I am going to need to plane down the endgrain on 3/4″ birch plywood. What would be the best plane to use in this instance?
As well, I will be planing the face surface of some simple pine softwood. Would the same plane as above work well with this?
It is all part of the same furniture project and I wish to purchase as few extra tools as possible. I live around the corner from Lee Valley (yes, it’s very dangerous!).
Thank you,
Mordechai
Replies
Yes- planing plywood endgrain is nothing special.
It is hard on the blade though, get A2 or a high carbon steel blade to keep its edge longer going through all that glue.
Pine planes pretty well. Tears out around the knots, so beware.
Enjoy.
PS- I know well of the dangers you face, my office used to be 2 blocks away from the Toronto store....
The older I get, the better I was....
mbookbinder,
From a minimalist point of view, perhaps the most essential plane in the shop would be a block plane. It would not do a great job on either of the tasks you mentioned but it's essential for quality fit and finish elsewhere and a larger plane could not do the job. For the jobs you mentioned it would be a toss up between a #5 or a #7...I'd probably go with the #7 because it can do it all well and buying a #5 used is really easy.
For you I think the bevel-up smoother by Lee Valley would fit the bill nicely. With its low bed angle, it'll handle endgrain nicely, but will still plane pine well, so long as you're with the grain.
I personally think if you have only one plane, a smoother is the way to go. Others disagree. if you are only occasionally planing a smoother will work fine. If you are intending to regularly dimension and joint stock, you'll want to add a jointer.
Cheers!
David C.
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