hand planes for a newcomer

[Jeff Monson]

I'm mostly a power tool guy and have started to recognize the importance of hand planes, Im looking for some input on a good plane for a modest price, after some internet searching I've found planes from 25 to 250 per plane.

I'd like a smoothing plane, and a shoulder plane to start with, wouldnt mind spending 150.00 or so for both.

[Greg Crawford]

Jeff,

I'm in your same situation. I've just recently started into hand planes with my first being my dad's old Stanley Handyman. I used it to learn about tuning and sharpening, with a tremendous amount of help from wonderful Creekers. I got it cutting very well, and have since gotten a Stanley 9 1/2 block plane (from a Creeker), and just got an old Stanley #5 on Ebay for $10.50 plus $12 shipping.

There's a wealth of knowledge on SMC about planes, and links to other sites as well. It really pays to do a bit of homework about planes, it can save you headaches and money. The best current manufacturers seem to be Lie Nielsen, Veritas and Clifton (from my research). The prices are high, but the low end planes may not be what you want. The older Stanleys can also be very pricey, if you get into something that has collectible value. The #5 I just got is made in England, and collectors don't seem to like that, which appears to be why it was such a good price.

No matter what, study tuning and sharpening! I want to get away from sanding as much as possible, and it takes a very sharp, well tuned plane to deliver a nice finish.

I hope that helps. Keep us posted.

Greg

[Michael Schwartz]

The key to tuning is flattening the sole, removing paint from the frog, the machined surfaces, flattening out the back of the blade, and sharpening it to a nice sharp edge.

I strongly reccomend the Handplane book by Garret Hack, This book not only covers history, the many different types of planes, tuning/sharpening, and their uses, but tells you how to use them, for joinery, smoothing, stock prep, and dimensioning.

Look up the Scarry Sharp sharpening method

Check with your local woodworking schools, or woodcraft franchises. They might have a handplane tuning class, which of course you should take your own plane.

Where to find them?

Thats a secret kept quiet amongst us galoots and Neanderthals :rolleyes:

Look at flea Markets for that box of old rusty junk under the table

There are many dealers out there who sell old tools, but be caurefull who you buy from as you can end up paying way to much too quickly. If you are buying from a dealer, make it clear you are looking for users, not mint condition stanely #1's

If you ever find a stanely #1 sell it to a collector and buy every plane Lie Nelson makes.

Be carefull on Ebay, look closely at pictures, don't be afraid to ask the seller for more, and don't buy from sellers with negative feedback. Also, another secret of Ebay and Handplanes is just don't bit more than 25 or 30 bucks. You will loose alot of auctions, but you will eventualy get lucky, and if for 20 bucks, the plane comes craked from misshandeling durring shipping, the rosewood handles, blade, screws, frog, lever cap, and whatever parts survive, are easily going to be worth more than what you paid for it.

[Jim Becker]

You also want a nice block plane...you'll find yourself picking it up "a lot". My preference is a low angle adjustable mouth version, but others like the "regular" type.

[Michael Schwartz]

You also want a nice block plane...you'll find yourself picking it up "a lot". My preference is a low angle adjustable mouth version, but others like the "regular" type.

You can never have just one block plane, its a slippery slope :rolleyes: Fedex is delivering #6, a LN low angle adjustable throat block plane tomorrow.

In general the low angle block planes are going to be more versitle. The reason beeing is for one the low angle pitch of the blade, combined with a low angle bevvle on the blade produces a slicing cut which is ideal for end grain. By adding a secondary bevle or micro bevvle to that Iron, you can produce a steeper cutting angle. The bed angle, say 12 degrees, plus the angle of the blade, say 45 degrees produces what is called the combined angle.
I ordered my LN Low angle block with an extra blade to setup at a 45 or 50 degre cuttign angle for hardwoods, and I am going to keep the stock blade, at 25 degrees, for a combined angle of 37, for planing end-grain. I will probably add a 1 degree micro-bevel to increase the durability of the edge by making ig more acute in comparison to the rest of the bevel.

[Jim Becker]

Michael, my block plane is the L-N you just ordered. It's a sweet tool...even for a primarily tailed-woodworker like me!

[Randal Stevenson]

I started out with an inherited Stanley Defiance #5. I was told it wasn't a good plane, or worth much, but I started learning to sharpen with it, and played around with cleanup methods.
I got a call one day from some garagesaleaholics (relatives), that there were some planes for sale there. I got there as quick as I could, and just beat an old timer to them. I picked up a Baily #5, #7, and Craftsman (Sargent), #4 for $25 (all of them). Also picked up a few other things (drawknife dad had been looking for, some old blacksmith tools for my brother). The planes were the cheapest. I cleaned them all, but haven't got them all sharpened (ever cut yourself with one from working tired, you'll remember) as I planed my finger. :eek:

Told my mom to look for a 6" plane (as technical as she could handle), and she bought me ($7 birthday present) a #65 knuckle joint.
Worked a bunch extra, and was bought a LN 40 1/2 with the 15% discount at Woodcraft last weekend.
Brother called me and said he found a block plane (#103?), rusty in an old toolbox of gramps (he kept the Bailey #4 he's used over the years), that I can have (not sure if it's cleanable)
Still need the Garret Wade book, but I am considering a Woodcraft class, learn on the old, then start replacing with Hock blades.

All this, because I wanted to learn and clean up, gramps #5. LOL

[Mike Cutler]

You also want a nice block plane...you'll find yourself picking it up "a lot". My preference is a low angle adjustable mouth version, but others like the "regular" type.

Yep'. I have a 60 1/2, a 102 and a 103, and two flea market block planes. Sometimes they all seem to be in action.

[Michael Schwartz]

Block planes can't do much for truing stock, but a good one such as a LN or Veritas can be great as a small smoother, and they are are usefull for a million random things that you endounter day to day.

If you are going to have one quality Lie Neilson or Veritas Plane, get a good adjustible throat low angle bock blane.

Add to that a nice old Stanely # 4 and 5, and tune them well.

[Mike Bryan]

If you get the LN smoother, make sure it has the bedrock frame. Allows you to adjust the mouth opening without taking the blade out.

[Bart Leetch]

Michael, my block plane is the L-N you just ordered. It's a sweet tool...even for a primarily tailed-woodworker like me!


Gee Gentleman Jim I thought you got rid of your tail.:eek: :D