T H E G R E A T

ROB COSMANS
HAND PLANE
R E V I V A L
Bench-side instruction on tuning, sharpening
and using your grandfathers old plane!
The Great Hand Plane Revival www.robcosman.com ROB COSMAN 3 2 ROB COSMAN www.robcosman.com The Great Hand Plane Revival
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On a flat surface verify the
sole is within .003-.004,
be sure to have the iron
retracted and under
cutting pressure.
I have been working wood since my early childhood. On my mothers side my grandfather and great
grandfather were both carpenters. I knew them both and had the opportunity to work with Gramp.
My father was an industrial arts teacher turned carpenter so woodworking was definitely in my
blood. During my boyhood I was always building something, from boats to gun handles and from
go-carts to wooden bowls. Not only was I fascinated with wood but my quest for perfection nearly
drove my father crazy.
During my formal training I had the good fortune of working for a short time with Munroe
Robinson. Munroe gave me a great understanding of hand planning and instilled in me the quest
for the perfectly sharpened edge, a great craftsman and excellent teacher. I also had the advantage
of meeting and befriending David Charlesworth. David introduced me to what I believe is the
smartest technique I have ever learned about sharpening. Davids woodworking precision is
legendary! I spent several years as an assistant to Dr Dale L. Nish, it was Dale who taught me the
foundation of true craftsmanship, without this my career would not have been the same. What
I teach you in this DVD is a collection of techniques I have learned from these and other great
craftsman. I feel honored to be able to pass these on to you and I bid you to do the same. The next
generation of woodworkers depends on it. I hope thru this DVD you come to enjoy the most
pleasurable woodworking process there is, hand planning. All the best.
Family first
Rob Cosman
Flatten the underside
leading edge of the
lever cap.
Remove all the parts from
the frog.
Distribute the pressure
with several fingers across
the edge.
T H E G R E A T
ROB COSMANS
HAND PLANE
R E V I V A L
The Great Hand Plane Revival www.robcosman.com ROB COSMAN 5 4 ROB COSMAN www.robcosman.com The Great Hand Plane Revival
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Knock out the pivot pin to
remove the yoke.
The lateral adjustment
lever needs to come off to
true the face of the frog
Remove the captive tab.
File the head of the lateral
adjustment pivot pin.
The three contact surfaces
need to be trued, start with
the large one at the rear.
Flatten the face of the frog.
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Carefully flatten the rear
contact point of the frog
by moving it side to side
along the edge of your
reference surface.
Front points done.
Front contact points are
best done by pulling the
frog towards you, check
after each stroke.
Adhere sand paper to the
three contact points and
trim the excess.
These front contact points
are done.
Using the sand paper on
the frog contact points,
carefully sand the mating
surfaces on the plane body.
The Great Hand Plane Revival www.robcosman.com ROB COSMAN 9 8 ROB COSMAN www.robcosman.com The Great Hand Plane Revival
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Reassemble the plane.
Use tape to mark the
amount needed to file.
Hold the blade in place to
determine how much to
open the throat/mouth.
Keep the filed surface
perpendicular to the sole
or slightly angled toward
the front knob.
The plane needs to be
under normal lever cap
tension when its flattened.
Keep the blade retracted.
Fine tune the throat
opening to be parallel
to the blade.
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Use the front knob and
the rear tote to apply even
downward pressure, try to
keep the force centered.
Flatten at least 85% of the
sole and all of the critical
area forward of mouth.
Move the plane forward
and back and side to
side with moderate
downward force.
Finish the sole with a 400
grit polish.
Hone the blade at 29
degrees to create the
secondary bevel on the
1k stone. The Angle
Trainercan help you to
sharpen freehand.
Keep your stones flat with
medium grit wet/dry
paper on a float glass or
granite reference surface,
remember flat = sharp.
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Use four fingers on the
cutting edge to distribute
even pressure, spend
about 10 seconds on
this stone.
Secondary bevel.
Check for a bur that goes
corner to corner to verify
the job on the 1k stone
is completed.
The tertiary bevel is
created at 31 degrees
on 8k stone.
Apply pressure for three
seconds on each corner to
feather the edges. This
helps prevent the blade
corners from leaving
plane tracks.
Work the tertiary bevel for
about 10 seconds.
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Hold the steel rule (less
than 1 mm thick) flush
with the edge of the
finish stone.
Secure the chipbreaker
firmly to the blade and
about 1/16" back from the
cutting edge.
The ruler elevates the
blade about 1 degree to
create a time saving back
bevel. Move the blade
back and forth staying
within 1/4" of the edge
of the 8k stone.
Using the lateral adjust-
ment lever set the blade
edge parallel to the
plane sole.
Turn on your favorite
music and relax!
Fully retract the blade
before you start to plane,
then gradually advance
it once the plane is in
motion. Watch where
the shaving first appears
and make any necessary
adjustments with the
lateral adjustment lever.
The goal is a full width and
even thickness shaving.