/2011//61-72

Study of Traditional Taiwanese Woodworking Planes and their Transition

Su, Wen-Ching

91()
40452426
103843

Abstract
Because of their ease of operation and variety, traditional Taiwanese woodworking planes have a rich
historical background. The effects of China and Western culture, as well as Japanese governance, have
resulted in various developments. This work summarises one and half a years of research to collect and
classify traditional Taiwanese woodworking planes. We not only analyzed form and configuration but also
compiled a wide variety of information about traditional Taiwanese woodworking planes. It was found
that the types of traditional Taiwanese woodworking planes were influenced deeply during the Japanese
colonial period. However, push stroke planing has been maintained and improved by knocking down the
push handle, transforming the technique into pull stroke planing. The common length of the bench plane
is from 270 mm to 300 mm. In Taiwanese woodworking planes one blade and chipbreaker fits down into
the mouth of the plane. The cutting angle (setting angle) and sharpness angle are 40~45 and 24~26,
respectively. The cutting position is near the middle of the plane body. Japanese and Taiwanese groove
planes use different methods to fix the blade. That is, the setting angle of the blade is inclined forward for
Taiwanese groove planes, while it is inclined backward for Japanese groove planes. Also, the cutting angle
of the Taiwanese groove plane is lower , by about 10 than that of the Japanese groove plane, which is set
from 38 to 43. The cutting position and sharpness angle of the rabbet plane is similar to the bench plane,
but the rabbet plane has no push handle to operate the plane.
Keywords: Woodworking Plane, Groove Plane, Rabbet Plane, Woodworking, Hand Tool, Cutting Angle

061

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

1.

(1600)

(1661~1735)
(2003)
20(1860)
(2000)
(2003)
40

(1578~1619)

(2008)

(1996)

()
(
2009)

15

15
16
17
(2004)
(Tsukikanna)

(
2009)
062

(Odate, T., 1998)(1868)

30(1897)
(1982)

(1912~1926)
1895

2.

()

1.

Figure 1.Research flow chart.

/2011//61-72

2.1.

(
1996)
(1)
SC
(2)
FR
D

(3)
ng
c

2.2

(Tajima
)(Nova)
(Mitutoyo)(Shinwa,
)

3.
3.1.SFn()

2
Type I

(A)
(BCD)

Type II

(EF)
(G)
(H)
(

1)
Type III

31
(SFn-1)
(SFn-2~SFn-3)(SFn-4)(SFn-5~SFn11)(SFn-12)(SFn-13)(SFn14)(SFn-15)(SFn-16)(SFn17)(SFn-18)(SFn-19)
4

40mm~70mm()
(
5)

2~3mm

9
80~85mm
U
360mm

063

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

Type I

Type II

Type II

Type III

2.

Figure 2.Extent of breakage in traditional Taiwanese bench planes.

SFn-1

SFn-2

SFn-3

SFn-4

SFn-5

SFn-6

SFn-7

SFn-8

SFn-9

SFn-10

SFn-11

SFn-12

SFn-13

SFn-14

SFn-15

SFn-16

SFn-17

SFn-18

SFn-19

3.

Figure 3.Configuration for various bench planes.

4.

Figure 4.Schema of bench plane.

064

5.

Figure 5.Setting of push handle.

/2011//61-72

1.

Table 1.The parameter information of bench planes.

(mm)
(mm) L W T

(mm)
w

()

SFn-1

480 91 36 63(72)1) 2.4 195

42

SFn-2

270

390 90 34

63(75)

1.1 156

42

SFn-3

270

364 85 33

61(72)

3.2 145

43

2.9 141

SFn-4

242

333 77 35

61

SFn-5

()

"

268

278 70 37

53

SFn-6

270

275 80 33

SFn-7

267

SFn-8

()

SFn-9

SFn-10

SFn-11

SFn-12

SFn-13

()

40

62

1.4 122

44

273 80 35

61

0.9 126

43

272 77 32

57(67)

1.6 105

42

268

268 83 32

58(68)

4.4 126

44

"

269

267 80 33

62

1.2 126

42

"

270

240 80 33

62

119

45

196 80 34

61

85

44

258

160 80 34

61

1.4

77

44

"

45

140

"

SFn-14

()

180 76 36

SFn-15

()

()

100 52 27

37

1.1

57

42

SFn-16

()

182 60 30

43

0.8

76

45

SFn-17

180 60 31

43

0.8

71

45

SFn-18

157 25 30

19

0.8

75

43

SFn-19

100 58 28
42
1.8 50
LegendL W T w l
1)

45

50(61) 0.45 80

90

(6)

DIY

(7)

(2003)

(2008)
()
40~4540 45
21~3024~26
0.8~4.4 mm
25~ 29(2008)
35~402
mm() 1 mm() 0.5 mm()(
2008)11-1

4~5

8
065

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

(Cyclobabanopsis morii Schot )(

)

l/Ll/L

( 1996)l/L0.4(
40)8
l/L0.4~0.5
()l/L0.4
l/L0.5

(
)(
)()(SKH)
(
)()

10
(
1990)(Cyclobabanopsis
gilva Qerst )()
(Cyclobabanopsis glauca Qerst )()

7.(
)

6.

Figure 7.Shapes of blade head. (left-flat, middle-arch,

right-tongue)

8.

Figure 8.Relationship between cutting position and length of plane.

066

Figure 6.The fitting method of blade.

/2011//61-72

> SKH >>

>1-1

SFg-11
SFg-12SFg-13
SFg-12
6mmSFg-13
SFg-14

3.2.SFg()

(9)
(SFg-1)
9.2mm
4(SFg-2~SFg-5)
SFg-6~SFg-8
SFg-9SFg-10

(2004)

1-1.(1)

Table 1-1.The parameter information of blades.

(mm)
Bl

Bw

Bt

(RA)
()

SFn-1

110

71

5.1

22

SFn-2

"

110

72

5.8

27

SFn-3

"

98

71

5.7

25

73

SFn-4

"

100

61

5.2

30

SFn-5

104

53

3.1

26

SFn-6

114

61

24

SFn-7

115

61

26

80

SFn-8

"

82

66

5.6

23

SFn-9

"

103

60

5.2

28

73

SFn-10

"

116

61

23

80

SFn-11

114

61

4.9

26

80

SFn-12

"

110

60

4.6

27

80

SFn-13

"

114

60

26

SFn-14

"

125

59

4.6

21

SFn-15

"

86

36

4.1

25

SFn-16

"

90

42

30

"

80

42

3.6

25

"

113

19

3.3

26

"

80

41

4.1

25

SFn-17

SFn-18
SFn-19

Legend Bl Bw() Bt()

067

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

SFg-1

SFg-2

SFg-3

SFg-4

SFg-5

SFg-6

SFg-7

SFg-8

SFg-9

SFg-10

SFg-11

SFg-12

SFg-13

SFg-14

9.

Figure 9.The configurations for various groove planes.

10 mmL90

10(SFg-9
SFg-10)
2
38~4348~50

23~35
068

25~27
(l/L)0.44~0.51

(SFg-1~SFg-5SFg-9~SFg-10)
1.0~3.3 mm4.0~4.5 mm

SFg-510 mm

/2011//61-72

2.(SFg)

Table 2.The parameter information of groove planes.

(mm)1)

(mm)
L W

T
43
(34) 2)
40
(33)
41
(36)
42
(35)
41
(36)

Bl
120

39

4.1 1.3 76 0.51

40

6.0 1.9 75 0.50

38

4.4 10 66 0.45

42

3.0 4.5 82 0.44

48

6.4 4.4 84 0.45

48

9.4 4.0 86 0.46

50

12.1

4.5 3.3 125 0.52

43

124

18.6

4.7 1.0 119 0.50

42

138

18

5.8 1.8 125 0.46

40

12

2.8 1.1 80 0.49

35

12.4

3.0 1.1 83 0.49

40

34

3.1 1.5 88 0.46

44

152 33

SFg-2

(1)

147 33

SFg-3

()

150 35

SFg-4

(2)

150 37

SFg-5

()

147 35

SFg-6

(1)

186 39

58

122

SFg-7

(2)

187 40

60

125

SFg-8

(3)

186 44

59

132

SFg-9

(3)

240 29

41

100

SFg-10 (6)

240 37

43

270 19
()

63

SFg-14 ()

117
112
121
116

43
108
(32)
44
169 32
112
(34)
163 31

192 51

36

2.9 1.4 75 0.51

SFg-13 () ()

38

(1)

SFg-12 () ()

6.8
(11.1) 3)
6.1
(8.2)
6.5
(11.4)
6.0
(8.6)
6.0
(9.8)
5.6
(11.3)
6.0
(10.8)
7.9
(13.1)

Bt

3.4 2.4 73 0.48

SFg-1

SFg-11 ()

Bw

l/L (
)

110

1)

Legend: the same as Table 1.

3)

2)

(SFg-1~SFg-5)
0~17 mm4~42 mm

(SFg-9~SFg-10)
9~95 mm
SFg-9SFg-105.8~8.0
mm

3.3.SFc()

10

(SFc-1)535 mm

(
1996)(SFc-2)(SFc-3)

4
568445
63(SFc-4)

(SFc-5)(SFc-6
069

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

2-1.(SFg)(2)

Table 2-1.The parameter information of groove planes.(Connected to Table 2)

()

(D, mm) (h, mm)

SFg-1 (1)

9.2

5.8

35

SFg-2 (1)

0~17

6.0

26

SFg-3 ()

0~14

7.7

23

SFg-4 (2)

0~17

6.1

30

SFg-5 ()

0~13

6.2

28

SFg-6 (1)

6~42

8.0

27

SFg-7 (2)

4~42

7.7

25

SFg-8 (3)

5~42

7.7

25

SFg-9 (3)

9~95

13

29

SFg-10 (6)

9~95

15

29

34

38

() ()

SFg-12

() ()

SFg-13
() ()

SFg-11

SFg-14

SFc-1

070

38

10.4

27

SFc-2

SFc-4

SFc-5

SFc-6

SFc-7

SFc-8

SFc-9

SFc-10

Figure 10.The configuration for various rabbet planes

SFc-3

10.

/2011//61-72

3.(SFc)

Table 3.The parameter information of rabbet planes.

(mm)1)

(mm)
L

Bl

Bw

Bt

l/L

(
()
)

SFc-1

535 42

55

157

21

5.0 1.2 255 0.48

20

40

SFc-2

333 64

24

137

23

3.3 1.0 154 0.46

30

50

SFc-3

245 63

21

123

20

7.8 4.3 106 0.43

35

45

SFc-4

()()

243 73

31

106

37

3.4 1.0 111 0.46

25

35

104

21

2.2 1.4 110 0.46

24

43

108

15

2.9 0.7 88 0.49

25

40

115

15

2.7 0.7 81 0.49

27

40

97

48

4.1 2.4 105 0.43

24

115

58

3.5 1.6 116 0.48

23

125

42

4.0 0.7 105 0.43

27

SFc-5

240 42

SFc-6

181 36

SFc-7

165 36

SFc-8

()

243 63

SFc-9

()

242 80

243 60

SFc-10 ()

2)

43
(35)
46
(32)
43
(35)
44
(34)
45
(33)
31

1)

40
(15) 3)
45
(20)
40
(20)

Legend: the same as Table 1.

3)

2)

SFc-7)
8
5~6
(SFc-8SFc-9)

()

(SFc-10)

(Oblique angle)
15
20
3

3550
40~45
(30)(35)
(20)
23~25

l/L0.43~0.49

4.
1

071

Journal of Cultural Property Conservation/2011/No.17/pp.61-72

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)160
mm~480 mm9~1(270 mm~300
mm)
(5)40~45
24~26l/L0.4~0.5
(6)

1
(7)38~43
48~501.0~3.3
mm1.3~4.5 mm
(8)l/L

072

[1] 2008

[2] 1990

66-78
[3] 2003
13/14117-175
[4] 2000
321
[5] 2008
98
[6] 2009
1, 72-78
[7] 19968
80-97
[8] 1982
4652
[9] 2004
184
[10] 2008
49
[11] Odate, T., 1998, Japanese Woodworking Tools:Their Tradition,
Spirit and Use , Stobart Davies Ltd, USA, pp.80-85.

Su, Wen-Ching

Professor
Department of Forest Products Science & Furniture Engineering
National Chiayi University
Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C
*wencsu@mail.ncyu.edu.tw

:2010/12/14
:2011/05/09
Received Date: 2010/12/14
Accepted Date: 2011/05/09