Need a short jointer plane . . .

[Phil Marcus]

I'm really new at this, so please bear with me.

I have a shop full of power tools, but I really like working with my hands, which is why I'm here. I just bought a new block plane, which we all know will probably require some prep, and I'm in the process of rehabilitating a Freud number four as well. I'm an aspiring luthier as well.

One of the tasks commonly required to make a guitar body is joining short sections, say 24", of rather thick wood. I'd like to keep the number of planes that I maintain to a minimum, or at least fewer than five or six! Common wisdom says that a number five can do it all, but it seems awfully short for joining. Does anyone have any recommendations for a plain long enough to give me a good joint, or should I just attempt this with the Jack plane?

[Andrew Gibson]

If you want something shortish a #6 would do the trick. I managed to get a Fulton #6c on the bay a few weeks ago for $20.
A #7 would work as well as would a #8 but not exactly short.
the #6 is 18" the #7 is 22" and the #8 is 24"
A question I may ask is how thick you plan to join? would the 2-5/8" iron in the #8 be advantageous.

[Ray Sheley]

If the #5 is close enough for consideration don't forget about the slightly longer, significantly wider, and harder to obtain #5 1/2". If you can find one it might be what you are looking for.
But as noted, the much maligned, easier to get and often cheap #6 has a lot going for it.

[James Taglienti]

You could always put a #8 in a bench vise and pass the boards over it

why not give it a shot with the 5? It cant hurt if you try it on some scrap.

[Zach England]

I'd like to keep the number of planes that I maintain to a minimum, or at least fewer than five or six!

Huh? *does not compute*

[Andrew Gibson]

Huh? *does not compute*

I know, right.
To each his own and I do understand trying to live a simple life, especially in this day in age, but...
I find that planes "generally" do one job very well. which in turn encourages the accumulation of many.

This is not a problem as I enjoy hunting for and restoring tools almost as much as using them. I also get a sense of pride ever time I open my tool chest and peer down and see them waiting for me all sharp and ready for work.

I forgot about the #5 1/2... Probably because I am still looking for one. along with a #4 1/2 and both have to be corrugated. I guess its a good thing I am flexible with brand. Maybe around my B-day I will head back out into the wild and find a couple on my list...

Back on subject.
Phil when/if you decide on what you want, 5 1/2- 6- 7- you may want to post in the B/S/T here as there are lots of folks that buy and sell tools that may have what you want in reasonably good shape and at a fair price.

[Joe Cunningham]

Didn't we just have this discussion?

A used Stanley #6 is what I use for all prep work on my guitar bodies. I paid $20 for it. Never seen a lapping plate, and leaves the wood nice and level, ready for a smoothing plane. I believe it is a type 16. I will use a scrub plane if I need to take off a lot of material, which is pretty often with 8/4 rough-sawn stock and a 1 3/4" or 1 5/8" guitar body.

For neck stock prep I use a LV bevel-up jointer for the final passes, but do much of the initial work with the #6.

My #5 is my least used plane in my shop. I don't see the point of it. Sucks to hog off material compared to my scrub plane, isn't good enough to use for surface prep compared to any of my #4s, and is too short to do much of a job of face or edge jointing. People seem to recommend them all the time here, but I don't really like them. I probably ought to just sell mine.

[Jeremy Dorn]

I've always thought that when talking about how large a plane you need for jointing it came down to a 2x the length of the plane for free rule. Ie a 18" plane joints a 36" board very easily without having to do alot of checking with sticks and straight edges. Beyond that length more skill is required to flatten longer stock.

Using this sort of rule a #5 would easily be able to handle the 24" stock you say you routinely work (which has been my experience as well, I use jacks for jointing up until I pass the 3' mark usually to save my strength).

With that said, you mentioned you deal with wider stock, so a #5 1/2 sounds almost ideal. They are slightly longer than your standard #5 (15" instead of 14"), and have the wider blade of the #6/#7 planes. Not to metion a bit more weight for added "bull" type pushing. The LN #5.5C I have in my shop is probably the single most used plane in my army simply because it strikes an excellent balance between the utility of a small plane and the weight of the big planes.

As some of the other posters mentioned a #6 also fits your bill as a short wide jointer, and finding one on the used market is not difficult. You'd probably be able to easily find one in good shape < $40, where as #5.5's are a bit harder to come by on the cheap, (though I did get a nice war time stanley for $19 just a couple weeks ago). The extra 3" of the #6 will make jointing easier on you while you're learning how to use it, but the weight may prove to be something you want to cut down on later if you're doing alot of work.

JD

[Zach Dillinger]

I've got two 5 1/2Cs that I've found over the years. Would be happy to let them go reasonably to someone who would use them (I use wooden planes exclusively). Anyone who is interested can PM me and I'll get pics out.

Zach

[Phil Marcus]

I'd like to go with a #7, but I'm still engaged in the thrill of the hunt. Yeah, right. Actually I would like to try the #5 or 5.5 (I only need to handle 8/4 stock) if it will do the job. Thanks to everyone for the advice; I'm digesting it all!

[Casey Gooding]

For guitar work, a number 5 is more than adequate. Vintage 5's are plentiful and can be bought pretty cheaply if you are patient. Or go with a premium plane and not be disappointed.

[bradley strong]

A number 6 is considered by many to be a short jointer. I just bought a vintage one on eBay, tuned it up, and put the Pinnacle blade and chip breaker in it. I now have a plane that performs great. Glass smooth finish on curly maple. I use it every time I'm in the shop now. I don't know how I ever got along without it. I use it as a smoother as well. I have a #4 1/2 as well, but I like the extra mass of the #6.