Plane ownership ratio

[Derek Cohen]

The recent thread on choosing planes, with its re-direction into jack planes, inspired me to ask this question ...

How many jointer/jack/smoother planes do you own?

Most handwork is done with the jack (unless you are using machines), and then the jointer, and only a little with the smoother. Yet I imagine that most of use own more smoothers than they own the other two combined ... well I think I do.

I have 3 jointers (1 mostly in use), 5 jacks (including 3 BU jacks, which I do not really consider jack planes, so 2 in use for coarse work - one metal and one wood), and then I have about 6 or 7 smoothers (OK, only 2 get used at any one time, but the others do get used in time).

What is your ratio?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Matt Knights]

4x no4, 2x no5, no7, 3 wooden jacks, 2 wooden smoothers and a wooden joiner

Matt

[Trevor Goodwin]

1/1/4

-Trevor.

[Daniel Rode]

I'm sure I've broken some rules :)

I have a #7 that's my "real" jointer.
My #6 get used as both a heavy jack and a small jointer.
I have a #5 setup as a scrub plane
I have another #5 setup as a jack/smoother hybrid
I have a #4 thas is my primary smoother
I have a junker #4 that gets used for rough work occasionally.
I have a crappy block plane that gets a fair bit if use. I really need to buy a better one.


While another decent smoother would be nice, I don't feel the need for any other bench planes.

Background matters. I'm a hybrid wood worker. I use a table saw and a power planer on nearly every project. After using the #7 for 6 months, I sold my power planer.

[Brian Holcombe]

2 Jacks, 2 jointers (well, one try one jointer), 3 smoothers.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

In metal planes I have a 4 1/2 , a 5, and a 7. In wooden planes I have a wooden smoother and a try plane. I don't really need the wooden ones, but I like them, and the more I use them the more I like them.

I have a 3, and a couple of 5s in the reserve fleet. I think I pretty much have what I need, so the extra 5s will be moving along one of these days.

I have a couple of more wooden planes "under construction" (well, really they are just hanging out on the back of the bench waiting for me to have some more spare time and a couple of floats).

[James Pallas]

2-4s, 1 BU smoother, 2- jacks, 1 BU Jack, a 6 used as a jointer, a BU jointer. I had more of each but gave away the ones not used.
Jim

[Robin Frierson]

I probably have 80 or 90 planes. Most of them are in boxes so I'm not sure how many of each size. But I do know I have Six #8s and five #4 1/2s because I just had those out. Some of them are just old collectible planes I've never used. I just counted I currently have 33 planes out for use. 4 1/2 is my most used plane and my favorite smoother size. I don't have any infills.

[Bill White]

#s 3, 4, 5 1/2 , 7, 60 1/2, Wooden Jack, 71 router, extra irons for the 4, 7, and 5 1/2. Nice collection of hollows and rounds, beaders, and a nice woodie dado. WHEWW!
Bill

[Ray Selinger]

(1)#7, (2)#6s, (1)#5 1/2, (5)#5s, (5)#4s, (3)#3s:o mmm, maybe I should stop going to the fleamarket and stop bringing unloved planes home.

[Mark AJ Allen]

I got one of each, all Veritas BU ... but the blades is another story. Swapping blades depending on the task/wood. Cheaper and takes less space.

[Paul McGaha]

My bench planes:

#3 Vintage Stanley
#3 LN
#4 Vintage Stanley
#4 LN
#4 1/2 LN
#5 Vintage Stanley
#5 LN
#5 1/2 Vintage Stanley
#5 1/2 LN
#7 Vintage Stanley
#7 LN

The LN planes were mostly birthday or Christmas presents the last few years. They do make really great presents.

PHM

[Derek Cohen]

Isn't it interesting how many of us have invested in smoothers? How many does one need ... but we still find room for more. Jointers and jacks are much more relevant planes in terms of importance, but they don't get the love. Smoothers are the glamour planes, and fine shavings are still the desire of many.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Do I count the #8 that is a pile of parts? How about the transitional jointer that is never used?

My two #6s get used like jointers all the time. When something long needs work my #7 or #8 might get the call. My #5-1/2 doesn't get a lot of use. Then there are four #5s, an LN #62 and a #5-1/4 that all get some use in the rotation. Another #5-1/4 is set up as a scrub plane. It really isn't much good for anything else unless being a paper weight has merit.

When we come to smothers there is only one each of #1 (LN), #2 & a #4-1/2. Three each of #3s & #4s. One of the #3s is occasionally used like a scrub though the blade isn't cambered much.

Most of the 'extra' accumulation is incase I want to raise some cash I have a few items that can be sold.

jtk

[Robert Engel]

4 & 4 1/2.

6 & 7.

Impression the 6 get passed over somewhat, but for me, it is THE most used plane I have. Anyone else?

[Brian Holcombe]

Isn't it interesting how many of us have invested in smoothers? How many does one need ... but we still find room for more. Jointers and jacks are much more relevant planes in terms of importance, but they don't get the love. Smoothers are the glamour planes, and fine shavings are still the desire of many.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I suppose, I have interest in having a few of them to work opposing muscle groups and of course for those times when I want a flat blade to work a full face or a cambered blade to work a panel or wider board.

[Jim Koepke]

4 & 4 1/2.

6 & 7.

Impression the 6 get passed over somewhat, but for me, it is THE most used plane I have. Anyone else?

My #6s get also do a lot of the work.

For a useless size, according to Patrick Leach, it gets a lot of use.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

1 jointer, 2 jack (BU and a No.5), 2 smoother (BU and a No.4).

[Prashun Patel]

In the process of paring down to 2 jointers, 2 jacks, 2 smoothers. Ok, 3 jacks.

[James Pallas]

For me my most used planes were the 5s and the 6. As I was forced to slow down I seldom use any rough lumber and tend to only buy the easy to work stuff in s2s. Now the most used by far is the BU Jack. I bought the bevel up series because they are easier for me to use with my back problems. That being said, I would likely be using my 5s, 6, and Sargent 409 in that sequence as I always did in the past. My personal favorite is the 6. Must have spent my life in foul territory:).
Jim

[Lonnie Gallaher]

1 #8
1 #7
1 #6
3 #5, one as a scrub
4 #4, two of them were given to me.
2 #3, one of them was given to me.

They are all vintage, except the new Gortz, bailey pattern planes. The Gortz was given to me by a machine only woodworker that thought he needed a plane, but could not figure out what to do with it.

[Brent Cutshall]

Two #4 smoothers, one #5 jack, and two jointers, a #7 and a 28" woodie which would be a #10?:D

[Patrick Chase]

This thread is a "safe space" right? No mocking?

Excluding rabbet and scraper planes:

4 jointers (woodie, 7, 8, BUJointer)
1 fore (6)
5 jacks (2x5, 5-1/2, 5-1/4W, LAJack)
10 smoothers (2, 3, 2x4, 2x4-1/2, BUSmoother, SBUSmoother, Harbor Fright 33 beater, toother)
4 block (LA, LA beater, standard, apron)

My 6-y/o has a 1 (modern clone) but I don't use that so it doesn't count.

Lots of "brand V" in there. The 4s and 4-1/2s are set up with different bed angles, the 5s and 5-1/4W are set up with different cambers.

If I had it to do again there would be less BU overall. Still figuring out where the woodie jointer fits in. At the very least it enables the 7 to permanently have a reduced bed angle.

[Patrick Chase]

My #6s get also do a lot of the work.

For a useless size, according to Patrick Leach, it gets a lot of use.

jtk

That's sooo subjective. For a long time I agreed with Leach, but I find myself using my 6 more and more. It's in a sweet spot for a lot of mid-sized furniture. So yeah, I agree, but I also see how somebody could feel differently.

[steven c newman]

I think I'll just sit and watch.....maybe later, after a nap, I might go and use a couple of mine......

[Patrick Chase]

Isn't it interesting how many of us have invested in smoothers? How many does one need ... but we still find room for more. Jointers and jacks are much more relevant planes in terms of importance, but they don't get the love. Smoothers are the glamour planes, and fine shavings are still the desire of many.

"Importance" is a difficult thing to quantify. The smoother is the last plane to touch the wood and determines the final finish if you don't sand or scrape (and there are valid reasons to avoid both if you can), so by that criterion it's the most important. OTOH it does the least "real work" which I think is what you were driving at?

Another thing with smoothers is that there are a LOT of variables that one may want to vary as a function of wood and work: Size, bed angle, cap iron setback, cap iron face angle/profile, blade profile, etc. It's really easy to accumulate a pile of planes in the name of "convenience", i.e. not having to futz with finicky adjustments or swap parts continuously. That's also true of other planes, but IMO many of those adjustments become more critical in a smoother.

At least, that's how I rationalized my accumulation.

[Daniel Rode]

Even though I only have one smoother, I'd like another. Mostly I'd like a lighter vintage smoother because... it's lighter. It's important in the sense that it's the tool I use for fine tuning. For me, it's the precision tool out of the bunch.

[steven c newman]

How many planes do I have? Hmmm, as long as the one I am using is sharp and tuned WHEN Ineed it, should be enough.
Oh, well, here we go...
#33 Scrub plane...1
#3 ( and the #8) smoothers...4
#4 ( and the No.9 ones)smoothers...4, plus a #035
#5-1/4( aka No.11) Junior jack...1
#5 jack plane......5 counting a Sargent/Fulton #3416
#5-1/2 Jumbo jack....1
#6 Fore plane....1
#7 Jointer plane.....3, plus an Ohio Tool co. #81, 22" long woodie, and a Stanley #29
#8?....Right now, it is a Stanley #31

BU planes? That would be the block planes, as even my #45 is BD.

Currently using a Stanley 5-1/2. Then will go to the #4 to smooth things out.

Trying to keep things in balance...planewise. I size the plane to the job, not the other way around.

[Jim Koepke]

BU planes? That would be the block planes, as even my #45 is BU.

Auh Steven, the only time a #45 is BU is if it is laying on its back.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Shhhhh! Say that too loud, and L-N will try to make one of the #45s as a BU, then everybody will fall in love with it....

[Kees Heiden]

Jointer:jack:smoother=3:6:5

[Scott DelPorte]

1 jointer
1 jack
3 smoothers (#3, #4.5, BU smoother)

[Joe Kasier]

#4 converted to a scrub.
#5 1/2 jack
22" wooden plane I use for jointing.
Another #4 for smoothing.

I do want to pick up a coffin smoother for no other reason that I hear good things about them.

I do have an old #3..well, OK, only the body and frog. Someone gave it to me, and I don't know what to do with it. Any ideas? I thought about mounting the frog to some wood and making my own "Transitional" plane.

[Jim Koepke]

I do have an old #3..well, OK, only the body and frog. Someone gave it to me, and I don't know what to do with it. Any ideas? I thought about mounting the frog to some wood and making my own "Transitional" plane.

I would find the parts needed to put it back in service.

Some would make infill parts for the handles and make an infill plane out of it.

jtk

[Ray Selinger]

The numbers of #5s and #4s, are easy to account for, 5 or 10 dollars buys a repairable one.

[Kees Heiden]

Are you now going to calculate the average ratios of jointer, jack, smoother ownership, Derek?

Who knows, you could find a golden mean somewhere and write a book about it. :D

[James Pallas]

Think of all that coin of the realm wasted. Someone said you need just one #4.:D
Jim
P.s. That's what my wife says also

[John Schtrumpf]

2 smoothers (#3, sbus)
2 jacks (5¼w, bu rabbet)
1 #6 (hiding in back of my tool chest)
1 #31 (collecting dust on a shelf)
1 scrub (collecting dust on a shelf)

[Chuck Hart]

I had to check because everything is everywhere while I move into my shop extension. So far:
1 #3
3 #4
1 #41/2
3 #6 (my favorite and most used)
2 #8
4 Block planes (Bu and BD)
Do we count router planes (3) or plough planes ( 1 Wood and 1 Steel)
1 Shooting Plane.

That is all I could find but didn't include rabbet planes

[Paul Sidener]

There must be something wrong with me. I have 1 #5, 1 #7 and 1 #4. I don't mind changing settings. I guess I have what I need, and don't see a reason to buy more.

[David Carroll]

I'm beginning to think I'm a coll*ctor... I have:

1 LN No. 1, 1 Stanley No.2, 2 Stanley No 3, a LN No 4 and a Sargent 409, 2 Stanley No 5s, a Sargent No 6 equivalent (I don't recall their number for it) and 2 No 7 Jointers. Some of these I've had for 30 years or more. I have a dozen or more specialty planes, 45, 46, 78, etc. a dozen block planes and maybe a hundred or more woodies, including a set of Clark and Williams bench planes, jack, coffin smoother, jointer, panel raiser and a set of match planes. I bought a mid 19th Century tool chest from the Merchant of Ashby a decade ago and it had a full set of beautiful old bench planes, ploughs and some molding planes.

I've used every single plane I own, though some just to say I did. Mostly I use the Stanleys and the C & W. I keep thinking I should sell off some of them, but I like them all. I just keep building more tool chests.

[Stew Hagerty]

Modern Stanley Sweetheart Block Plane
Modern Stanley Sweetheart LA Block Plane
Lie Nielsen LA Rabbeting Block Plane
Veritas LA Block Plane w/Optional Tote & Knob
Vintage Stanley Scrub Plane
Vintage Stanley #3
Vintage Stanley #4
Modern Stanley Sweetheart #4
Vintage Stanley #4 1/2
Veritas BU Smoother
Vintage Stanley #5 1/4
ECE Jack Plane
Vintage Stanley #5
Modern Stanley Sweetheart #63 LA Jack
Vintage Stanley #5 1/2
Vintage Stanley #6
Vintage Stanley #7
Vintage Stanley #8
ECE Jointer Plane
Veritas Shooting Plane
Vintage Stanley #12 1/2 Scraper Plane
Plus various shoulder planes, LV Small Plow, LV Skew Rabbet, LV Router Plane, Misc. Vintage Stanley Planes, & a wide range of vintage woodies.

I enjoy using my hand planes and DO use them as often as possible. I absolutely LOVE my Veritas BU Smoother, my Vintage Stanley #5, and my Vintage Stanley #8. I use them more than any others.

[Jim Koepke]

There must be something wrong with me. I have 1 #5, 1 #7 and 1 #4. I don't mind changing settings. I guess I have what I need, and don't see a reason to buy more.

Paul, you have the classic 'can do it all' set. Even if you are using rough cut lumber you can 'scrub' it with the #5 set up with a straight blade and go from there.

Some of us just feel we need more options.

Hmmm, should I scrub this with a 3" or a 6" cambered blade...

By the time we figure that one you are likely already getting it flat with the #7 and heading on to the smoothing.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Actually, some of us are out of control.:)

I only have a #3 bailey, #4 bailey, 604, 605, #5, #5 1/2, #6, 607, bu smoother, bu jack, 2 plows, 2 rabbits, and numerous block planes.

You can see that I am in complete control.

[Paul Sidener]

Paul, you have the classic 'can do it all' set. Even if you are using rough cut lumber you can 'scrub' it with the #5 set up with a straight blade and go from there.

Some of us just feel we need more options.

Hmmm, should I scrub this with a 3" or a 6" cambered blade...

By the time we figure that one you are likely already getting it flat with the #7 and heading on to the smoothing.

jtk

It really is. A basic set of planes with a couple extra irons and you can get a lot of work done. I learned that when I was a little guy, from my grandfather. I do most of my work the way he showed forty something years ago. I would like a bronze LN #4 with a high angle frog, someday. I love the way it looks.

[Patrick Chase]

By the time we figure that one you are likely already getting it flat with the #7 and heading on to the smoothing.
jtk

Truer words have seldom been spoken. I myself am stuck on the "admit I have no power over my addiction" step. It's a one-step program you see.

I keep trying to convince my wife that it's a relatively benign form of midlife crisis.

[Paul Saffold]

Stanley:
1 - #8
1 - #7
1 - #5
1 - #5 1/4, setup w/ heavy camber as scrub
1 - #4


1 - Veritas BU jack


home made Krenov style:
1 - high angle smoother
1 - jack


Of these the one I use the most is the home made jack and the V. BU jack and the 7 and the 4 and …:D

[James Pallas]

There must be something wrong with me. I have 1 #5, 1 #7 and 1 #4. I don't mind changing settings. I guess I have what I need, and don't see a reason to buy more.
Paul nothing at all wrong with your kit. You can have all the planes you are going to need or use on your bench at the same time. They're right there within reach, definite advantage.
Jim

[Frank Martin]

Here are mine:

2 #3 (LN and a Stanley)
2 #4 (Veritas Custom and a Stanley)
1 #4 1/2 (Veritas BU Smoother)
1 #5 (Veritas Custom)
1 #5 1/1 (Veritas BU Jack)
1 #7 (Veritas Custom

Specialty planes such as shoulder and rabbets
About 6-7 block planes (LN and Veritas)

I mostly use the #4 size and blocks as I am a hybrid woodworker.

[Frederick Skelly]

1 jointer, 3 jacks, 5 smoothers

[Tim Cooper Louisiana]

1 LV custom #7
1 LV LA Jack
1 LV DX60 Block
1 LV skew block

I don't own a smoother yet, so I'm skewing the results :)

[James Waldron]

Maybe a little change of pace: several years ago, I was presented with a gift of 3 planes, brand new, inexpensive: Anant #3, Anant #5, and Anant #7.

Because of the gift, and even more because of the gift-giver, I set out to turn these into good users.

One blade wouldn't hold and edge and had to be replaced. The other two aren't great, but the do work for a bit once sharpened. I haven't gotten around to replacement blades yet (these aren't my first-line workers) so when I use them, I sharpen a bit more often than with better blades.

Two needed a good bit of flattening of the sole in the important areas; the third was pretty close and a modest flattening effort was all it needed.

The frogs didn't seat well on all three. The base bearings were nice and flat, but the frog had been poorly finished. Took some time on the stones to correct that and get the frog seated well.

The bedding of the blades was unsound and a lot of chatter was evident. Flattening and polishing the bed on the frog cured that (mostly).

The blades had hollow backs and took a bit of effort to flatten and polish. Nothing out of the ordinary there, of course.

The chip breaker had a rough ground seat against the blade and let shavings in between the breaker and blade on almost every stroke. Flattened that. That also ended the remaining tendency to chatter.

The leading edge of 2 of the chip breakers (No. 3 and no. 5) was waaaay too blunt, causing shavings to "accordion" and jam the mouth (once the breaker was properly seated on the blade, as above). As a guesstimate, I suspect that instead of a nice 40-50 degree angle, I started with something like 60-65 degrees, pinching the mouth and pushing the shavings against the wear. (Even with the breaker set back to ~1.5mm, the no. 5 mouth clogged pretty quickly.) Grinding the leading edge to ~40 degrees took care of that and eliminated the "accordion music." Did the same with the no. 7 as well so I could use it with a close set breaker at times. Once fixed, ejection was consistently good.

With the no. 3, the lever cap kept popping loose in use. Turned out the lever cap screw was too long and prevented the cap from being as tight as needed. Ground about 1 mm from the tip; problem solved.

With all the work done, the three planes are quite decent performers. I still use them a bit. I don't have another No. 3, so as a small smoother for tiny areas of tear-out, it gets some use. On the other hand, it's more recently been largely usurped by a shop-made coffin smoother with a 60 degree bed.

For those who know what they're doing, inexpensive planes may sometimes be a worthwhile trade of sweat equity for higher cost LN or Veritas planes. But it's a lot of work to get these things all the way to the level of performance we all want.

On the other hand, inexpensive tools are most often marketed and sold to newbies trying to make an inexpensive start in the craft. These are people who don't know how or why any of the forgoing steps should be taken. Indeed, many of them won't recognize that these are not effective working tools right out of the box or even that they should sharpen the blade.

Here, I think, is the key to preserving the exclusivity of our guild, by misleading those who might aspire to join our ranks and dilute the awe we inspire in the unskilled public. What better way to run off these self-chosen usurpers than to give them to understand that the tools of the craft are beyond their understanding and capabilities!

[Patrick Chase]

[plane rehab description snipped]

On the other hand, inexpensive tools are most often marketed and sold to newbies trying to make an inexpensive start in the craft. These are people who don't know how or why any of the forgoing steps should be taken. Indeed, many of them won't recognize that these are not effective working tools right out of the box or even that they should sharpen the blade.

Here, I think, is the key to preserving the exclusivity of our guild, by misleading those who might aspire to join our ranks and dilute the awe we inspire in the unskilled public. What better way to run off these self-chosen usurpers than to give them to understand that the tools of the craft are beyond their understanding and capabilities!

I think a lot of it comes down to dedication (or masochism). The amount of work you were willing to do to salvage those planes required a significant investment of time, which others may not care to make.

I have a colleague who's a pretty skilled Norm-ite woodworker. Like me his formal training was in mechanical engineering, and he has a solid understanding of mechanical design and processes. He is undoubtedly technically capable of doing everything you listed.

I was visiting his shop a while back and saw a (new, plastic handled, "contractor"-grade) Stanley #4 with disastrously tuned blade and cap iron. He'd gone to the trouble of lapping the base flat, but the plane was unusable. I volunteered to fix the iron, and did the usual rehab drill: Ground off the severely dubbed tip of the blade, flattened the back, reground the bevel, sharpened/honed/bevel-tricked, flattened the cap iron mating surface, reprofiled the cap iron face, etc. It took over an hour.

His first question was something along the lines of "Oh my God, how long did THAT take". He was still leery after I explained which costs are one-time (almost all) vs recurring. It's clear that he doesn't view the incremental benefits of hand-tool woodworking as worth that sort of hassle/investment. I know a few other people with similar opinions as well.

[paul cottingham]

2 jointers (1 bevel up, 1 bevel down) 2 jacks (1 bevel up 1 bevel down) 2 smothers, both bevel down. 2 block planes 1 high angle, 1 low angle apron plane.
I also have a plow and moving fillister.
The bevel downs were planes that someone gave me. Funny how people here you are "one of those guys" and people start giving you stuff.

[David Dalzell]

I have a Stanley 7, 2 Stanley 5s, Stanley 4, 4 shop made jointers between 8 and 18 inches, one Veritas bevel up smoother, 4 shop made smoothers. Plus a number of commercial block planes, shop made block planes and various specialty planes. (i.e. moving fillister, plough, groving, etc. I use them all.

[James Waldron]

I think a lot of it comes down to dedication (or masochism). The amount of work you were willing to do to salvage those planes required a significant investment of time, which others may not care to make.

[snip]
She is well worth the time. And I get to lick her boots if I am a good boy. :rolleyes:

[Luke Dupont]

Ratio?

...I own one plane :D

Okay, I own one smoother, and I have just got a jointer that has been in the family. I also own several block planes that I'm not counting.

Mostly I do small projects, so I haven't had a need for a large plane yet aside from building work benches. I would like a Jack, but I'm hesitant to collect more tools because I might be moving overseas in the not so distant future.

[Allen Hunt]

2 Jacks, a BD & BU; 2 Jointers No. 7 & No. 8; Two smothers a BD & BU.

Allen

[Jim Koepke]

I think a lot of it comes down to dedication (or masochism). The amount of work you were willing to do to salvage those planes required a significant investment of time, which others may not care to make.

[snipped]

His first question was something along the lines of "Oh my God, how long did THAT take". He was still leery after I explained which costs are one-time (almost all) vs recurring. It's clear that he doesn't view the incremental benefits of hand-tool woodworking as worth that sort of hassle/investment. I know a few other people with similar opinions as well.

Time and money are relative. If one has oodles of money to spend on new "working right out of the box" tools, more power to them.

On the other hand, restoring an old plane to its youthful glory is something to consider. One learns a lot about the working of a plane and how to troubleshoot future problems one might have with a plane.

I used to work at a transit agency. One of my co-workers was a power tool only woodworker. His woodworking came to a stop when his planer blades became dull or nicked. Power tools need to be set up just as much as hand tools, it is just a different kind of set up.

One of my most rehabbed planes is a Stanley/Bailey type 7, #7. It cost me $21.25 and a replacement blade that was already in my collection of spare parts. Add to that the cost of a bit of citric acid and some spray paint. It is hard for me to imagine a brand new jointer from either of our favorite makers giving me more satisfaction.

Here is the story of that plane:

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

Wow, that was 7 years ago.

Only a few of my bench planes from #3 to #8 and a #10-1/4 didn't require some rehab. The most expensive was a #8 at $50.

I enjoy my accumulation of planes. If it were limited to LN or LV, it wouldn't be nearly as much of an accumulation.

jtk

[Glen Canaday]

Mine are 99% Millers Falls, but I'll give the numbers in Stanley-speak:

3 #2
3 #3
3 #4
6 #5 (includes MF, MF-made Fulton, Stanley, Ohio, and Gage...the Ohio very much cries out for rehab due to that giant thick tapered iron it has, and the Stanley two-tone is set for scrub duty)
1 #6
1 #7 (but many have been in my shop)
1 #8
1 #4 1/2
2 #5 1/2
1 #5 1/4 (set up as scrub)
1 #31 transitional jointer
1 #30 transitional jointer
1 #3-sized coffin woodie
1 unknown woodie jack
1 unknown razee woodie jack

I do not know how many block planes. Seriously. I know what's in there, but not the hard count.

3 actual scrubs, MF 9 1/2, 10 1/2, Stanley 40. I really don't use these, mostly because my stock just doesn't need them. Annd..I hate how I have to overtighten the knobs to get the irons to stay put.

These numbers do not count the craftsman garbage planes I got before I knew what I was looking for.

One day I swear I will downsize. I just don't know what I can stomach getting rid of. I only actually use about 5 of these.

[peter Joseph]

Good lord.

Full set of stanley's (minus #1),
Almost a full set of standard transitionals,
Liberty Bell transitionals,
I went through a coffin smoother phase so 15-20 of those,
LA contemporary Stanley SW,
Record 4 1/2 and 5
10+ wooden jacks and smoothers,
monster double razee jointer just because,

and a bronze LN #4 that I use for pretty much everything :D

[Andy McKenzie]

In my tool chest, I have:

- 24" transitional jointer, most likely a Siegley (That's who made the iron, anyway.)
- Stanley #5
- Stanley #4, mostly used with a shooting board
- Stanley #3
- 2 block planes: one is a Craftsman, and I don't recall what the other is.


All of the Stanleys were my paternal grandfather's, the block planes were from my father, and I believe the jointer was my maternal grandfather's. So those will all be kept even if I stop using them and they get moved out of the tool chest.

I also have a Miller's Falls #5 equivalent, which is waiting to be rehabbed before I give it away, and a coffin style smoother that's in reasonable shape, but doesn't mostly get used. There's a Mujingfang 11" plane on my shelves right now, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. It may go into a portable tool kit, along with the Mujingfang plow plane and some other tools, or it may get sold.


My current shop is 6'x6', plus a 4'x18"x6' shelf unit, so I really don't have space to accumulate duplicate tools at the moment. I also have a pair of combination planes (one Craftsman/Sargent, one Fulton), of which one has been packed up to be sold to a friend, and a bunch of joinery and molding planes.

[Tom Stenzel]

My arsenal:

#4 1 Stanley Bailey
#5 2 One Sargent made Craftsman, one Groz
#7 1 Stanley Bailey

Total cost for all: $48. All needed some work except for the Groz which needed a lot of work. If I spend any more money it'll be for sharpening stones. I'm done collecting.

-Tom