If you could have only 4 to 5 planes...

[Grant Vanbokklen]

Please this question should exclude boutique planes and high priced collectables. And should include only planes that do not go above the price range of modern Lee Valley/Veritas and Lie Nielsen planes. Old planes can be included only if they don't go above the price of a moderns like LV/LN planes.

If you could have only 4 to 5 planes...

Which planes would you have?

edit: please include maker and year/type/model/etc if your including older planes. And if you can, average price if older.

[gary Zimmel]

My 5 would be

1. # 60 1/2 adjustable mouth block plane

2. # 140 skew block plane (left handed)

3. # 4 1/2 smooth plane

4. # 5 1/2 bench plane with york pitch

5. # 8 jointer plane

Just me but they would all be LN

[Jameel Abraham]

1. #7 jointer
2. #4 smoothing
3. Low angle block plane
4. Medium-size shoulder plane
5. Bevel up bench plane (164 or LV equivalent) for smoothing difficult grain or larger end grain work (shooting board or miter shoot work)

[Mike Henderson]

1. Good low angle block plane. I like the LN 60 1/2 and the 102.
2. Medium shoulder plane. The LV is the absolute best.
3. #3 bench plane. I have a couple and use the Vaughan & Bushnell the most. I grab this one when I want more than a block plane but not a smoother.
4. #4 or #4 1/2 for smoothing, or a low angle smoother from LN or LV
5. #6 or #7 for jointing

Mike

[Stephen Shepherd]

Wooden Toothing plane, which I have
Small wooden coffen smoother, do
Wooden Jack plane, do
Wooden Scrub plane, do
Early metal miter plane, which I don't have.

Stephen

[Jim Koepke]

If all but 5 of my planes had to leave the shop, the ones to stay would be

No. 7

A hard choice here for a smoother from No. 3, 4, 4-1/2 or a 5.

Would then have to choose between the 60-1/2 or the 65-1/2 for a block plane.

Now it gets hard.

No. 90

A No. 55.

There are a few family heirlooms that do not get used.
I like my 45s, but the 55 can do all they do and more, it is just handy to be able to set up for different cuts with different tools.

IMO, 5 is not really enough. Of course, I am still occasionally buying planes and it is not because they are absolutely needed, but they are not bought if it isn't thought they can be used.

jim

[Dan Barr]

1. LN rabbeting block plane
-- This will serve for a block plane, rabbet plane and a shoulder plane. (most versatile)

(hold any plane at a skewed angle if you need a skew plane. no need to buy an actual skew plane.)

2. LN 4 1/2 smooth plane with high angle frog

3. LN 5 jack plane if youre prepping wood by hand, if not, a 5 1/2 bench plane.
4. LN 7 or 8 jointer

5. This on is up to you.

I think these four will do you just fine for most things. if your more neander, then maybe you'll want a LN iron miter plane.

ciao,

dan

[Billy Chambless]

Hmm... I can answer in terms of which planes spend the least time on the shelves:

All

1. #5 (type 19, probably mid-1950's, $30 or $35, Hock blade and chip breaker, another $55)
2. #60 1/2 (not sure of the age, $40)
3. #3 (type 13, 1225-1928, $30)
4. #7 (type 7, 1893-1899, $60 + Hock chip breaker, $25)
5. #4 (type 17, 1941, $25)

I'll qualify the above by saying I've never used a shoulder plane (which most people seem to be listing), and suspect I'd find one pretty useful.

And... as others have said, it's a tough choice, especially as I plan to accumulate a number of molding planes before long. The 5 listed above, though, are the ones that are sure to be used on every project, at least the way I've been doing things lately.

[Kevin French]

5 #1s, Then sell them amd I could have all the planes I wanted.

[Phillip Pattee]

Budget has driven my tool acquisition more than numbers, but if I had to limit my planes to 5 I would buy versatile ones.

Lee Valley Veritas bevel up smoother,

bevel up jack,

and bevel up jointer.

The blades on these are interchangeable and you can get different pitches that will eliminate the need for a specific plane with a high angle frog.

I would get the Lee Valley Veritas low angle block plane.

And for number 5 I would get the Lee Valley medium shoulder.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

1. 60-1/2R rabbet block plane - LN
2. #4 smooth plane - vintage Stanley with Hock iron
3. #5 fore plane - vintage Stanley
4. #7 jointer - vintage Stanley with Hock iron
5. Wild card - candidates include #40 scrub, BU jack, or shoulder plane. Depends on what kind of work you plan on doing, and what other tools you have. My choice would be the #40.

[Alfred Cole]

My choices would be

H N T Gordon smoother with HSS blade. This is a great wooden plane with a very thick blade.

H N T Gordon try plane. As above

H N T Gordon jack plane. As above

Beauty of these planes is they are wood which has a beautiful action. The blade is set at a high cutting angle. 60 degrees, which can handle even the worst of hardwood and here in OZ we have some so hard that a nail hole has to be predrilled. The other great feature is that you can turn the blade around to ninety degrees and use it as a scraper plane. I have used them on newly laid veneer.

A block plane, either LV or LN. Mine is a mark one LN which I'd like to upgrade but it still works extremely well.

A LV low angle bevel up jack plane with two blades, the 25 degree and the fifty degree.

If I could sneak in just one more it would be the Clifton three in one. A shoulder plane, bull nose and chisel plane in one unit.

Jerry

Everyone is entitled to my opinion

[Narayan Nayar]

Grant,

It would really help to know what you want to do with your five planes. Dimension rough stock? Prep highly figured stock for finishing? Make model airplanes or fly fishing rods?

There are probably only 1 or 2 planes which should be in everyone's shop. After that the list gets more and more specific to the type of work you do.

If, like perhaps most of us (just guessing), you want to make furniture and prep already-dimensioned stock (stock dimensioned with a jointer and a planer and maybe a table saw), I'd recommend the following:


A block plane. Almost everyone above recommends a rabbet block plane; I'd agree with this, as it's very versatile. That said, I generally reach for my smaller low angle block plane first.
Low angle jack plane. This too is very versatile. Depending on how you sharpen or set it up, it can be used to take off a lot of material, flatten smaller pieces, or even smooth many different surfaces. It can also be used as a shooting plane quite nicely.
#7 or #8 jointer plane. I have an 8. I use this plane probably more than any other except for:
a 4 or or 4-1/2 smoothing plane. No surface looks as good as a planed surface. If you do highly figured wood, get a high angle frog and stick with a #4, which would be a little easier to work at a higher angle.
I'm going to cop out like everyone else and say this is your choice. :) Again, telling us a little about what you do would help immensely. Lots of mortise and tenon joinery? A shoulder plane. Lots of mitered picture frames? A shooting plane. Lots of profiled edges? A moulding plane. None of the above? How about a sharpening system for the first 4? :)

[Grant Vanbokklen]

Narayan, that list pretty much sums it up. I'd like to replace all my existing furniture with stuff I've built. And I've got some built-in's and doors that like to redo. I have done a handful of completely power project over the past couple of years. I'm just really interested in learning how to incorporate more hand tools. Block, Smoother, Jointer, Scraper, Rabbit would be nice.

[Stu Gillard]

1. 60 1/2
2. 4 1/2 - I just seem to grab this for lots of smoothing jobs
3. 6 or 7 for jointing
4. 90 variant
5. Would have to be a 45 or 55 for all the other odd jobs

[Bob Noles]

Every need is different to some degree, but here is the list that fits the way I work and smaller projects that I like to make.

LV LA Block Plane with Tote and Knob
LV LA Jack Plane
LV Fore Plane
LV LA Smoother
LN Rabbet Block Plane

With the right combintion of blades to go with these, I cannot think of anything else I would much need, and yes, I do own each of these. Your mileage may vary.

[Steve Hamlin]

Ouch, difficult. If starting with PAR stock:
1. #7 jointer - straight bladed, so can use it for shooting too (Clifton/LN/LV)
2. #4 1/2 smoother - (Clifton/LN/LV)
3. Plough - a Stanley/Record #45 for flexibility
4. Small router - LV/LN or old Record 722
5. 60 1/2 block - LN

But if working from rough sawn stock, would probably swap out the router for a #6 fore plane or #5 1/2 jack (more flexible than a scrub.)

I wouldn't put a shoulder or other rabbet plane in the top five, as chisels and plough/router cover this, and I just don't find rabbet block a good substitute for a 60 1/2 (probably my failing though)

Heck, I've swapped this around a few times now, and really would miss any of my bench planes.
But I did start out with just a #7, plough, router and block, and though I wouldn't want to go back to that setup, it does work - just more work.

Cheers
Steve

[Brian Kent]

Very often I need a high angle plane. The highest rated without getting into thousands of dollars is the $50 Rosewood plane from Lee Valley or JapanWoodworker.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50251&cat=1,41182,41187

So my 5:

LV LA Jack Plane
#4 smoother or LV LA Smoother
High Angle Rosewood
#60-1/2 or 102 block
The medium shoulder plane that I don't have yet

[Sam Yerardi]

Scrub plane
Jack plane
Smooth plane
Shoulder plane
Stanley 45 (I know, that's cheating but I use mine a lot)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Narayan, that list pretty much sums it up. I'd like to replace all my existing furniture with stuff I've built. And I've got some built-in's and doors that like to redo. I have done a handful of completely power project over the past couple of years. I'm just really interested in learning how to incorporate more hand tools. Block, Smoother, Jointer, Scraper, Rabbit would be nice.

Grant, assuming that you intend to use a hybrid approach, rather than full on Neander, I'd go with:

#1- #65 low angle block
#2- Lie-Nielsen shoulder plane, pick your size
#3-#7 or #8 jointer
#4- combine the money you'd spend on the last two, and buy a Norris smoother.

Those will handle 75% of all plane work. The other 25% requires at least a couple hundred other planes to handle. Actually, I also think you can get by without a jointer plane for most jobs. Of the planes I listed, buy the smoother first, then the low angle block and then the shoulder. Of course, I hate sanding...:D

[Wilbur Pan]

What is this idea of only having five planes that you speak of? ;)

This is going to be a bit of an oddball list, since I tend to use Japanese planes, but here goes:

1. Japanese smoothing plane. This plane has an effective blade angle of about 42 degrees, give or take. Since it references off of the infeed side, which is fairly long relative to a western plane, I can use this for edge jointing as well. I can also use this as a low angle block plane on endgrain by skewing the plane as I use it. It can also be used with a shooting board.

2. Shoulder plane. I have a Japanese version of this, but it essentially works the same as a western shoulder plane.

3. Groove plane. This is a Japanese version of a plow plane. Mine cuts a 1/4" wide groove.

4. Rabbet plane. Again, the Japanese version. The blade on this goes out to the corner of the plane to cut a rabbet.

5. I'm torn on the last one, but it would be another Japanese smoothing plane. It would either have a higher blade angle of about 47 degrees, for use on troublesome grain, or have a slightly wide mouth, for more aggressive planing like a jack plane.

6. I also have a Japanese plane designed to trim and square up the sides of a rabbet or groove which is in the running for the fifth spot.

I figure with this set of planes, you can make a case with drawers, as you'll be able to work the faces and edges of boards, make a rabbet, make a groove, make a miter, and trim tenon shoulders.

[Narayan Nayar]

Actually, I also think you can get by without a jointer plane for most jobs.

I disagree with this. Not vehemently--surely not everyone has a jointer and produces fine work. But if you're coming off power dimensioning equipment (jointer, planer, bandsaw, tablesaw), you'll have parallel and square edges but they won't necessarily be flat. Everyone is familiar with the ripples and blade marks from these tools, and though better power tools sometimes result in better surfaces, a few swipes with a jointer plane almost always ensures a better finish and a lot less work with smaller planes such as smoothers.

Of all my planes I probably use the jointer the most. It's the easiest to work with, a step I take on all power dimensioned stock, and in some woods, the surface after the jointer plane is perfectly fine. In other words, it's not like because you have a smoothing plane you'll smooth every surface, and that applies to any plane. Others may differ in their operations, but in general, I plane until I don't have to any more, and sometimes that ends after the jointer. Sometimes it goes all the way to scraping and every once in a while I break out some sandpaper.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I disagree with this. Not vehemently--surely not everyone has a jointer and produces fine work. But if you're coming off power dimensioning equipment (jointer, planer, bandsaw, tablesaw), you'll have parallel and square edges but they won't necessarily be flat. Everyone is familiar with the ripples and blade marks from these tools, and though better power tools sometimes result in better surfaces, a few swipes with a jointer plane almost always ensures a better finish and a lot less work with smaller planes such as smoothers.

Of all my planes I probably use the jointer the most. It's the easiest to work with, a step I take on all power dimensioned stock, and in some woods, the surface after the jointer plane is perfectly fine. In other words, it's not like because you have a smoothing plane you'll smooth every surface, and that applies to any plane. Others may differ in their operations, but in general, I plane until I don't have to any more, and sometimes that ends after the jointer. Sometimes it goes all the way to scraping and every once in a while I break out some sandpaper.

This is a great illustration of why there are so many planes. There is no one right way to use them. Personally, I think the job you do with the jointer plane can be, and sometimes is in my shop, accomplished by another plane. I used my Norris for this very thing several times this weekend. Usually I grab one of the #7's or #8's instead, but I was looking for a reason to use the new plane. You can also use a low angle block to good effect in this instance.

The key that I pointed out, is the use of power tools to dimension. There is probably no good way to consistantly take a live edge to a jointed edge with a smoothing plane, but when you are starting with a square, parallel edge that has a few jointer ripples, it mearly becomes a smoothing operation.

The reason I empahsised a good smoother, is that in my opinion, more time is wasted sanding all visable surfaces than jointing edges for glueing. A good smoother, that works as intended, will increase the quality of every project, while a jointers benefit is not nearly so widespread.

That being said, I can't imagine using only five planes. To be without the hollows and rounds, or the plows, or the rabbet planes, or the different pitches, would hurt my quality and productivity. No, you don't strictly need one of each plane, but I think that, the better your work becomes, the more you will appreciate specialized types of planes.

Have a good evening,

[Narayan Nayar]

That being said, I can't imagine using only five planes. To be without the hollows and rounds, or the plows, or the rabbet planes, or the different pitches, would hurt my quality and productivity. No, you don't strictly need one of each plane, but I think that, the better your work becomes, the more you will appreciate specialized types of planes.


QFT.

I remember when I was first getting into planes and I asked someone, could have been Deneb, which planes I should start off with. His response? It's just like buying a power tools. You could just get a bandsaw and a tablesaw and try to do everything with those. They'll do some things really well, some things not so well, and some things not at all. So then you get more tools to cut or work wood in different ways.

In the end the tools you end up with are generally the tools which suit the way you work and what you work on. And then some, for the work you thought you might have done or still think you may get around to doing someday :)

[Randal Stevenson]

Probably the 5 I own,

Number 65 low angle block
LN 40 1/2 scrub
in the Bailey line, #4, #5, #7


I also have a Sargent made Craftsman #4, and Gramps 103 block (recently found buried in a foot locker)

[Michael Gibbons]

#8

#6

#4 1/2

##60 1/2 la adj mouth

#60 1/2 R or shoulder plane

scrub

[Marcus Ward]

I agree with almost everyone here, the planes you really need seem to rise to the top of the list every time. Here are mine, I think it'll probably be slightly more than 5:

#60 1/2
#4 1/2
#7
#93 (actually a lee valley large shoulder plane)
#113 (indispensable for anything curved, I use mine a LOT)
#62 (Actually a lee valley bevel up jack).

Okay, so it's actually 6, but those 6 I use a lot, almost every project.

I would have put a 140 in but since I got the large shoulder plane I use it a lot less.

[Charles Shenk]

block plane (the Lie Neilson rabbit style one)
scrub plane
#4 smoothing plane
low angle/bevel up jack plane
#7 jointer

[Will Blick]

Some great responses.... so i won't reiterate much, but reinforce a few basic premises for anyone in the plane market today...

LV provided interchangeable BU blades for their Jointer, Jack and Smoother for a good reason, cause these are the most common planes used. And with 3 interchangeable blades, you have up to 9 different planes, or at least 6 if you consider the low angle and the high angles as two distinct planes. Although, a high angle options offered above from LV (which I never used) is not a bad option when high angle is needed. Again, a lot relates to the type of work you are doing.

The Jointer plane IMO is one of the most useful planes, IF you do a lot of side grain blue ups. A power jointer is very useful tool, but a well tuned jointer plane assures a super smooth, flat and square edge for table top glue-ups. This is a case IMO where a hand tool can provide the finishing touch which a power tool just can't achieve as accurately.

Block planes are probably the most usable plane of all, as they are small, handy and have a million uses. Once again, I like versatility.... a LV Low Angle block can be combined with the LV chamfer accessory to easily take the corners off boards, very useful, and it becomes two tools in one. In addition, you can buy the handle kit for the LV Low Angle block plane, and if you work on small projects, it will suffice as an excellent smoother.

The rest of the planes mentioned are more specific use planes, and this relates to the type of work you do.

Regardless of the planes you buy, IMO, the key to enjoying planes and making them perform flawlessly is to use them with ultra sharp blades. (of course the plane mechanics must be right) And this requires sharpening skills. I never had a full appreciation for hand planes till a year ago, when I finally mastered sharpening, and I mean really sharpening.... with all my edges so highly refined, they can double as a mirror. A bit extreme, but gosh the planes are a joy to use.

[Glenn Shotwell]

I've been reading "David Charlesworth's Furniture-making Techniques A Guide to Hand Tools and Methods" that I got from my local library. In this book he starts off by giving a list of hand tools recommendations to have.

He breaks it down into three groups; Bench plane, Low angle block plane, Large shoulder plane.

If you have a machine planer he recommends starting with a #5 or #5 1/2, and add later a #7 or #8 if you do larger work. The LN 5 1/2 being at the top of the list in this category. If price is an issue a tuned up Stanley or Record, with a LN or Hock blade. Sound like the A2 blade is preferred. He also tuned up a 5 1/2 to be a super smoother.

A 60 1/2 tuned up with a Hock or LN blade. Or again the LN version at the top. A 20 degree block plane can be added later.

He says a large shoulder plane might be all you ever need. He says he started with a 311 but it never really worked that well and again the LN version is his choice. A spokeshave LN Boggs model, or Stanley/Record if price is consideration. A Stanley #80 Scraper with a Hock upgrade.

I recommend checking out this book if your seeking more insight into hand tools.

[Andrew Homan]

1. #7 with slightly cambered blade

2. Rabbet plane with moveable fence and nicker, like a #78

3. Plow plane like a Record #044

4. #5 or wooden jack with heavily cambered blade

5. #4

[Tom Stovell]

1. #7
2. #4
3. 5 1/2 (Low angle block plane)
4. Medium-size shoulder plane
5. Bevel up bench plane (164 or LV equivalent) for smoothing difficult grain or larger end grain work (shooting board or miter shoot work)

This would be my list, too, with the change I made to from the block to the 5 1/2--all type 11 or earlier. I like those low knobs; and a 'C' or two for style points.

Tom