Which plane to get?

[Shawn Stennett]

I am in the market for a new plane for Christmas, but not sure what I should get to fill my holes. I have a LV #4, Stanley #3, 5, 5 1/4, and 6, also a couple block planes. I am getting a LV Skew block plane along with this order. I want to get one of the LABU planes to help with difficult grain. I build small projects up to large furniture and soon a new workbench. The jack would be nice for shooting along with the other applications, the LABU would fill the void of no jointer. I would also enjoy the smoother. If I got the LABU would I still need a #7 or #8?

What plane next?

[Don Dorn]

Sounds to me like you are set pretty well. IMO, you don't need a smoother and assuming you can sharpen properly, and were going to get another, I'd probably opt for a jointer (7 or 8). You have a 6 and that will do for smaller projects. Some might suggest a shoulder plane, but frankly, I haven't found a great need using a file to fine tune tennons. What a dilema, huh?

[Bill Houghton]

It always comes down to (a) what kind of work do you do and (b) what procedures are currently frustrating you that might be resolved with another plane?

There are so many possibilities: a router plane, for instance, or a plow. But it all depends on answering those two questions.

[Robert Culver]

I agree with the other to posters looks like you got it all covered for small work. personaly I would go with a plow plane then a router plane next then finaly a shoulder plane. We all do it differt though. Of coarse there is the rabbit block plane depending on the work you do that could jump right to the top of the pile.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Going a step further, do you start your work primarily with rough saw wood or is it already S4S? What types of wood do you work with?

[Rick Erickson]

If the need is:

Dimensioning - I would get a LN #8. One of my absolute favorites.
Joinery - I would get a router plane. Very useful and a lot of fun to work with.

[bradley strong]

You might want to opt for a scraper plane. They work wonders on woods that don't plane well.

[Andrew Gibson]

I have to say that the first thing thst poped into my head was a shoulder plane, which some have posted. I don't have one and I would say it is at the top fo my list currently, along with a 140 type plane.
A router plane would be a good choise.
I just picked up a stanley #50 this week to fill the void in grooving and now I'm waiting for the replacement blades to show up from stanely.

If your gunna go for a joiner, I say go for the #8

[Jeremy Dorn]

I'd vote for picking up a Lie Nielsen #62 low angle jack unless you have your heart set on a jointer or some other specialty plane. The 62's a wonderful shooting board plane, not to mention the usefulness it has when pared with several different blades to handle various other tasks.

I dont remember how I got along without mine. Its almost a permanent fixture on the bench with my shooting board for trimming parts down or flushing up end grain joints.

Beyond that in the specialty tool area rabbet, skew rabbet or a plow plane all would come in handy. I've been dying to try out the LV skewed rabbet planes, but haven't decided to take the plunge and retire my #78's yet.

[Sean Hughto]

I don't understand your statements about a LABU jack filling the need for a jointer. You need a 7 or an 8. What jointers bring to the party is a long sole. Don't matter what frog scenario a jack has, it's sole is shorter than a jointer's.

[Jeremy Dorn]

Very true, a jointer's length is what makes it do its job well, a jack lengthed plane really wont be a good jointer unless the stock you work with is < 2' in length. If you do just handle shorter stock a jack would suffice for jointing, but not if you're talking about furniture sized parts for the most part.

[Kent A Bathurst]

....... a shoulder plane, which some have posted. I don't have one and I would say it is at the top fo my list currently.......... A router plane would be a good choise........

Top 'o the list for "specialty" planes - 'specially if you do M+T joinery. Tunes up those tenons wonderfully.

[Chris Jackson]

I would have to concur on the need for the jointer...wether discussing actual jointing operations or using it for roughing flatness on larger tabletops, etc...a 24" + sole jointer can't be beat. Based on looking at the planes you list in your collection already, I'd say maybe try a change of pace away from the solid Cast Iron and go with an infill panel plane or something like a Primus in solid wood with a Lignum Vitae sole...I tried one for the first time this year and fell in love with the feel over my old cast Iron Bedrocks.

[Jim Koepke]

Why not have it all?

My thought would be to get the LN #62 or if you prefer, the LV equivalent. My advise would to also buy or make a "hot dog" for this to make it much more comfortable when shooting.

Then save up to purchase a Stanley/Bailey #7 or #8 for the jointing work. Since you already have a LN #4, you have a bench mark for tuning an old Stanley/Bailey.

The LA BU is very different tool than a jointer. Though I have done very well with a #6 on a shooting board, the LN #62 does much better.

jtk.

[Mark Roderick]

I'm not sure what you mean about wanting the smoother if you already have a #4.

I would definitely recommend the LN #7 or #8. Just wonderful planes to use. I use my #7 all the time and not just on large projects.

[Shawn Stennett]

I guess I should edit my post, I seem to have made a mistake. When typing this in my phone. What I meant to ask was which plane to get next the labu jointer or the labu jack. And the jointer would fill the void of no 7 or 8. Sorry for the confusion. I am glad to see all the other suggestions that include the specialtiy planes. I really want a shoulder plane and a router plane.

[Jeremy Dorn]

With the new LA Jointer or LA Jack based criteria I'd suggest going with the LA Jack first. I learned to plane primarly using bevel down standard Stanley type planes and I find the balance point of bevel down planes provides me with better feedback for feeling if I'm holding the plane level and plum to the board I'm jointing.

While I'm sure you could learn to do the same thing using a bevel up jointer over time, it just strikes me as more difficult to switch back/forth between styles of planes.

My uses for the LA Jack primarly center around end grain type operations, ie shooting, flushing up dovetails, or other joints. In these scenarios feeling for plum is not a concern as the work itself is large and flat already from other planes. With that said I'm not sure I'd want to attempt to swing a LA Jointer around for these types of operations as the extra weight and length of the plane would prove cumbersome most of the time.

So, I'd vote LAJack, either the LN #62 or the LV LAJ which is more like a 62.5 due to weight/width/length. I've owned and used both but I ended up keeping the #62 and reselling the LV plane simply because I didn't much care for the tote shape in use. Both are excellent well made planes that would serve you for many many years, and prove to be indispensible shop implements so its hard to go wrong with either :)

JD

[Jim Koepke]

With your comment to remove the confusion over your choice's criteria, I would suggest the jointer. It would fill a void in your lineup and would also make a good shooting plane.

Otherwise, I stand by my previous suggestion of a LA BU jack plane for shooting and then a less costly solution for jointing.

BTW, my LN #62 is an addition to my shop that makes me feel good every time it is used.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Christian Becksvoort has an article in the FW magazine that came today about using a LA jack with 4 irons sharpened to different angles to do it all. I have one and I somewhat agree with him. I also have a LA smoother I will not part with.