Two Favorite Planes

[ken hatch]

I have two planes that are used on every project. The first is a Stanley #5 with a thin iron and a Jack plane camber. There are several other #5's in the till that have different cambers and a couple or three wood stock Jack planes that also come out to play but this #5 is used on every project. The other is a small shop made wood stock with a Hock cutter. It is small and shaped to be used in either hand as well as either push or pull. Great for when you just need to remove a local 1000th or so and perfect for breaking edges.

Today I was prepping the last board for the table slab glue up. There was a little light showing on one end. After looking carefully it appeared the bottom board's end was a thin one high. With the little wood stock a local 1000th or so was removed and the joint was good.

432589

What are your two indispensable planes?

ken

[Jim Koepke]

Though my #5s do a lot of work, often the first planes to come off the shelf is a #6 (type 4 & 9) and the final finishing is done with a #3 (both type 13).

Next favorite would be low angle block planes.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Can I have three or four? My apron plane (I actually have two, a LN102 and the LV, with one a gift and I like them equally), my LN low angle jointer (nothing gets built without it-or my 607, without its use).

Runner ups in no order: my large router plane, my large LN shoulder plane, my edge plane, my #3's and my #4's, my LAJ.

[ken hatch]

Tony, You are cheating :D, I guess I asked the wrong question. If your shop was on fire and you just had time to grab one tool which would it be. For me it would be the little wood stock because it would be the hardest to replace. If I had time for two the second would be my Hard Black Arkansan polishing stone.

ken

[Tony Zaffuto]

Tony, You are cheating :D, I guess I asked the wrong question. If your shop was on fire and you just had time to grab one tool which would it be. For me it would be the little wood stock because it would be the hardest to replace. If I had time for two the second would be my Hard Black Arkansan polishing stone.

ken

Well, Ken, the fire extinguisher is as easy to reach as my plane cabinet! If a plane, the LN 102. If another tool, then my Stanley 199 utility knife (have had it over 50 years), or maybe my Lufkin inside reading folding rule, or a dozen other tools, from inexpensive, such as my LV saddle square to more costly (don't mean much, but worth too much to leave behind).

Interesting thread and will be useful for determining what goes and what stays in the future!

[Stew Denton]

Ken,

I am going to ignore your revised instructions and go with your original ones.

The two planes I use the most are my 605 Bedrock that I inherited from my dad and one of my block planes. The block plane I use the most is my Stanley 60 1/2, but I would keep the old Winchester block plane that was my grandfathers. That plane can't be replaced, but I could get another 60 1/2.

The 60 1/2 is the better block plane, and because of that I use it the most as it has the adjustable mouth. That said, the Winchester is good, and I used it for years because it was my only block plane until just a few years ago.

Stew

[Jim Matthews]

ECE jack plane with replacement XHP double iron and Voigt "mini-smoother" with Hock iron.

From "hogging off" thick shavings to smoothing, to fitting miters, these two planes get most tasks done.

[Scott Winners]

We had what turned out to be an inversion instead of a chimney fire a couple years ago. At the time I grabbed my most heavily customized Ruger and my 1967 Dunhill smoking pipe on my way out the door, no gloves, it was about +20dF out there waiting on the fire trucks.

I don't wish the experience on anyone. Now that I have quit smoking a pipe I would grab the same Ruger and the #5 Bailey under my bench that used to belong to my grandpa. The rest of it is just stuff.

[James Pallas]

Here are mine. Almost always near the bench.

[Jim Koepke]

Here are mine. Almost always near the bench.

You must be a better man than me Jim. My #75s never really worked well for me. Though that was before me skill with adjusting blades on woodies was developed.

jtk

[Oskar Sedell]

my double iron Jack and Try planes I made. (Both posted here before). Used for almost any project.

[Ralph Boumenot]

My go to planes number three and all are Stanleys. A 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and a 3.

[Rob Luter]

My LN #102 gets used on everything I make so from a utility perspective I guess that makes it a favorite. As to the next in line, that depends on what I'm doing. My #62 sees duty as a jack and a small joiner. It's a handy tool. My #4 does lots of jobs and makes a good small smoother. My #4 1/2 is set up for light smoothing and is a joy to use.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm....which to choose, which to choose...
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[Ben Ellenberger]

One no.5 and another no.5. The one that isn’t so shiny is set up as a jack. The one that is a little more shiny is set up with a pretty straight blade and tight cap iron. I have a nice smoother, but most of the time these two are all I need.

i may clean up the not so shiny one some day, but I kind of like how it looks.

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[Tim Whitley]

Stanley SH #6 and LN 60 1/2 block plane.

[Chris Fournier]

I have to cheat here, I mean two favourite planes? C'mon. There's no doubt that my LN 102s see every job and they fit in my hands so well. If I could have only one bench plane it would be my LN #7 as it can do everything. There's something about taming a huge slab with my LN scrub plane. Reaching for my Butt Mortise plane on site work installing doors always makes me smile. And of course I must mention my little LN 1/2" bronze infill shoulder plane, when there's joinery going on it's a trusty sidekick.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have to cheat here, I mean two favourite planes? C'mon. There's no doubt that my LN 102s see every job and they fit in my hands so well. If I could have only one bench plane it would be my LN #7 as it can do everything. There's something about taming a huge slab with my LN scrub plane. Reaching for my Butt Mortise plane on site work installing doors always makes me smile. And of course I must mention my little LN 1/2" bronze infill shoulder plane, when there's joinery going on it's a trusty sidekick.

So in other words, whichever are working for you at the moment, are your favorites? I guess, I resemble that statement!

Maybe we ought to have a thread "what planes do you wish you never purchased"? For me, I guess my Stanley #6 and my LN small chisel plane (or is it the Woodriver 9-1/2 block plane-just too dayam uncomfortable).

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
Maybe we ought to have a thread "what planes do you wish you never purchased"? For me, I guess my Stanley #6 and my LN small chisel plane (or is it the Woodriver 9-1/2 block plane-just too dayam uncomfortable).

It is done.

jtk

[Phil Mueller]

I do believe my two most favorite planes are a Stanley type 11 #5 with a replacement LV iron and chipbreaker, and my LV shooting plane. Without those, I might as well take up knitting.

[Prashun Patel]

LN#4, Veritas BUJack. Nothing magical about either, but they've figured out how to work well in my hands. I like 'em heavy.

[Anuj Prateek]

#7 and block plane.

[Chris Fournier]

So in other words, whichever are working for you at the moment, are your favorites? I guess, I resemble that statement!

Maybe we ought to have a thread "what planes do you wish you never purchased"? For me, I guess my Stanley #6 and my LN small chisel plane (or is it the Woodriver 9-1/2 block plane-just too dayam uncomfortable).

Guilty as charged. Oh did I mention the 98 & 99 that come in handy once in a while?

[Tony Zaffuto]

Guilty as charged. Oh did I mention the 98 & 99 that come in handy once in a while?

98 & 99? My dear wife has an issue (I refuse to correct!) of searching my shop with either a LV or a LN catalog to see what I don't have! That's how I got a LN 98 & 99 (I do use them once in a while and they are useful when needed) but she also got me spare blades for each! I told her I would have to live to 200 years of age, woodworking constantly, to wear out the stock blades!

[Barney Markunas]

Tony - go buy some flowers! You are a very lucky man. My wife says “don’t you already have one of those” or “you can borrow that from Joe or John, right?”. The downside to marrying a woman whose dad taught her what tool was what...

[Tony Shea]

I guess it would be the LN 102 Bronze and the LN #7 if I had to absolutely choose. The LV Shooting plane is a close 3rd but I would true up most ends with my block plane if I had to. Overall I genuinely use almost all of my planes all of the time except a 2 or 3.

[Mike Allen1010]

My Stanley #8 jointer gets used almost every project – don't know how I would glue up panels without it. I also love my Lee Valley shooting plane. As a 95% hand tool guy it also gets used on virtually every piece in a project.

If there's a fire, I'm grabbing my grandfathers Disston #7 crosscut saw with his initials engraved in the plate.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

[...]

432589

What are your two indispensable planes?

ken

LN bevel up block and Jack planes. Jack plane with four different blades.

For me the choice was easy: besides those two LN planes I have only two very cheap planes.

[Phil Gaudio]

LN #4 and any one of my LN block planes.

[scott lipscomb]

Today, these 2: Union #8 and Stanley #4
.432947

[Derek Cohen]

Favourite planes have a sentimentality for personal reasons. I began to get serious about hand planes a little over 25 years ago. There is a story that goes with this, about "Bob's Stanley #3", which is here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Commentary/BobsStanley3.html


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Commentary/BobsStanley3_html_m24494092.jpg

The other plane to be important to me is this rather derelict-looking woodie ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20James%20Krenov%20Smoother_html_b1f38d0.jpg

However, it was made by Jim Krenov. I use it every now-and-then, just because he would have liked that.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20James%20Krenov%20Smoother_html_4f44e295.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek