Hi all. Gearing up to start buying hand planes and am wondering which one or ones should be first on my list. I recall a similar post not so long ago but darned if I can find it now.
Seems by what I’ve read so far that a block plane and a 41/2 smooth plane should provide seed for the collection. I’m also wondering if I should prepare for the eventual purchase of one of them there jointer hand planes. The two foot long ones with the bells and the whistles and the price… I already own a motorized jointer but I remember someone telling me that he who dies with the most tools wins.
Also, if I purchase something like a 41/2 Stanley I can buy a 41/2 iron from LN and it will fit? I’ve heard of this trick being done but just want confirmation that it will work.
Thanks in advance. Chris
Replies
15Broad,
If I were starting all over in the buying of planes, and knew that I had a commitment to woodworking, I'd probably buy the low angle block, LN 4.5 Smoother and a #80 scraper used. I want good planes that I can depend on for the finishing steps, there are others that fall in this catagory....and over time....just gotta hide the box.
I joint my wood by hand and therefore also need a scrubber, jack, jointer. You can buy these fairly cheap on the net. I converted a # 3 into a scrubber and have another # 3 for fine wispy cuts. You can do the same with multiple jacks, jointers and smoothers. But for the critical finishing work, to avoid tearout, remove scratches, get an indepth look...I think it's best to go with the best new....
If I had to start buying over again, the first lesson would be buy the best you can afford. This is not necessasrily LN, but still, the best you can afford. That being said, I would buy a LN 60 1/2 (?) low angle rabbet block plane, best of two worlds. Then a LN low angle jack plane. At 14" it can serve a jointer. Supplement these with a good collection of card scrapers or a # 80 scraper plane. Then a #4 or 4 1/2 smoother. This is just my humble opinion.
Chris,
Depends on what you want to do. There is a particular use that each plane is better suited for. If your jointing you need a 7 or 8 (some say a 6). Smoothing panels will work best with a 3, 4, 4 1/2. 5, 5 1/4, 5 1/2, 6's are the Swiss Army knives of planedom. I suppose a case could even be made that the 2 has a use. Doubt you'll find anything productive to do with a 1. By all means, get a low angle block. You'll use it on every project. A scrub is a very useful tool for removing a lot of wood quick. A low angle jack is a low angle block on steroids. You'll find uses for these beasts everywere. Then there are the rabbits, dados, ect.
Point is, you can't buy the wrong plane, if you buy quality. Pick one you think will be useful to your work, and start there. You'll see something you want to try on your next project, and before you know it, you'll have a fine stable.
If you want to tune a little, buy an old Stanley. You can put a Hock blade in and have a heck of a plane. I use mainly old Stanleys and stock blades. A good edge is critical to their function, but they can do an incredible job. A LN us pretty good out of the box, but a lot more $. Geeze, could go on and on...
Enjoy your new planes!
Chris,
These kinds of questions pop up with clock-like regularity: "What should be my next/first ______?" [Fill in the blank]. Steve has given you the best answer--it depends on what you want to do with a plane.
I would go even further and say that no one but you can really answer the question; if you need to ask, you shouldn't yet buy any plane. You need to be an educated buyer; you should know what you want and why before you open your wallet.
So I would say that your first purchase should be a book or two (or anything else that will provide you with the information you need). By far I think The Handplane Book by Garret Hack is a great place to begin. It contains a wealth of information about all the various kinds of planes, and what they are used for. There are also good instructions on how to sharpen the irons (a necessary skill if you want to use hand planes) and tune up planes to get the best out of them. It's a great primer. Other choices: Planecraft by C.W. Hampton and E. Clifford (which is an advertisement for Record planes, but also has a lot of very good information) and both volumes of David Charlesworth's Furniture Making Techniques are very useful. Others may have good suggestions as well.
Sorry to be such a wet blanket,
Alan
I can't speak to high end collecting.
If you want to get things done, get a #5 Stanley that is pretty old and then tune it up properly. Garret Hack's book is a good resource.
A jointer plane is also very usefull. When you flatten a board you use the long jointer first and then the Jack (5-6). The motorized jointer is great, but following it up with a sharp jointer is wonderfull. Learn how to "spring the joint"- very usefull.
I'd buy the smoother next- nice to have, you can live without one.
If you just won the lottery,get LN. If you are like most of us, you can do very well with an older well tuned Stanley.
Chris
I suppose the first question is what do you want to start hand planing?
Are you removing milling marks or are your planing needs more substantial?
Are you intending to shape pieces by hand?
My suggesed starter set is:
low angle block plane
smoothing plane (#3 or #4 or #4 1/2)
jack plane (#5 or #6) or low angle jack (#162)
shoulder plane (#92 or #93 or #94 or Clifton or LN)
However, so you know what a well tunned plane should look and work like I highly recommend you get a least one LN. That way you have a target to aim for when tuning an ebay or flea market buy. Others have already suggested some good books.
Also spend some time looking at http://www.supertool.com/stanleybg/stan0.htm a pretty good coverage of the full Stanley range.
Lastly, if you can, get yourself some instruction in tuning, sharpening and using a hand plane. Common comments are
"I didn't know what a hand plane could do till I learnt how to tune it"
"I read a lot, but that is one-way learning; I needed advise and feedback. Then I discovered the Oldtools Group. The first thing I learned was that I had never used a decent hand tool."
"Good handtools give me better and faster results than power tools"
"Bad handtools are worse than useless"
"Confidence is a better motivator than need"
hope this helps
After reading Alan's post, I can't believe I forgot about "The Handplane Book" It was my 2nd woodworking book purchased and I have used it as a reference continually!
A low angle block blane and a five would be a good start. you could even get two blades for the low angle and by sharpening one blade at 25 degrees for an effective angle of 37degrees (12 degree angle+blade angle) and the other blade at 35 degrees for an effective angle of 47 degrees. On the five regardless of your sharpening angle the effective angle will be the bed angle which is usually 45degrees. That is just about right for most of the work you might need to do. The five will act as a long smoother and a short jointer. Depending on the work you are doing you could spring next for a #7 jointer or get a 4 1/2 smoother. You should try to get at least one good quality plane so you have something to compare if you chose to get baileys. If you do get baileys, you can get blades from Ron Hock or Lee Valley. Lie Neilsen blades can be used, but considering they are 1/8" thick you might have to do some filing of the mouth to get the iron to protrude,
regards
Harold
Actually, Lie-Nielsen makes drop-in irons for Stanleys that are the same thickness as the others (~.09") in addition to the .125" irons for their own planes. "Yup" on everything else.
/jvs
Thanks everyone! Big surprise that I need another book(NOT!). Guess I'd never really thought about "What I want to do with the planes"... just wanted to plane some wood, but it makes good sense to get an idea of what the tool is capable of. What I really want is a live mentor to talk to face to face. As a professional tradesman myself I'm well aware of the fact that books are only worth so much in the practical application of technique.
Checked out the Supertool site last night. Wow! More planes out there than I thought. Starting to wonder if I should move the furniture into the workshop and the worshop into the rest of the house.
Anyhow, think I'll start off with a block, a medium sized (4-6) jack and a book and take it from there. Gotta keep costs down or the wife will freak so maybe I'll venture into the hated library and rent a book.
Many thanks again to everyone! Chris
don't forget a good flat honing stone...
took me a while to learn that one....Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
My Younger brother recently brought a Victorian china cabinet so that he can keep his planes in the longeroom. Fun listening to his wife on this topic - they used to be on a bookshelf in the bedroom.
After you get your planes. You will need to learn how to sharpen the blades. I use scary sharp. it is cheap and you can sharpen at lower angles if you don't grind the blade on a grinding wheel. I would suggest you buy a honing guide. I use the Veritas one. there are others as well and there are plans available to build your own.
Good luck in your journey down the slippery slope. I think you are going to have a lot of fun.
regards
harold
Thanks Harold, I was hoping I'd be able to use the same setup for my planes as I use for the chisels(kind of my own version of scary sharp...sil-car paper on polished granite slab), I have a honing guide(not a veritas, but it works). Wife just left for the library to look for the Hack book so hopefully I'll develop some vague idea of what I want before I go shopping.
Gotta go. Thanks again everyone!!
Same system will work. good luck
Harold
For what its worth, I own just about all the planes mentioned above, but I use my LN low-angle (60 1/2) block plane and Stanley 93 shoulder plane more than the rest combined.
The block is used for anything from chamfering or rounding edges, to evening stiles and rails. The 93 makes tenons fit perfectly.
If you can only afford one LN plane, make it a block plane.
Keep Shaving,
Dan
I don't know what you are doing.
I get by without plane. I bandsaw close, thickness sand if necessary to get closer, and finish with a razor blade scraper.
I vote for at least one Lie-Nielsen. Especially the low angle block plane. I also have the low angle 14"er. They are the best. You can buy direct and save a few bucks. They are great for customer service too. I dropped the 14" plane and broke the cherry handle. I called and they shipped a new handle at no charge. The block plane is beautiful and works flawlessly. I use it ALL the time. It is very versatile. Good luck.
BLEU-
I was afraid too many people would say that. In time I might buy LN but to justify $95 for something called a 'block plane' to the wife may take a while. In the meantime I'll hit the flea markets and see if I can't find a bargain or two, a little tuning might help one better understand what makes a plane cut anyway.
The local library didn't have the Hack book, but we found a few general reference books with some neat stuff in them.
Thanks everyone for your help. I'll be back with more questions soon I'm sure.
If your focus is woodworking rather than toolmaking, a top quality plane is probably best. If you are interested in understanding the tools themselves, not only their use, and are willing to spend time rather than money, then tuning an older plane, or a new one of lesser quality, can be rewarding. Making your own wooden planes can be very inexpensive, and yield useful tools. "Making & Mastering Wood Planes" by David Finck is a wonderful introduction to woodworking that can lead to useful tools. Unfortunately, this book, and Sam Allen's excellent "Plane Basics" are both out of print. A library might have one.
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