Which Jack Plane?

[Adriaan Schepel]

Hi all.

After a few years of acquiring planes and chisels, I am actually starting to do some woodwork! (Okay, I've done the odd bit here and there.)

I'm pretty well tooled up on smoothers, block planes, rebate planes, scrub planes, fore planes etc. I have all of these in wood and also steel.

What I don't have is a jack plane. This probably seems a bit dumb as it's the first plane most woodworkers acquire after a block plane.

In any case, a jack plane would be jolly useful, especially as I have some rough stock to sort out.

Given that I don't intend to use it as a precision tool, but more for the preparation of rough stock, I am happy to go with cheap and cheerful (having just spent my big bucks on an LV LA smoother).

I should also stress that is in only for occasional use. I'm a hobbyist, and most of what I acquire timberwise is already dimensioned and clean and just requires smoothing. But occasionally a jack plane would be useful to have; I'm just not going to shell out hundreds of bucks for one.

As far as I can see, there are two options for a cheap-skate like me:

1/ The Stanley-Bailey No.5 or variants. I know the general advice here is to go for a pre-war plane. Can anyone tell me anything about the variants in terms of quality (Craftsman, Sargent, Millers Falls, Record etc.)? Who made which variants? What's good? What is to be avoided?

2/ The old woodie. Maybe a razee style? Maybe this is a plane I should build if I can get a decent old woodie blade (and I can). I have a few nice chunks of New Guinea rosewood in the shed, so I s'pose I could do it (tho' I lack planemaker's floats). Any plans / designs / books you would recommend? Or would I be better to just buy one off the 'Bay and clean it up? Thoughts on the size of the mouth opening?

So many questions! Look fwd to a reply or two.

Cheers from Down Under,
Adriaan

[Mike Henderson]

I'd first ask, "Why a jack plane?" The jack is, to me, sort of a compromise. If you are going to use it for smoothing, a #4 might be better, and if you're going to use it as a jointer, a longer plane might do a better job.

If you want to make furniture instead of tools, I'd recommend just buying a good older Stanley on eBay.

Mike

[Clint Jones]

Millers Falls makes a nice no.5 clone it is called the No.14 . Sargent made some nice solid earlier No.5 clones . If your preparing something rough I would start out with a No.40 scrub plane and finish it with a No.6 . As for a good jack plane I would just get an earlier Stanley No.5 and put a hock blade in it. You can contact Walt at Brass City http://www.brasscityrecords.com/51.html to get a good no.5 or I have a couple of nice older Stanley no.5's I would part with.

[Tyler Howell]

LV LA Jack is one of the best tools in my Case.
There are a lot of great #5 Stanley users out there fo $$15-35.
Every plane given to me is a #5

[Brian Blackburn]

Adriaan, I am fond of the MIllers Falls planes. The hinged lever cap does work to minimize chatter. The #11 jack is excellant for very hard woods,the #14 for most everthing else.The #15 gets less use but is good for softwoods or with the the blade backed off a bit for an intermeidiate step to trying and smoothing. I find the quality to be good on all of the planes with the hinged lever caps. I do not have experience with the economy grade planes made by Millers Falls.
Good luck, Happy Hunting
Brian

[Terry Beadle]

If you have a blade with breaker or get one in an old woodie off ebay etc.,
I would use it to build a kernov style plane but make it about 17 inches long and I would add a D handle to it. That would get you a jack that will cost very little but do a great job. It's easy to remouth too after a few years use.

I recommend a woodie as a jack first because it will work you the least. A #5 weighs quite a bit more relative to the woodie. Of course a Hock blade with a breaker or Finik's bade/breaker will really make the tool a treat. Still, cast steel pre-war blades are not hard to aquire and will take a very good edge.

I would recommend not putting your best bit of wood into it. Rock Maple works easily and its pretty tough. Beech is used a lot too. Any way, I'm just saying if you have a nice bit of rosewood, I wouldn't use it for a jack that's used for an intermediate step before smoothing.

If you don't want to make your own plane, I highly recommend Steve Knight's razee. The cost is quite a bit less than the metal options and you get the ipe sole, adjustable mouth, and some eye candy wood. Santa, are you listening?

Dems my 2 cents

[Adriaan Schepel]

A day or two after posting the initial question, I happened to stumble across a bargain while trawling the 'Bay. I got a really nice Mathieson razee-style jack plane which has been babied all its life and has a surprisingly tight mouth. I also managed to get another nice Scottish coffin smoother and two nice moulding planes - and all these together for less than $US10.

I am pretty happy with that outcome.

Thanks for the tips you offered in any case. I just couldn't pass up a set of planes like that for the money. I gave the jack plane a quick run on some maple tonight, and it's definitely a keeper!

I have to admit - despite my recent purchase of an LV low angle smoother, I am starting to like my wooden planes more and more. And of course I could start waxing lyrical about my Mujingfang planes and what a brilliant piece of work they are ...

Cheers,
Adriaan

[John Schreiber]

I got a really nice Mathieson razee-style jack plane which has been babied all its life and has a surprisingly tight mouth. I also managed to get another nice Scottish coffin smoother and two nice moulding planes - and all these together for less than $US10.
May I be the first to say You Suck. (A traditional response related to jealousy and not at all to be taken personally.)

[Wendell Wilkerson]

A tight mouth on the jack will actually be a determent to heavy stock removal which is what I think you intend to use it for, right? Clearly you should send it to me. By the way, YOU SUCK!!!

In all seriousness, if you want to surface rough stock by hand, you should check out Chris Schwarz Feb '06 Popular Woodworking article or his video called "Coarse, Medium, Fine". There's a good quote on jack planes, the gist of which is "If the sole is gnarly and the mouth is wide, you're jack plane is in perfect shape for coarse work".

Wendell

[Adriaan Schepel]

Thanks Wendell and John. It's always nice to know that I suck at something new.

I must try and get a hold of that Chris Schwarz material. I've just started reading his blog - and I really like his angles.

Cheers,
Adriaan