Anyone keep two jointers?

[john brenton]

It's kind of a silly thread, but I was just curious to see what you guys think.

I have what I guess is the equivalent to a #7 and a #8 in woodies. One is an elderly English and the other a brand new Ulmia that was meant to replace the old timer. I hate to part with the old one, but I hate to just have it collecting dust too.

I have two matching wood jacks (Sandusky #13's) , one with a camber as radical as a scrub, and the other with a light camber, and I really enjoy having them both handy. Anyone find that to be the case with the jointers?

I thought keeping the 24" as an edge plane, and cambering the iron on the old one for face truing and edge jointing as well, but I've read different opinions on that. I don't want to find out for myself because the Sorby iron in the old plane would pretty much be what sells the plane.

Any thoughts?

[David Weaver]

If you can find a use for both of them, keep them. If you can't, then sell one.

What is the maker's mark on the old one?

I have four jointers. I only use two of them regularly, but I don't feel a rush to get rid of the other two. There are three reasons that I can see to sell a plane:
1) you just want to sell it (or your wife just wants you to sell it) because it's worth a lot or because you don't want/need it around
2) you need cash or want to trade it for something
3) you like it OK but find yourself tinkering with it due to rust or seasonal movement more than you find yourself using it

[Robert Rozaieski]

I use what could be considered 2 jointers. My 24" try plane has a camber and is used for squaring edges and flattening faces. My 30" jointer has no camber (i.e. ground with a perfectly straight iron), and is only used for shooting edge glue joints and match planing. I don't think you really need both if you don't use a lot of camber, but I like having both.

[Andrew Gibson]

I only have a #7c. That being said if I ever come across a #8c for a fair price and I have the cash I would pick it up. Part of me would do it to continue my collection of bench planes and the other part seems to think it would be a useful tool in many situations.
I would never sell my #7, it belonged to my Great Grandfather. So If I were to have to sell one it would have to be the 8 that I don't have.
one of these days I will have a larger shop and hopefully a bit more disposable income, at which point I will probably pick up tools I see that are gloatworthy, clean them up and then pass them along to those that can/will use them when I get a chance.

[Tom Vanzant]

Only two? I also have an elderly Brit (John Mosley & Son) 22" and an elderly Scot (McKenzie) 22" with a Sorby iron, both 150+ years old. The Mosley has joined a small display of British woodies including a sash filetser (Kimberley) and toothed scraper (A.Sipes). All are funtional but retired. The McKenzie and Knight 24" remain in service, the McK slightly cambered and the Knight straight, both for edges. The Bailey #7 and 607 are for faces, both with about .005" camber. Lets not get into the #6's and 606, OK.

[Casey Gooding]

Speaking as someone who has at least 12 smoothing planes, I think multiples can be a good idea. Apart from everything mentioned here, I find that often two "identical" planes can work very differently on wood. Where one will cause tearout and be a pain in the rear, the other may work beautifully.

[john brenton]

David:

It's a "G. Collier, Brixton". I don't know that it's a "desirable" plane (I have to lobby one of those magazines to do an article about Collier and watch the price soar!), and I know nothing about the maker, but I know it's not an obscure mark. I've seen several G. Colliers, wood and iron.

The only reasons I was looking to sell it is that (a) I try to keep my possessions to a minimum, and (b) I did spend $60+ shipping on the Ulmia with the intention of selling the Collier. That was the whole justification at the time. So there is the trade part of #2 in your list.

Robert:
Thanks for that input. I guess the only way to find out is to try it. Maybe I'll try jointing with my jacks to see if the cambered jointer is something I find beneficial.

[Zach England]

I have Stanley 7 and 8 and a Veritas Bevel-up. I don't really use any of them to be honest. If I do use a jointer plane it is usually the no. 8 because it has comfortable shop-made furniture and I like to pick it up and say "I sure did a good job making that tote and knob".

[john brenton]

Now I remember why I wanted to know! I was thinking about how I want to make my tool cabinet and whether or not to make space for two jointers, or whether to just make a plane till. I was wondering what prompted me to ask this question. Ok. Now it all makes sense. Brain fart.


It's kind of a silly thread, but I was just curious to see what you guys think.

I have what I guess is the equivalent to a #7 and a #8 in woodies. One is an elderly English and the other a brand new Ulmia that was meant to replace the old timer. I hate to part with the old one, but I hate to just have it collecting dust too.

I have two matching wood jacks (Sandusky #13's) , one with a camber as radical as a scrub, and the other with a light camber, and I really enjoy having them both handy. Anyone find that to be the case with the jointers?

I thought keeping the 24" as an edge plane, and cambering the iron on the old one for face truing and edge jointing as well, but I've read different opinions on that. I don't want to find out for myself because the Sorby iron in the old plane would pretty much be what sells the plane.

Any thoughts?

[Sean Hughto]

Just two? Nope.

I have 2 Stanley 7s (one SW and on one earlier), one 607 (early round sides), a LN 7, and I use them all.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3564/3286119117_84897dbebb_z.jpg

[David Weaver]

What kind of wood is that?

[Jim Koepke]

Make space for both. Then if you sell one, you can put something else in its place.

My tool storage is slowly being cobbled together. It has an ability to be reformed as needed. It is also hampered by my insistence on recycling shelves that no longer are useful in the house.

It is not the most efficient user of space, but I can work on that later.

As you can see, there are two jointers in the mix, a #7 & #8. At one time there were two #7s. I sold one and kept the other. I will often use the #8 for the heavy work and the #7 for the finish work. The #7 is set with a mouth that most would consider a bit tight for a jointer.

jtk

[Sean Hughto]

Acer negundo

box elder

the softest maple

[George Beck]

Well I actually have 3 jointers and use them all. I have an old Record 08, a LN 07 and a LN bevel up Jointer. I use the Record with a Hock iron as my true jointer for rough truing to plane. I keep the 07 set very fine with a fine mouth and use it for truing and finishing edges. I use the bevel up jointer often with after using a jack plane with a toothing blade. I like the bevel up because you can change the angle of presentation by just changing the blade to one sharpened with higher angle. I guess I just like jointers.

George

[Niels Cosman]

Ive got a LN #7 that I have setup with a mostly straight blade with a little camber (setup almost like a smoother), which I used finish for the majority of edge and face jointing following my Stanley 605 fore.

I also have a 608c set up as a super-fore for aggressive large/wide flattening (i.e. benchtop).

Now that i think of it i have a 28" Ulmia woodie too that has been sitting on shelf for two years. I got it as part of a lot of used tools and haven't gotten around to setting it up to try or selling it.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I have 2, a Stanley #7 with a Hock iron in it and a 28" P.A. Gladwin &Co. jointer. Both are used. The Stanley has the iron sharpened straight across and the Gladwin had a radius on the iron. The Gladwin is out of the family tool chest and under no circumstances would ever be sold. It was originally the property of James Anderson Sr. journeyman shipwright of Cambridge, MA and has been passed down to me, the 7th generation.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Yes, I have several joiners: ECE Primus, C&W 30", several Japanese including a pair of skewed and a shooter or two, and the HNT try plane. I use them all in different situations, although the ECE seems less and less useful so I might sell it.

Pam

[Jim R Edwards]

I have seven jointers. A 26 inch Ohio tool wooden jointer. I used it the other night. Its a nice plane. I have a type 13 and 15 Stanley #8. A Record #7, type 11 and 17 stanley #7, and a Clifton #7.

The Clifton is used the most. I may sell most of them and buy a LVBUJ as I am more partial to bevel up planes but for now they do everything I ask from them.

[Jeff Schmidt]

I am all for frugal woodworking, and believe more often than not that "less is more", but in this case, I recommend that you keep both....one as a try plane, and one as a joint/match plane.

If it were the case of a metal plane, I would recommend only one plane with two blades..one cambered and one straight.

[john brenton]

I could do that with the woodies as well...in fact probably more cost effectively. I've got an overabundance of old plane irons and seem to find them everywhere.

I just don't know which one to camber now. I was thinking the 22" because it has a wider iron.



I am all for frugal woodworking, and believe more often than not that "less is more", but in this case, I recommend that you keep both....one as a try plane, and one as a joint/match plane.

If it were the case of a metal plane, I would recommend only one plane with two blades..one cambered and one straight.

[Jeff Schmidt]

I would camber the shorter of the two.

You have to be careful in using multiple irons in wooden planes since the body, iron and wedge fit as a system. If you have a good selection of irons of nearly the same width, it is possible that you can find another that will work with the wedge and body. With the Ulmia, you could purchase an identical replacement iron and camber one of them.

I would also use the Ulmia a while before considering discarding the English plane. You might miss that vintage Sorby iron!http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

[john brenton]

Yeah, the Ulmia is a very high quality plane and the irons edge retention is awesome...but I can almost hear angels sing when I wrap my hand around the tote on the geriatric English jointer. The sorby's seen better days, a little mushroom action going on, a few cracks here and there, especially around the laminate, but it's still an awesome piece.


I would camber the shorter of the two.

You have to be careful in using multiple irons in wooden planes since the body, iron and wedge fit as a system. If you have a good selection of irons of nearly the same width, it is possible that you can find another that will work with the wedge and body. With the Ulmia, you could purchase an identical replacement iron and camber one of them.

I would also use the Ulmia a while before considering discarding the English plane. You might miss that vintage Sorby iron!http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Matthew Dworman]

I Have a #7 with a cambered that I use (primarily) for jointing faces, and I have a #8 with a straight blade that I use (primarily) for jointing edges

[Russell Sansom]

I have two sets of planes. I keep one set in fine fettle, perfectly sharpened. The second set is a bit coarser and used more often. Once I get a set up that works perfectly, I want to keep it as long a possible. And as somebody said, often two identical planes behave differently.
How many times do you say to yourself, "The Bedrock 608c is too perfectly set up to risk it on this task?" That's when I grab the second #8.
Or how about the #4 smoother that's working perfectly on maple, and you don't want to reset the chip breaker for the secondary wood, then reset it again for the maple?
Finally, I don't always want to stop what I'm doing for a brief vacation at the sharpening table.