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I just bought a wooden plane but I am new to hand planes and couldn't identify it.

It seems to not fit in any category known to me (shoulder plane, bullnose plane, chamfering plane etc.)

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Later edit: the gap between the iron and the "frog":

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Caused by the misalignment of the top vs bottom of the resting area of the iron

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    Andrei, you may want to check whether the iron in your plane is dead flat like it should be or the bed is not cut straight (I think less likely) as from the photos it looks like the iron isn't supported along its whole length — if that's correct you'll be able to see a sliver of light behind the iron and this can adversely affect function (it can allow the blade to vibrate more, causing "chatter" or stuttering cuts). These planes are only intended for very short work so it may not be a problem in practice, but I just spotted it and thought I'd mention it just in case.
    – Graphus
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 22:26
  • @Graphus : Excellent observation, I haven't noticed. I've added two pictures trying to show how the frog is misaligned but fixable quite easy. Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 22:45
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    Oh that's not good, they really need to step up their game a bit if this is common across their range of planes! Now in this case only worry about it IF it affects how the plane cuts. Given the short strokes a bullnose plane is for it may not be the issue it is on planes intended for taking longer shavings.
    – Graphus
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 11:13
  • @Graphus: Indeed! I will check to see if it affects it. Anyway I look at it as a learning experience on how to tune a plane. Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 13:08
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    That's a good way to think of it. It's not widely recognised that virtually all tools need fettling (tweaks or modifications) to some degree. Even tools from the premium end of the mass market — Veritas, L-N, Clifton — while they are shipped sharpened even they benefit from some work being done to them to suit individual taste and user preferences. This is why I hate it when people recommending L-N planes and give as a selling point that they'll work straight from the box, because while that is technically true it's actually quite misleading because it implies nothing needs to be done to them.
    – Graphus
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 13:43

1 Answer 1

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Although the manufacturer call this a Stepped Rabbet Plane this is a bullnose plane.

Although their forms vary all planes with the iron bedded at a typical angle* and mounted in such a way that it's the leading part of the plane are in effect bullnose planes, intended for planing directly into a corner or the end of a stopped housing/dado.


*Generally 45° or thereabouts. Similar planes with shallow bed angles of 20° or below (the iron mounted bevel up) would be classed as chisel planes. Both types are intended for much the same kind of work.

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