Very basic hand plane question. I don’t know about all the different types of planes, but have done some reading. I’m refurbing an old house and need a plane to take off decent amounts of wood from joists that are sticking out proud from surrounding joists.
Basically, I’m shaving down some joists, shimming others to make sure the wallboard is flat when I put it on. I HAD a plane that I was using of my dad’s. But nearly all my tools were stolen out of this project house back in March. That one wasn’t expensive, and my dad wasn’t a woodworker. Just something he picked up a number of years ago. It was fine for what I needed, but I don’t even remember the brand. It could have been a Stanley, maybe.
I really need something NOW to work with, and hate to have to wait to find a vintage plane, though my reading on here and elsewhere is suggesting that unless I spend big bucks, most $30-50 planes are junk. So, no going to my local home center and getting anything useful.
If I do try to score something on Ebay, what is it that I should be looking for?
Replies
For your application, I think a power plane would be better than a hand plane.
Don't get me wrong, I have a LOT of hand planes, and use them regularily. But for trimming joists( do you mean studs, since you're applying drywall to them?) a power plane will be MUCH faster. I have a Makita, but there are several others taht are good.
If you don't have the power on in the house, or you decide to go with a hand plane, I think a jack plane would be best. On Ebay,you would look for a 14" long (a no.5 in Stanley's system) plane made by Stanley, Sargent, or Miller's Falls. Ask the seller if there are any cracks, breaks, or missing pieces.Don't pay more than about $50.00, shipped, if it's in excellent condition.
You'll have to learn to sharpen the blade, by whatever method you prefer. The blade will work best with a camber (slight curve) on the edge.
Those are the basics,others can add to this, or disagree with it!
Rick W
Plus one on what Rick W said , I just finished remodeling two rooms ... my little old Bosch power planer did the trick just fine.
tom
Studs, Not Joists
Thanks for the info. Yes, of course, I meant to say studs. Don't know what I was thinking. Guess my brain hadn't kicked in yet this morning! :-)
I might give the power plane a try. Most of the studs that need work need shimming, it's just a few that need a little shaving, so I thought a power plane might be overkill. But then again, it would give me a good excuse for another power tool, right? :-)
A lot of carpenters use a small block plane for this, it's fairly ubiquitous in most carpenters' toolboxes. Costs around $20 at Lowe's or most other hardware stores. You folks out there that spend a great deal or your time thinking and writing and emoting about bench planes may want to cover your eyes at this point, but I gotta say this: when I'm hot and heavy into a carpentry project, with no time for all the normal chautauqua moments and niceties of normal hand tool work, I sharpen the blade with a belt sander and perhaps another cast off piece of 220 grit sandpaper laid on somethin' flat.
We remodeled two bathrooms last year down to bare studs and did the same thing. As in your case, shimming the studs that needed it was more of a science project than shaving high areas, but a couple studs were sticking out just a little too proud to give a truly flat wall, so they needed a little work with a plane.
The harsh realities
>sharpen the blade with a belt sander and then on a cast off piece of 220 grit sandpaper laid on somethin' flat.<
Sure of course. The quality of the surface produced isn't important and the wood being cut is full of sheet rock or plaster dust and the odd broken off nail.
Not a home builder here but . . .
Some where I read some one saying this plane was originally used for the type of building work you are describing and that it wasn't really intended for thicknessing planks like I use it for.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=40_5
Used to be a person could buy it at a local Woodcraft store but seems that they may or may not be stocking them lately.
couple options
I can think of two options off the bat. You don't say how easy it is to access your beams. If you are working overhead the weight of a #7 jointer could be too much or a good bench plane. A scrub plane would take it down quick and then you could finish it off with a smoother. Now since you don't already have planes, that could be an investment. If it were me I'd go get a powerplane and call it done. Here's one I'd reccomend. It also has a head that will give a textured surface that can give you that hand hewn look. All festools are well made.
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/574539/Festool-HL-850-Electric-Planer
Another good thing about festool is after you use it you can sell it and make most of your money back.
I'd second teh rcommendation for a block plane. For shimmin, strips of basic asphalt shingles work very well. About 1/8" thick, 12" or 36" long, easy to tack up and tear into shorter pieces, less than 1/8" thickness probably not worth worrying about.
Again - thanks for all the tips so far - great info.
I checked out a couple power planers yesterday and noticed one thing that seems to be a deal breaker for the specific spot I'm needing to plane down right now: the housing on these things stick out about an inch or so, preventing me from planing right up flush with another stud at 90 deg. on the other wall. The stud that needs shaving is the corner stud on one wall.
It looks as though the Festool is made different, without the protrusion, but that's totally out of my ballpark price wise. So, I think it's going to have to be the hand plane for this project.
There's a 1946-47 Stanley #5 on Ebay right now for $35 plus around $12 for shipping. No bids. It's "near perfect" according to the description.
A Stanley Sargent jack plane ended yesterday with no bids at $10 + shipping. It looked a bit rough, but the description didn't make it out to be so bad. But only one photo.
Good tip on the shingles for shimming. I've been using vinyl floor tile that I got off the clearance rack. Your "less than 1/8" not worth worrying about" statement was interesting. I've truly wondered if the pros really spend this kind of time making sure the studs are dead flat in the same plane. I mean, I just can't believe framing crews are taking this kind of time when you see houses go up lickety split. I DO want walls that aren't wavy, but I'm just learning this stuff as I go - just a homeowner here. I figured there MUST be some tolerances that are acceptable to just go ahead and put the drywall up.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled