Need help with next planes

[Scott Stewart]

I need help with my next plane purchases....

My project list in rough order...

Built ins for both sides of fireplace
Roubo Bench
Anarchist Tool Chest
Small Jewelry Boxes x2
Cribbage Board/set
Band saw from Woodgears plans

I currently have:

Stanley #5 Right now set up as a shooting plane, but my plan is to rehone the blade to make it into a jack/scrub type plane.
Stanley #6 Right now set up as jointer, plan to switch over to be a shooting plane
Stanley #4 1/2 smoother
Stanley 608 round side set to be a jointer.
Stanley #45 with the smaller set (14) blades

I was a busy bee last year and have some resources to devote to being a good neanderthal.

Right now I am planning on picking up 3 LV planes...if there is something else I should prioritize first I would like to hear it.

Router plane - I dont have much question that I will use a router plane enough to make it a good purchase.

Skew rabbet plane. I think I need something to help me cut rabbets and a plane that the blade goes to the edge. I would also like to be able to raise panels. Is this the right choice?

Medium shoulder plane. This is the one I go back and forth on. Some guys seem to use them a lot, others don't seem to have much use for a shoulder plane.

The one I am on the fence with is a bevel up jack. I haven't had the best luck recently shooting (horrible spleching) and I am tempted to replace the shoulder plane in this year's purchase with the BU jack.

If I can hold out another year, I can probably swing a LN 51 as a shooter.

I am rapidly approaching paralysis by overanalysis, so any thoughts on flaws in my thinking would be appreciated.

Scott

[lowell holmes]

I have many planes, but the one I use most is missing from your collection, that being an apron plane or small block plane.
I have the medium shoulder plane, but I don't use it that much, I use my router planes frequently.

[David M Anderson]

I do not see a block plane in your list, they do come in handy and you will be surprised on how much you grab for it.

Edit..we must have posted the same time...lol

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I could live without a block plane, honestly. The majority of the time I'm using a block plane, it's because I'm too lazy to secure work to the bench, so it's one-handed nature comes into play, rather than any inherent advantage of it's size. I wouldn't want to give mine up, but I feel like it's not a super necessity either.

A BU plane is nice, and I'm not one to discourage their use if you find them helpful, (and I have one) but it's not the magic cure for spelching on shooting. Sharp is going to do more than bevel angle in my experience. The biggest help is going to be knifing or heavily marking your final line prior to shooting. For me, that was problem solved. The other thing to take into consideration is order of operations. If you work on the ends before the edges, spelching isn't so much a problem, because you'll remove that when you get to the edges unless it's really terrible. (Which it shouldn't be with knifing and working the ends before the edges.) I would continue with what you have, if I were you.

You've got a good set of bench planes. How are you on chisels?

I prefer wooden rabbet planes to shoulder planes for plane work, and chisels in a lot of places others would use shoulder planes, but a bit of that is because it's what I've got for tools now.

I certainly prefer vintage wooden filletster planes to their metal-bodied skew rabbet versions, and they may be more affordable (and thus more attractive) to you depending on your location. These may require more time than money, which could change the calculus for you, however, as they often require some fettling to get into proper service. Certainly, it wasn't until I got mine in good condition that I really fell in love with it. I certainly wouldn't be without it now.

One thing I don't see you mention is plough plane. I would rather have that than a router plane. A router plane is nice, but a plow plane is more useful to me. Outside of the bench planes, the plow plane and filletster are the two I wouldn't give up.

Are you working entirely by hand, (either by choice or necessity) or are you adding hand work to power-tool shop? This changes things somewhat, I'd say - if you're supplementing router and tablesaw work, this changes things quite a bit.

[Scott Stewart]

Sorry, I do have a 9 1/2 block plane that I use some.

I do have power tools (a sawstop, a drill press and a dw 735), but I find myself using hand tools more and more as I get better with them.

For chisels, I have some blue handles and some HF beaters.

I bought the 45 with the intention of using it primarily as a plow plane.

Does having the 45 lessen the need for a rabbet plane?

[paul cottingham]

Good choices. The plane I reach for the most though, is my low angle jack.

[Jim Koepke]

Scott,

Your line up of Stanley planes so far looks fairly adequate. My suggestion for expansion there would be to get a #3 or a #4 as the #4-1/2 is sometimes a little big for some things.

The Stanley 45 can be very useful as a rabbet plane. Do you know the date/type on yours? Can you post a picture?

Your location isn't listed in your profile. If you are in the Portland, Oregon area I would be willing to offer help with setting up the #45 if you like.

Joshua makes a good point about spelching when shooting. This is one place where a sharp blade is critical. The work piece needs to be prepared with a knifed line, a chamfer or both. Having the fence backing up the work piece as far as possible also helps.

What kind of sharpening set up do you have?

For me a block plane is very helpful. A lot of my corners or end grain areas are rounded over. Different styles of work or work practices could make it unneeded for others. They do come in handy for a few light passes when trimming different types of joinery, proud dovetails and such.

All but one of my most used block planes are low angle. I have had a #9-1/2 and other high angle block planes but have sold them off. They do not seem to have much advantage over a bench plane to me. My user high angle block plane is a #102 and is likely used less than 5% of the time when a block plane is being used.

A router plane is a very versatile tool. This is one plane that didn't seem like much to me. Now I find myself using it much more often.

I am not sure if a skew rabbet would be good for raised panels. The page at LV makes it look like it is capable of the task. The width of the cut is a touch limited. Getting both left and right versions might be best if you want to do a lot of panel raising. It would be better than a Stanley 45 for most rabbets especially across grain.

I find my shoulder planes useful. If a choice had to be made between my shoulder planes or my side rabbets I would keep my side rabbets. Everyone's milage varies because everyone does different things and does them differently. I do find a shoulder plane useful when cleaning up rabbets. The side rabbets often do this also. The side rabbets come in handy cleaning up the sides of dados and grooves. Also great to widen either if the piece going in is just a touch tight as is often the case in frame and panel work.

Side rabbets can be used to trim tenon shoulders just as well as a chisel or shoulder plane. They can also be used to slightly undercut a shoulder where a shoulder plane won't.

Okay, enough of a pitch for the side rabbet plane(s).

I have drooled over the LN 51. However the bevel up jack is a more versatile plane if you ask me. I am very happy with my LN 62. The Veritas version is surely as fine a plane. As nice as a shooting plane might be, it still is a one trick pony limited to right handed shooting.

Disclaimer, the above is just my opinion based on my experience and ways of working. Your milage is sure to vary.

jtk

[Scott Stewart]

I just bought the 45. It's a SH, so from my understanding it's a type 13-15. here is the original listing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STANLEY-No-45-SWEETHEART-COMBINATION-PLANE-COMPLETE-IN-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/141215826004?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=A1CO99nScJXu9lyjwQfL8EW3OX8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

My sharpening set up is a DMT plate for rough stuff, then the Shapton pro 1k, 5k, 8k. I've been using an eclipse style honing guide. I have the veritas Mk II guide as well but I haven't had the best of luck with it.

I haven't thought much about a 60 1/2, but its probably a good choice.

I wouldn't mind going with a wooden body moving fillester, but I have no idea where to find one for a reasonable cost. Eventually I will probably want one if I am going to learn to do mouldings. Edit: checking thebestthings to see what they think about a couple of their planes.

The more I think about it, the more I question the need for the rabbet.

How well does the 45 work for cutting cross grain rabbets (is it a rabbet if it is cross grain?) I have the nickers with mine if that helps.

[Brian Holcombe]

Router plane -yes, absolutely necessary for me, I cut a lot of large tenons. Something you'll be doing plenty of for your roubo.

I would do either or for the skew rabbet or shoulder plane. I have a large shoulder plane and use it all the time.

BU jack. - yes, this is a great shooting plane that can be used for a great deal of uses just by swapping blades.

[Jim Koepke]

I just bought the 45. It's a SH, so from my understanding it's a type 13-15. here is the original listing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STANLEY-No-4...vip=true&rt=nc

I was thrown by you comment that it came with only 14 blades. I thought it might have been a very early type that would not have had a blade adjuster.

I go back and forth between using a Stanley 45 and a Record 778 for cutting rabbets.

Cross grain rabbets can be a challenge for any plane. It just take time, patience, sharp blades, light cuts and lots of doing it to get the fundamentals down.

One trick is to do the cross grain work first and then it looks better when the long grain rabbets are cut.

jtk

[Curt Putnam]

The LV skew rabbet's performance for panel raising can be enhanced by making a beveled fence for it. For small boxes the router and shoulder planes will be very useful. As someone has already pointed out you do not have a plow plane in the list yet many of not most of your projects are going to require grooves. The LV small plow is generally accorded to be a superior tool as well as being highly versatile. I'd would move the plow plane ahead of the medium shoulder plane in priority. Please note that I'm a relative noob in the neander world.

IMO & YMMV

[Scott Stewart]

uh, did I make a big mess up here? I bought the 45 with the intention it could act as a decent plow plane.

[Jim Koepke]

uh, did I make a big mess up here? I bought the 45 with the intention it could act as a decent plow plane.

I think Curt may have missed the Stanley 45.

The 45 can be a very good plow plane once a few of the set up techniques are learned.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

Beyond the router plane, it might be helpful to take some advanced instruction.

I'm finding that I reach for the same three planes, more often and the
speciality planes gather dust in storage.

Our very own Steve Voigt makes a mini-smoother that I would add after your Router plane,
but it's a wooden body, and that's not for everyone.

I find it nearly indispensable and it's only been here a month.

Maybe a Stanley #80 or curve bottom spokeshave for your third purchase?
LV makes a great version of both.

[paul cottingham]

I don't have a plow plane anymore, and I miss it every time I'm in the shop. I will be buying another one soon, in fact it is next on my list of tools to buy. Left handed this time!

[Scott Stewart]

The spokeshave, rasps, etc I have penciled in for next year's bonus. I need to learn to work straight before I work curved. :)

[Jim Matthews]

I need to learn to work straight before I work curved. :)

You and me, both.
There are some Big Dogs working in my neighborhood.

They try to explain what they're doing.
It's like describing a Lunar landing to a Caveman...

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

uh, did I make a big mess up here? I bought the 45 with the intention it could act as a decent plow plane.

oops. Somehow I totally missed that in my first reading. Was that on the list originally?