Fine Tuning Your Plane (April 1st Joke)

Here is a video we did answering a question on fine tuning a hand plane.

24 Comments

    1. The real joke which we ALL fell for including Paul is this:
      After slowing Paul’s video up 1500 times down here in Australia it is clearly visible that the vibration on the fork has been transferred into the plane. The transferred vibration sets up a reciprocating action in the plane that chisels the plane iron through the work to result in Paul’s perfect work.
      Roger

  1. Ok- perplexed I took bait and thought – that’s a new technique. Very clever and I am laughing as I type.

  2. Paul, thanks for this helpful video! You have really ushered in the month of April on a high note 🙂

  3. From now on, every time someone talks about plane tuning I will be thinking of this. Thanks Paul! By the way, what happens if you click on “buy”? I didn’t want to make more of a fool of myself, so I didn’t dare to try 🙂

  4. reminds me of the time I dressed up as a lawyer in a 3-piece suit for Halloween and only my clients knew it was a costume! sell sell sell buy buy buy — make make make

  5. I purchased 4 of them.

    One for the Record #4 – which has a somber B-flat tone befitting a fine englieh plane
    One for the Stanley #4 – which has a crisp middle C
    One for the Stanley AND Record #5 – which both suprisingly tune at A-sharp
    And one for the Stanley #7 – which rings at a very low D (think Beethoven…)

    Little known fact – you can use the Stanley #4 tuning fork to tune your wooden spokeshaves, too!

    Another little known fact – in a pinch, you can use a Disston No. 112 (NOT the D-112!) to tune your Record #4 as the No. 112 used London Sprung Steel.

  6. I forgot to mention that if you plane – no matter the manufacturer – was made before 1926, you should use the French standard tuning, which has the ‘A’ tone at 435MHz. After 1926, the planes should be tuned at Standard Tuning, which has the middle ‘A’ tone at 440MHz.

    Failure to compensate for the difference will result in increased tearout, static cling of metal to wood (more effort required to push the plane), dizzyness, insomnia, and a general loss of appetite. You may find that dogs are no longer you best friend and neighborhood cats are strangely drawn to your back door en masse. If so, please discontinue the use of your plane, package it in a sealed envelope and send to mailing address associated with my profile. I, out of the goodness of my heart, will use your plane until such time that the symptoms are no longer apparent (please read disclaimer regarding possesion being 9/10ths of the law…)

    I do this solely out of a sincere public service. Do not hesitate to contact my lawyer with any inquiries.

  7. Oh Paul. No wonder I will never be a comedian – I cannot keep a straight face. You did a superb job in that respect.
    Wit and wisdom. Great work so please keep it up.

    Cheers

  8. How do you temper your blades when using this technique? Werckmeister, 1/4 comma meantone, Pythagorean, or some other temperament?

  9. Charlie Chaplin said……”A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

    One thing about us Brits is we can and often do laugh at ourselves……..even time served perfectionist woodworkers.

  10. Hey Paul – can we assume flat to be undesirable but a little “sharp” would be okay? (Sorry – I couldn’t resist!)

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