Smoothing with jacks and jointers?

[James Taglienti]

Why? I read about a lot of you guys using these as smoothing planes, and I'm not talking about slab top conference tables, either. Am I missing out on something amazing, or is it just your preference?
I am willing to bet that the parts are flatter, at least lengthwise... so i was assuming that's why.

[David Weaver]

Why? I read about a lot of you guys using these as smoothing planes, and I'm not talking about slab top conference tables, either. Am I missing out on something amazing, or is it just your preference?
I am willing to bet that the parts are flatter, at least lengthwise... so i was assuming that's why.

Jacks maybe for commonality, jointers probably because a lot of people are dimensioning their woods with power tools and the "smoothing" is just removing machining marks.

I like a long plane for that, because it's easy to use.

For wood you're dimensioning by hand, or to smooth something on a project that has gotten a little out of flat because it's been sitting around, or to smooth anything where agility of the plane to attack sections of the piece in different directions, a smoother or scraping plane with a short sole is a lot less work.

Shouldn't be that much that gets out of flat that much if you're in your shop a lot and assembling right after dimensioning, but if you're a hobbyist like most of us, panels and such get set aside, and them finished later, and they never seem to stay perfectly flat.

[Johnny Kleso]

If surface comes out smooth with a jointer or jack why break out a smoother?

[Jim Koepke]

If surface comes out smooth with a jointer or jack why break out a smoother?

I wish I could find such well behaved wood.

Of course, pine does not seem to come well behaved and it is my most used wood. There always seems to be a small area of squirrelly grain that needs attention with a plane smaller than a jack or jointer.

A smoother can help to remove any marks or roughness left by the larger planes.

If what you are doing works for you, there is not much incentive to change.

jim

[Zach England]

The more I use my various planes the more I do with just my LN 5.

[Jim Koepke]

Another thought just came to mind. When jointing two boards a spring joint is easier to take a real light shaving off the center of a board with a smoother.

jim