Wanting to Add to my Skills

[Brent Ring]

I want to add to my skills, hand planing. I can see th need for it in some of my work. I have purchased a couple of junk planes, and have one of my dads (maybe a 6????) that just does not seem to work well, no matter how much I sharpen the blade. I also have a Groz block plane that does not work well either. I have sharpened them to a 6000 grit water stone, which works well on my inexpensive blue-handled chisels. I just have to sharpen them alot. :)

So....

I am wonder if the low angle block plane that Stanley has at Rockler, and their #4 smoother, are good investments? Or maybe building a set of 3 Krenov-style planes similar to the ones I saw in a post earlier would be better.

My guess is that there are not many people out in Utah that can help me tune the planes that I have. If there are, I would love to visit with you.

Suggestions on planes to purchase, tuning ideasa, etc. I can post pics later of my existing plane assortment, and that may help you all with more ideas.

Thanks

[Dan Karachio]

Brent, I'll let the pros chime in here, but I went through this and I might suggest, it's not you, it's the planes. I bought a couple of Groz planes thinking I would use them to develop my skills in planing and sharpening. After cleaning off all that darn grease it was about as much fun trying to go forward. No matter how skilled, a cheap plane will always be that. However, I do have to admit I was able to get their little block plane working okay, but the blade adjustment is horrible. Over all, compared to my Lie Nielsen low angle block, forget it! Not even close. Not even in the same universe let alone league.

Unlike me, you sound like someone who would be up to reconditioning an old plane. I think there are many out there worth the effort, but again, I'll let our resident experts address that. Still, some day, you owe yourself to at least get a LV or LN block plane.

[Chris Griggs]

There is a lot of content out there on tuning hand planes. Its not that hard to learn on you're own with the help of the internet as long as you are patient and don't mind some trail and error.

Here's a link to a video about plane tuning done by a fellow Creeker who has a great blog and podcast called the Logan Cabinet Shoppe. http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/1/post/2009/11/episode-11-hand-plane-tune-up.html

I would actually start by attempting to tune the planes you have. It may get frustrating at times, but you'll learn a lot, and you might even be able to get them working fairly well. Once you do that you'll have a better idea of what to look for if you decide drop some serious money on hand planes. Plus, if you buy the planes at Rockler they will likely require some tuning anyway.

Unless your really good at free hand sharpening get yourself a honing guide like this one (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910098000P?prdNo=1). Then go and get some 220-600 grit sandpaper to sharpen your blades (glue the sandpaper to plate glass or a granite floor tile). Then you can just use you 6000 stone for the final polish. Of course, you could also consider getting a 1000/8000 grit water stone and then just use that for the bulk of your honing.

Remember. The best plane in the world won't perform without a VERY sharp blade.

[Mark Baldwin III]

I am pretty new to planes myself. Here's a few things that I've learned that may help you as well:
A good honing guide can work wonders for those of us with unsteady hands. I like my LV guide. I also have one of the one's that clamps the side of the blade, but since getting the LV I haven't used it.
Waterstones are nice, but require a lot of maintenance. I've started going with the Scary Sharp method with good results.

I got a granite plate from Woodcraft (wood river brand, I believe). It is great for truing a sole. (also good for truing a waterstone)
Patience and sandpaper can turn a rusty old plane into a user. I have an old Stanley #3 and Stanley block plane that I have tuned into respectable users.

The Stanley low angle block plane is actually pretty decent, I'm satisfied with mine. I built a shooting board for it, and with a well sharpened iron I can make a pretty square edge in end grain.

If you can't afford a LV or LN plane, I think that a Stanley and some time spent tuning can make for a satisfying plane. I got my #5 for $60 and it's not bad after some TLC. You can also learn quite a bit about planes by restoring an oldie, or tuning a not so good one.

Wooden planes are great! I have three and plan on building more. One thing I like about them is that you can play with the shape/length/angles/mouth and try all sorts of combination with little $ and just some of your time. I tend to tinker a lot, so I may have a skewed point of view here:D

Hope this helps!

[James Phillips]

The Groz can be tuned, but it takes work. I have a Groz LA blk plane that can easily shave end grain, but out of the box it was junk.

Planes need to be very sharp to do what they do, so if you are not using a honing guide you should consider investing in one.

Also make sure the planes are flat on the bottom

[art san jr]

Hi Brent....after some initial errors in bad purchases I went with 'aged' Stanley planes from a recommended re-seller in this and other forums, Walt Q at Brass City in my case. There are other providers/sellers who are trusted and recommended.

In any case I got very usable quality planes, saws, hand drills, brace & bits, etc.
Pretty nice stuff, ( 100+ year hand plane, pride of ownership re-defined ). I was able to get on with sharpening and develop other skills as I got pretty decent items to work with, all within my budget.

HTH.

Art.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have very modest talents, but, I read a lot and work hard at things. I purchased some used Stanley planes and worked very hard to tune them. I could not make them work as well as my Lie Nielsen planes.

I have a friend that does a lot of wood working, but, he does things mostly with power tools (and unfortunately lives far away). I told him that I was dumping some of my stanleys because I had purchased a couple of LN planes. He said he wanted them so I sent them over for him to try. He said that he had never used a plane that worked so well and was becoming addicted. I think that the primary item was that the blades were very sharp and all the items tuned. The problem (from my perspective) is that it is a difficult process to tune.... and if you do not know how to sharpen, then your blades will not be sharp.... and then your plane will not work well.

Something to think about.