Highland Woodworking’s Plane Handles
Wooden plane handles have been around in one form or another since the invention of the plane some 4000 years ago.
During the past fifty years the handles made for steel bench planes have almost without exception been too small for
most adult hands; they squeeze the little and ring fingers, and put too much pressure on the web between thumb and
forefinger. It may be that here at the dawn of the 21st century the average hand is larger than our forefathers’
hands for whom the handles were originally designed, or it may be that plane manufacturers simply have neglected
comfort in favor of tradition.
Fit
Our front knob is pretty much the standard turned shape. A sculpted T-shaped handle would better match the shape
of your hand, but it would be difficult to mass produce economically in wood, so we’ve settled for a nicely shaped
version of the ordinary round knob. Our rear handle is modeled on a couple of our favorites here at the store, handles
which we’ve modified through trial and error until they fit the way we want them to. You might well find your new
handle comfortable enough to use exactly as it is.
Try it out; just hold it as you would in use, with your index finger pointing forward like a pistol. Give it a
bit of a squeeze - how’s it feel? If you like it, you’re ready to install it on your plane. If there’s more pressure
than you like on your little finger, you can relieve it by doing some simple woodworking. You’ll probably want to
remove a bit of wood at the bottom, just where the little finger rests. Just as effectively, you can make a little
more room under the top so your hand can move upward slightly without squeezing the thumb web space.
A round rasp is a good tool for the job. Before you begin, hold the handle some more and look at where you feel
pressure. The drawing shows where you’re most likely to need to create more space. Try to sneak up on a perfect
fit; wield your rasp just a few strokes at a time until the handle makes your fingers happy. Blend the new shape
smoothly into the handle’s contours, with no sharp breaks or flat surfaces.
As long as you’re at it, you might enjoy reshaping the rest of the handle as well, with an eye toward eliminating
the flat surfaces along the sides. Gently blend the curves from front and rear into the sides until the handle’s
cross section is a blunt oval, a smooth, continuous curve that feels so good it’s hard to put down. Whatever suits
you best is exactly right.
Installation
Our front knob should replace the one now on your plane with little or no adaptation required. The worst-case
problem would be if your mounting screw were much too short; should that happen, give us a call and we’ll get you
set up with a suitable replacement.
Our rear handle is configured for mounting on planes with or without a front screw in the handle’s foot. If your
plane has a front screw mount, you’ll need to finish drilling through the 1/4” hole near the front of the handle
foot. Use a sharp bit, little pressure, and a backing block to limit exit tearout. If your plane has a short stud
cast into the handle mount instead of a screw hole, the stud should fit neatly into the shallow hole drilled between
the handle' front & rear screw holes.
If the handle is too tall to clear your plane’s lateral adjustment lever, first make sure the lever lies as close
under the plane iron as possible; it can be bent upward slightly if there’s room. The handle can be shortened by
sanding off the bottom of the foot, and by sanding the top of the handle as well. You can remove as much as 1/16”
from the foot, and a similar amount from the top if need be. You might need to drill the 7/16” counterbore in the
top a bit deeper to house the brass nut flush if you’ve had to shave the top down quite a bit.
If the handle foot is longer than the mounting platform on your plane, you can shorten it by as much as 1/4”.
If you haven’t drilled out the front screw hole, check its depth and be careful not to expose the hole as you
shorten the foot.
Use
The only thing left to do is get to work making shavings, with a plane whose handles we hope will please you for many years to come.
Thanks for making the purchase - enjoy!
If you don't already have a set, you can order our plane handles here.
Download .pdf version of instructions