Hi,
What is the longest plane that I would need to flatten small glue ups- say end table tops or side panels of a chest. Looking at the LN No. 7, but didn’t know if it was overkill if the boards I was flattening were shorter than the plane itself in most situations. Would a No. 5 do the trick?
What would be the capacity for the No. 7 and No. 5 in terms of panel size?
Thanks,
Eric
Replies
Eric,
A #5 will work just fine. So would a #7.
Might I suggest reading Garrett Hacks handplane book for some techniques for planing. You can use winding sticks for example on a workbench size project, and end up with dead flat. The length of the plane is not the sole determining factor for choosing which plane to use.
For example on the workbench top, the first plane to use is a short scrub plane. 7's and 8's are jointer planes, and they earned that name for a reason, they excel at jointing edges.
It's easy to over analyse the selection of planes. It is not an exact science. If you want an excuse to buy a new plane, great, go for it, but for what you are doing, probably any plane you choose will be acceptable.
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