick or smaller chisel. I am curious about the use of the planes to help trim the tenons quicker or do most people just rely on a good slick?

Jim_Rogers · June 05, 2014, 04:07:21 AM

I use a plane all the time
I use a slick too

Jim Rogers

Brian_Weekley · June 05, 2014, 07:58:24 AM

Ditto. Chisel and slick to get the tenons down to size. However planes are great to help flatten the tenon. I especially like using a rabbet plane to get close to the shoulder. It's easy to check the end of the tenon for thickness with the framing square, but a little harder near the shoulder. Sometimes I use the rabbet plane at the shoulder to get that end of the tenon flat and down to the line, then take out the material between the shoulder and end of the tenon with the slick. I always use my planes to chamfer the ends of the tenon too.

Jim_Rogers · June 05, 2014, 09:15:16 AM

Quote from: Brian_Weekley on June 05, 2014, 07:58:24 AM
It's easy to check the end of the tenon for thickness with the framing square, but a little harder near the shoulder.

Checking the tenon offset next to the shoulder is easy, you use your framing square, and a piece of metal like a tri-square....

Above you can see a small framing square that has a one inch tongue and a 1 1/2" body being used with a tri-square, to check the offset of 1" at the shoulder on this tenon.

To make sure that the tenon is parallel to the reference face/adjacent face you use a framing square and a combination square to verify the surface is true:

After this side is done, which should be the first side of a tenon you work on, so that you establish this side to the correct offset from the face of the timber, you then work on making the tenon the correct thickness.
To do this I use a caliper set by checking it with a framing square:

Now that the caliper is set you can use it to check your tenon thickness and adjust the second side of the tenon to make it the correct thickness.

If you follow these steps your tenons should be the correct offset from the face of the timber, parallel to the face of the timber, and the correct thickness.

Jim Rogers

Dave Shepard · June 05, 2014, 09:50:05 AM

I usually use just the framing chisel when cutting tenons. I have rabbet planes, both wooden and a No. 10. It depends on the size of the joint I'm cutting. If it's just a small tenon on a 6x6 or 8x8, then the chisel is all I need. On a big Dutch through tenon, then I start with a scoring axe, then the broad axe and maybe the slick, although most of those tenons I've seen were just broad axed.

LaneC · June 05, 2014, 01:55:16 PM

Thanks for the input gents, this is valuable information and much appreciated. What type of plane would anyone recommend? I am sure there are differences of opinion but maybe one is most common. Thanks again for the lessons.

Roger Nair · June 06, 2014, 05:10:20 PM

For joint cutting, I mostly leave planes in the tool chest, I rely mostly on chisels and slicks for trimming to get the tenons and shoulders to pass go-no-go gauges. One area for joinery where planes come in is for mating tables in scarfs. Other uses can be stock preparation, surface finishing, easing edges etc. Possible uses are endless, but optional.

The most versatile plane could be the low angle jack, with a few irons with varied honings gets widely useful application. Otherwise bench planes #4, 4 1/2, 5, 5 1/2, 6 and a scrub are in the range that I would favor. I have not kept or maintained a block plane, in the framing kit, for over twenty years

LaneC · June 06, 2014, 05:26:41 PM

Thanks a bunch for the recommendations. I will continue to learn. Thanks again.

Dan Miller · June 09, 2014, 08:35:05 PM

I use a variety of planes when building my frames, bear in mind though that my frames are for myself and not production work.

Stanley No. 3 smoother is my workhorse smoothing plane for surfacing rough cut timbers. I recently put a Lee Valley PMV-11 cutter in it and am impressed.

My latest frame has a number of curved timbers (upper crucks and braces). These were ripped with a chainsaw, rough smoothed with a Lie-Nielsen (copy of a Stanley) scrub plane, and smoothed with the No. 3 Stanley. The scrub plane was also used to true some timbers that were twisted prior to scribing.

I regularly tune tenons with a Stanley No. 10 bench rabbet plane.

My latest frame was scribe-rule, so bearing surfaces were trued with a combination of the No. 3 smoother, low-angle block planes, a vintage Sargent rabbet block plane, and a variety of spokeshaves.

It's certainly not for everyone, but the building I am currently completing is a 16' x 32' scribed upper cruck frame designed by Jack Sobon. Apart from ripping the curved timbers with a chainsaw, all joinery was done with hand tools.