Manual Adjustment Block Planes
No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 33, No. 68, No. 87, No. 700, No. 707, No. 8707, No. 9033
This page will highlight the block planes made by Millers Falls with irons that are completely adjusted manually. These planes will have a fixed mouth with either a bevel-up 20 degrees bedding angle or a bevel-down 45 degree bedding angle. All the manual adjustment planes on this page except for the No. 68 and the No. 9033 have a cast strike button on the heel to retract the iron using a small soft metal mallet.
The links on this page are the same links on the main block plane page. This is a way to show different planes with the same functionality. Use the quick links above to go directly to a plane or click on a picture for a detailed description of that plane. To return to this page, use the browser back button or go to the main block plane page from the header and select the Manual Adjustment link.
3-3/8 X 1” squirrel tail 45 degree plane
4” X 1-1/8” bullnose 45 degree plane
5-1/2” X 1-3/8” 20 degree plane
3-3/8” X 1” 45 degree plane
8” X 1-5/8” 20 degree plane
7-1/8” X 1-5/8” 20 degree plane
7” X 1-5/8” 20 degree plane
7” X 1-5/8” 20 degree plane
7” X 1-5/8” 20 degree plane
3-1/2” X 1” 45 and 20 degree plane
Manual Adjustment Examples
Part of the manual adjustment group
These are the smaller one handed planes
Using A Mallet To Adjust The Iron
A light 2 to 3 once soft metal mallet can be used to advance and retract an iron and control the lateral adjustment. To advance the iron or to adjust the lateral side position, the mallet is used on the end or side of the iron. To retract the iron, the mallet will lightly strike the button on the heel of the plane. The fully manual planes use either a tension wheel or a thumb screw to secure the iron. Only a small amount of tension is needed to secure the iron for use. When adjusting the iron, remove half the tension, adjust the iron, and reapply the tension.
This picture shows three examples of mallets that can be used to adjust the iron depth. The weight of the head is only 2oz to 3oz.
A strike button has been used on the early wood body planes and has carried over to the metal body planes. Reducing the tension to secure the iron, a light tap on the strike button will retract the iron.