Corrugated or not?

[Brent Cutshall]

Hello all, I am on the hunt for a jointer plane. (Sad music eases into the background) I am and have been without one, sorry Jim Koepke, and have been using my grandfather's smoother for all board smoothing purposes. Anyway, I was wandering, what difference does a corrugated bottom make compared to a smooth bottom. And while I'm here, should I get a no.7 or a no.8? I have a a great jack and smoother but I need an easier way to plane long boards without stepping into power tools. Hey, they were good enough for the folks way back when, they'll be fine for me. Thanks everybody.

[Paul Sidener]

The corrugated bottom was just marketing. It really doesn't do anything. So just find the plane in the best condition you can, that your wallet can afford. As for the size, I have a #7. The longest board I plane is about 48 inches. The old rule of thumb is a plane will flatten a board twice it's length. It will flatten a longer board, with a little bit of skill on your part.

[Normand Leblanc]

If I had the choice I would pick a corrugated one for the ease for sole flattening. Outside of that, corrugated or not, I just don't see any difference.

I do have both no.7 and no.8. There is plenty of dust on my no.8. I usually prefer a no.6 or a no.7.

[Patrick Chase]

Hello all, I am on the hunt for a jointer plane. (Sad music eases into the background) I am and have been without one, sorry Jim Koepke, and have been using my grandfather's smoother for all board smoothing purposes. Anyway, I was wandering, what difference does a corrugated bottom make compared to a smooth bottom. And while I'm here, should I get a no.7 or a no.8? I have a a great jack and smoother but I need an easier way to plane long boards without stepping into power tools. Hey, they were good enough for the folks way back when, they'll be fine for me. Thanks everybody.

Don't go there, or Stanley will give us another dissertation about oil pots.

Seriously, if you have an oil pot (or even wax) and use it correctly you shouldn't need corrugation. If you don't have an oil pot, the corrugation probably isn't going to help all that much anyway.

[Bruce Haugen]

I have an 8C and a smooth bottom 7. Other than weight I don't see the difference from corrugations.

A #7 would be fine.

[Jim Koepke]

For no particular reason my accumulation has been built on mostly smooth sole planes. A few corrugated soles have worked their way in to my accumulation. To tell the truth, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the experience using one compared to the other.

In other words if one comes along at good price and condition don't let the soles corrugations or lack of same break the deal. In either case, corrugations are not a good reason to pay extra for a plane.

Currently a #4 and #5 with corrugated soles get used in my shop at times. A #8 with a corrugated sole sits waiting for me to have time to put it back in working order.

The added weight of the #8 helps me when planing down saw marks after ripping a piece. The #7 is used more if there aren't hills and valleys or saw marks.

My #8 is usually for the heavier work and the #7 is for the lighter work.

As usual, 339641

jtk

[Mike Henderson]

I've never seen any advantage to a corrugated sole plane. Take what comes available to you.

The other approach is to make a long wooden plane. Adjusting it is different but if you can deal with that, you might save some money.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

I've never seen any advantage to a corrugated sole plane. Take what comes available to you.

The other approach is to make a long wooden plane. Adjusting it is different but if you can deal with that, you might save some money.

Mike

This has me laughing Mike. What is more work, making your own plane from a block of wood or rehabilitating a rust bucket find?

Maybe I am the luckiest guy in the world finding old planes. I really do not think so. I have found some good jointers at reasonable prices just by waiting for them to come along.

One of my favorite planes:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?114373-Fettling-A-Plane-from-Junker-to-Jointer

Used it today and really enjoy holding a piece of history I have preserved.

jtk

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I have a No. 7 with a flat bottom and a long wooden plane. I have been using the No. 7 much longer than the wooden plane. I do not have a No. 8. I would get whatever comes along that is reasonably priced. I have flattened six foot boards with the No. 7, and I personally do not put a lot of stock in the "twice the length" rule of thumb. Beyond a certain point (not sure if it is the 6 or the 7) you are in the area of "long enough is long enough." Just my opinion.

If you come across a good wooden jointer, it may save you a lot of money, and they do a fine job once you get them figured out.

[glenn bradley]

I have a Millers Falls 9 and a 9C (Stanley No4 size) and notice no difference.

[Mike Henderson]

This has me laughing Mike. What is more work, making your own plane from a block of wood or rehabilitating a rust bucket find?

Maybe I am the luckiest guy in the world finding old planes. I really do not think so. I have found some good jointers at reasonable prices just by waiting for them to come along.

One of my favorite planes:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?114373-Fettling-A-Plane-from-Junker-to-Jointer

Used it today and really enjoy holding a piece of history I have preserved.

jtk
I really wasn't looking at it from an amount of work, but from cost. I've made wooden planes from old irons that I got on eBay. If you have some scrap wood that will work for the body, you can make a plane from one of those irons at fairly low cost.

I agree that it's not less work than rehabing an old metal plane. When I started out woodworking, I had a lot more time than money.

Mike

[Here's a couple of pictures of the low cost jointer I made using an antique laminated iron:]
339665 339664

[Tom Vanzant]

IIRC, Stanley added corrugations to the sole to reduce "stick-tion" while planing wet, green, or resinous woods. On dry wood, not a problem that a swipe of wax can't cure. As for ease of flattening the sole, how often do you do that? None or once.

[Glen Canaday]

Just as a late suggestion, ignore Patrick Leach and add transitional jointers to your search. $20 oughta snag you one and you should be able to true up the sole with the smoother you already have, if it needs it. No need for corrugations, they're quite a bit lighter than iron planes and will slide smooth as silk, especially with wax on the sole. They do not flex when planing. I have a couple I've found and couldn't pass up at the price asked.

This thread isn't THAT old..

[george wilson]

I see no reason not to use transitional planes. Except that they fell out of the ugly tree,and hit every branch on the way down!!:)

I don't like corrugated planes because when I want to knock off a corner,or something similar,they track on the corrugations.

[Kees Heiden]

What George sais, the corrugations are mildly to highly irritating when working on very narrow stuff, corners, chamfers, stuff like that.

I don't agree with the ugly tree comment. :p I do apreciate the special charme of the transitionals, allthough I don't have any and they are very rare overhere.

[steven c newman]

This one is my 24" long #31 Jointer plane..
340204
Weighs about half of what my old Stanley No. 8c did.
The larger iron planes I have, have grooved soles. #7c, # 6c, and a #5c. Since I tend to skew them just a hair, never had a problem with the grooves. The grooves do make flattening the soles a bit easier...less iron to remove.

Have both a #7, and a #5 in both grooved and non-grooved models.....no difference that I can tell. Other than candle wax tends to build up in the grooves.....

[Brent Cutshall]

Well, to throw it out there, I ran upon an old wooden 26" jointer from Ohio tool co. for $20. It now sits in the workshop waiting for restoration ( it barely needs any) and for me to find a metal buddy to sit beside. I wouldn't mind a transitional plane, but I would rather have a wooden and metal plane for occasions where I only need one of the two. And by the way, ever since I made that beader I posted about, I've been riled up about making another. So I might be showing up here in the next month or so with one. Happy Fourth of July everybody.