When the machine is large enough, four such bars may be fastened to the table in the position shown, and all the four may then be planed at one fixing. When such planing is to be done, the holdfast plates require fixing at the outer extremities, at right angles to the positions shown in the Figure; if the plates are at the outer ends, the bars can be very near each other on the table; but the plates are placed as in the Figure if the table is not wide enough for the preferable arrangement.

An appliance for holding two or four semi-bands is denoted in Fig. 690. By thus fixing such articles so that all the semi-circular surfaces are at the same height above the planing-table, all the flat portions termed lugs, will be planed level with each other, and all the gaps of the bands will be of the same depth. In addition to the two plates shown, another is required across the gaps, but this plate is not placed till all the bands are adjusted to the proper positions.

To plane the broad sides of one, two, three, or four links, it is often convenient to place them upon parallel blocks as in Fig. 691. Each link is provided with two bolt-holes, and recessed a short distance into each end of each hole, to allow room for the nuts of the holding bolts. A link forged with plenty of superfluous metal, similar to that in Fig. 676, or having special holders at each end solid with the link, requires no holes for holdfast bolts, but is held by its holders until they are no longer required.

The planing of flanges parallel to each other, or, if necessary, inclined at some desired angle with each other, is effected by very simple fixing, as seen in Fig. 692. If the two flanges are not to be parallel to each other, a gauge line is scribed upon each flange so that the two lines shall subtend the required angle, and blocks or wedges are placed beneath the bottom flange and the planing-table, until the top flange is lifted at one edge sufficient to put the gauge line or lines parallel with the table's face.

Fixing for planing a key-bed at one end of a shaft is illustrated by Fig. 693. The shaft is placed upon a pair of vee-blocks and held with plates so that the plate nearest the intended key-bed shall not be too near the cutting tool. At the dot shown by H, a hole has been drilled as deep as the intended groove to be made, to prevent the tool's end knocking against the extremity or termination of the groove. The shaft is adjusted to its position by means of lines scribed, which show the shape and dimensions of the intended key-bed.

When it is necessary to plane a groove along nearly the entire length of a long slender bar or rod, an easy fixing is effected by placing the rod into a vee-groove which is planed into some thick planing-table. A spindle thus placed is shown in Fig. 694, and is held with six or eight thin small plates and bolts on the spindle or rod, allowing only just room enough for the passage of the grooving tools.

By referring to Figs. 687, 688, 689, and others in Plates 51 and 52, it will be seen that each plate is supported at one end with a packing-block ; this is of hard wood, and is to hold the plate at right angles to the bolt's length while tightening. Such packing may always be a trifle thinner or lower than the part to be held with the plate, but never thicker, to avoid risk of raising the plate's paw from the work while tightening the nut.

The uses of handles which are forged solid with links, rods, excentric-bars, right-angled blocks, and other work, are illustrated in Fig. 696; where three keys are seen held by their handles, and resting on two parallel blocks. Such holders allow all the four sides of each key to be entirely planed without, gripping any part of any planed surface; and the convenience of such handles must be placed against the necessity for cutting the handles off and shaping the ends at the conclusion of planing.

Adjusting a key without holders is denoted in Fig. 698, which represents one key of a special size which has had its broad sides planed while between small poppets at each edge, and is now lined to show the taper shape, that the key may be adjusted with a scriber-block. By means of the block, the scribed line is put parallel with the table by giving the key a few knocks with a tin hammer, at the time the scriber-point is held near the line. Another mode of adjusting a gauge-line to a scriber-point consists in wedging or packing up the intended small end of the key, or other object, as in Fig. 699, where the packing-pieces are shown by P.

Adjusting by wedges is also represented in Fig. 697, in which the scriber-block, S B, has a long scriber with a bent end to reach any part of the upper surface of the work, this surface is that which is being placed parallel to the table's face, therefore the wedges are pushed in to adjust the upper surface, without considering whether or not the bottom of the work is parallel to the planing-table.

Adjustment of objects is also facilitated by right-angular lines on the face of the table. Every table should possess such lines, and, when marked, the face appears as in Fig. 701. The mode of marking is shown by Fig. 700. In this Figure all the lines that are parallel to the length of the table are marked by the motion of the table while in ordinary action. One of these long lines near the middle of the face is next selected as a primary, from which to mark the places for the short lines across the face at right angles to the long ones. For this purpose dots are made along the line at the desired distance apart, as shown in the Figure; arcs are next scribed, as in an ordinary bisecting process, so that points of intersection may be obtained from which to scribe the short lines by means of a straight-edge. As soon as a few right-angular ones near the middle of the table's face are thus made, the places for the others at the ends of the table are found with a compasses or springy divider. When it happens that the operator has a large and accurate el-square, all the short straight lines may be marked with a scriber in contact with the square's blade, while its pedestal is in contact with the table's front edge, being careful to first plane the front edge, if not already in such a condition.