The apprentice’s tools

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The master placed a ruler and a small plane on William’s bench. He told him to measure the board before touching its surface. William marked the length in pencil, checked the mark against the ruler and began shaving the rough edge. Thin curls of wood gathered around his boots. When he tried to hurry, the master stopped him and pointed to the uneven patch his haste had made.

Give two things William does before he begins shaving the wood.