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Orlando Gonzalez
02-19-2010, 10:10 PM
Since I am getting close to retiring from the public school system (school site principal), I plan to keep active by woodworking, which I have always liked. In preparing for this I have "collected" the following inventory of bench planes:

Stanley #3, Union #3
Stanley #4C T9, Stanley #4 T13, Sargent 409 VBM
Stanley #5 T12, Stanley #5C T11
Stanley #5-1/2 T11, Stanley #5-1/2 T12
Stanley #6 T11 - Stanley #7 T9 - Stanley #8C T9

I need to cull this list to just those I am going to use. My plan is to keep the following:

the two #3's,
#4 T13 & Sargent VBM (better condition),
#5C T11, #5-1/2 T11 and the #7.

Is this a good line up? Is there any reason that I would need the 6, 7, & 8? Do I need the #6? Should I keep the #7 or the #8? What line up of planes do you recommend?

The one's I cull, I'm going to sell.

P.S. I also have wooden smoothers, an LV LA Jack that is on the way, plus block planes scrapers, spokeshaves, shoulder plane, rabbet, etc.

Thanks for any help you can provide me.

Orlando

Brian Kent
02-19-2010, 10:33 PM
For my usage - I have a good #7, and have never wanted a #6 or #8.

The one I would add is a Mujingfang High Angle Smoother for $56 from Lee Valley or Japan Woodworker.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50251&cat=1,41182,41187
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=98%2E107%2E2155&dept_id=13602

Others will say that this is not needed if you have a high angle blade for your LV LA Jack, but I frequently find that the High Angle Rosewood Mujingfang is my rescue plane when others just are not working for a difficult piece of wood.

Do the 2 #3's and the 2 #4's perform differently - meaning do you use both of each?

Orlando Gonzalez
02-19-2010, 10:51 PM
Thanks Brian. The Mujis are the HA smoother that I got from JWW. The #3's are just cool and I kind of want keep them. As for the #4's it's just that one is a Stanley corrugated and the other is a Sargent flat bottom.

Richard Niemiec
02-19-2010, 11:33 PM
I'd keep the #6, it comes in handy and is maligned, likely by Patrick's Blood and Gore writeup, but he's simply wrong.

I'd cull the #8, too much work to use, and the #7 does everything the 8 will do.

David Gendron
02-20-2010, 12:22 AM
Ok here, just to be different... I would keep 6 and 8, my favorit planes, i would also keep a 3 and a 4 but no duplicate, unless it answers Brian's question. I don't realy like #5 and never used a 5 1/2.... Other than that, since you have a LA jack, I would get rid of the 5 and 5 1/2.
But of course, that is just my preferences!

Jim Koepke
02-20-2010, 12:24 AM
Please remember that my opinion is just my opinion.
If you have room to keep them, they will likely go up in value over time.

For some sizes like the #5 or #5-1/2, it is often nice to have a couple set up different. One of the #5s could be set up as a scrub and the other as a short joiner.

They all come in handy at times. Especially when one is dull and you just need to take a shaving or two.

What to keep really depends on what you plan to make. If you were making humidors and small boxes, then the longer planes would not serve as much as the shorter smoothers. If you plan on making book cases and large cabinets, then you will want one of the joiners. I did not realize how much I liked a #8 until I bought one. I have it set up to take a pretty good shaving. Then, follow up with a #7 to take real fine shavings. If there are small waves, the #8 shaving may vary in thickness. The #7 taking thin shavings will come behind it and still find high spots that may only be high by a thousandths of an inch.

If you are not in a hurry to sell them, it may be a good idea to keep them all at hand and try each one to see for yourself what is worthy of keeping.

jim

Bruce Campbell
02-20-2010, 1:21 AM
Since I am getting close to retiring from the public school system (school site principal), I plan to keep active by woodworking, which I have always liked. In preparing for this I have "collected" the following inventory of bench planes:

Stanley #3, Union #3
Stanley #4C T9, Stanley #4 T13, Sargent 409 VBM
Stanley #5 T12, Stanley #5C T11
Stanley #5-1/2 T11, Stanley #5-1/2 T12
Stanley #6 T11 - Stanley #7 T9 - Stanley #8C T9

I need to cull this list to just those I am going to use. My plan is to keep the following:

the two #3's,
#4 T13 & Sargent VBM (better condition),
#5C T11, #5-1/2 T11 and the #7.

Is this a good line up? Is there any reason that I would need the 6, 7, & 8? Do I need the #6? Should I keep the #7 or the #8? What line up of planes do you recommend?

The one's I cull, I'm going to sell.

P.S. I also have wooden smoothers, an LV LA Jack that is on the way, plus block planes scrapers, spokeshaves, shoulder plane, rabbet, etc.

Thanks for any help you can provide me.

Orlando

Sounds like you're planning on getting rid of planes first then working, ostensibly to cash in for some other tools. I'd suggest going at it the other way unless you need the money for the other tools right now. Just work on projects, the planes will sort themselves out for you. After a bit you'll know which ones need new homes and which ones have found their home.

Gah that sounded some sort of new agey. I need a beer.

David Gendron
02-20-2010, 1:25 AM
If you listen to Jim, Not only will you keep all of them, but probably ending up buying a few more #4's:eek:;):D... But I have to agree with him and epacialy the last line; "If you are not in a hurry to sell them, it may be a good idea to keep them all at hand and try each one to see for yourself what is worthy of keeping."

James Ogle
02-20-2010, 1:30 AM
If you listen to Jim, Not only will you keep all of them, but probably ending up buying a few more #4's:eek:;):D... But I have to agree with him and epacialy the last line; "If you are not in a hurry to sell them, it may be a good idea to keep them all at hand and try each one to see for yourself what is worthy of keeping."

Better the 4's than the 5's I seem to be accumilating and I still can't seem to get a 5 1/2 to replace my broken one.:mad: Did Chris Schwarz recommend them lately or something or did I just miss the jump in price?

Martin Cash
02-20-2010, 5:13 AM
This may sound an odd comment, but the introduction of the larger wheel adjuster by Stanley was a great improvement over the smaller adjuster, providing greater mechanical advantage and ease of use while adjusting the depth of cut on the fly.
I have, over the years come to prefer the large adjuster over the small for this reason.
If the Stanley 5's are of similar condition, I would keep the number 5 type 12 over the type 11 5C.
Of course, as the others have said, you might like to keep both.
Cheers
MC

Orlando Gonzalez
02-20-2010, 10:16 AM
Thanks guys. Since I am not in a hurry to sell them, I'm going to follow Jim's advice, which seems to be the consensus, and keep and try each one to see what I want to keep. Like Bruce said they will eventually sort themselves out.

Martin thanks for the info on the wheel adjuster. I like the low knob of the the 11's but since I'm keeping them for a while I can always switch them around.