What is a Surform Plane?
What is a surform plane? |
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A surform plane is a surface forming tool in the shape of a plane. | |||
What is a surform plane used for? |
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It’s used to flatten and smooth the surface of a workpiece, by shaving the top layer of material off.
It is also commonly used to reduce the thickness of an object by taking away pieces of material, layer by layer. |
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Its ability to shave off thin pieces of material means it is useful for creating horizontal, vertical and inclined flat surfaces on a workpiece. | |||
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A surform plane is often used for bullnose work, meaning to round off the edges or corners of an object. | |||
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It is a tool that can be used on a wide variety of materials, including wood, foam, rubber, soft metals, and plastic. | |||
What are the different types of surform plane? |
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A surform plane is available in either a flat or a block version. There is also a multi-purpose type available which can be used as both a plane and a file. | |||
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Flat planeA flat plane is ideal for tough materials that may otherwise dull a traditional plane, such as hardwood or soft metals. It is manufactured with a metal body, rather than a plastic one, to allow for heavy-duty use and durability. |
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Block planeA block plane is designed with an arched handle for a more comfortable grip during use. These types of plane are ideal for fast stock removal of material or for finishing touches on a workpiece. |
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Some larger block planes have bodies which are designed for two-handed use. | |||
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Planer fileA planer file is a flat plane and a flat file in one. It is a multi-purpose surform, and has a handle which can adjust to allow the tool to be used as either a plane or a file, depending on the task in hand. The handle can either be positioned vertically, to be used as a plane, or horizontally to be used as a file. |
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For a guide on how to change the handle position, see How to adjust the handle on a surform planer file. | |||
