Please advise

[Anchul Axelrod]

OK, first a confession, since as a Pastor, confession is good for the soul. So here goes . . . I AM A TOOL JUNKIE!:D

OK, with that out of the way, I have a question I would really like your help with. Let me state that I am not a Neanderthal. Up to now, quite the opposite. Just to share the basics, 5 HP Sawstop, 12" Grizzley Jointer, 20" Powermatic Planer with Byrd spiral cutter head and a Performax 16/32. Now the reason a mention the Performax is because I hate it. I finally have it aligned properly, sort of, however, living not too far from Kansas City, I took a field trip to Woodmaster tools, who makes large drum sanders, actually manufactured here in the US. Loved the machine, a 38" drum sander, and I am seriously considering buying one.

However, my research on the net, led me from "sanding" to planing, hand planing that is. I have been reading and reading and reading. This is an area of my woodworking that doesn't much exist right now. I am thinking I might/need to change that.

Sorry for the long intro, but I am trying to be specific. See, the $2500 I could spend on the Drum sander could put me into a number of really good planes ( I have a wish list running on LV, would have it on LN also, but they have no wish list).

I am looking at "adding" to my machine work. I realize that planes would give me versatility that a drum sander will not. I have been looking at jointer planes, for boards longer then my jointer can effectively handle, #4 and 4 1/2 smoother, shoulder planes, plow planes, LA Block planes, etc.

OK, so the question, what planes do you recommend to add to the machining capabilities I have. I probably wont go and refurbish a plane, so to me it is either going to be LN or LV. I greatly would appreciate your input and am excited to hear what you all have to say. Thanks guys.

[Brian Kent]

Good Morning Anchul.

My best plane among about 15 users is a Lee Valley Low Angle Jack. I recommend moving in the direction of a full set of Lee Valley Low Angle / Bevel up planes (starting with one or two to see if you like the fit). I have also tested Lie Nielsen Low angle planes, find them amazing, but not quite as perfect a fit for my hands. YMMV.

I just have the one LV / LA Jack at the moment. I have used the smoother. When I buy the smoother, I'll go for the harder steel and keep it for shallower angles, then regrind the micro-bevel on my current plane at a steeper angle.

With that said, the one additional plane that I have to have is the High Angle Polish Plane from Mujingfang. http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=98%2E107%2E2155&dept_id=13602

(Pastor) Brian

[Wilbur Pan]

Since you seem to be interested in planing as a way to get a smooth surface, the first thing I would do is buy a copy of Christopher Schwarz's DVD "Coarse, Medium and Fine". It is an excellent presentation as to how to set up hand planes to work for you.

After that, I would get planes grouped around the task you want to do. For example:

General milling and dimensioning boards: smoothing plane, jointer plane, and jack plane. Plus a scrub, maybe.

Dovetails: low angle block plane or smoothing plane to smooth down the ends of the pins and tails that you've left a little proud.

Making a tenon: shoulder plane to help trim the tenon piece to fit. Maybe a rabbet plane.

Making a groove away from the edge of a board: plow plane or router plane.

And so on.

[Tony Zaffuto]

What are the issues that led you to hate the Performax 16/32? I also have one (nearly 6 or 7 years now) and although it is not used frequently (I try to do as much as I can using hand tools), there have been a few jobs that the sander has prved its worth!

If you prefer to "private message" me, since this is "Neanderthal Heaven" that's fine and I'll respond privately, listing the fixes I did on my 16/32.

T.Z.

[Michael Faurot]

I'll second Brian's suggestin for using Lee Valley's series of bevel-up planes (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=52515&cat=1,41182). I also currently own just the bevel-up jack, but intend to get the smoother and jointer over time as finances permit.

What's especially nice about this group of planes is you have options to get other blades pre-ground to different angles and in different grades of tool steel. Plus these blades can be swapped around between the smoother, jack and jointer.

Another good thing to have around is a block plane. You may want to look at Lee Valley's low-angle block (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32685&cat=1,41182), and the various accessories that can be purchased to go with it like the knob and tote (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=41715&cat=1,41182) or the chamfer guide (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=46296&cat=1,41182). Also, like the other series of bevel-up planes, there's a series of optional blades that can be purchased to go with the low-angle block to give it additional versatility.

If that still hasn't made enough of a dent in your finances, have a look at the shoulder planes from either Lee Valley or Lie-Nielsen. :)

Of course having all of these planes, by themselves, is only 1/4 of the equation.

The second 1/4 is knowing what to do with all the different planes. Figuring out how and when to use each different plane is probably going to be the most challenging, you'll want to follow this forum, read up on things in books and magazines and look for videos that discuss this. If you have a local wood working group in your area, see if there isn't someone there that also has a fascination with hand tools and planes. That person will likely be a wealth of information and help.

The third 1/4 is being able to sharpen the blades on all your planes. For these tools to work their best, the blades must be kept sharp. There's all sorts of different ways to sharpen, so you may need to try several different methods until you find what works best for you.

The final 1/4 of the equation is you're going to need a good bench and the various accessories that go with it to hold your stock securely. If you don't have a good bench, even the best planes will be useless.

[Joe McMahon]

Since you seem to be interested in planing as a way to get a smooth surface, the first thing I would do is buy a copy of Christopher Schwarz's DVD "Coarse, Medium and Fine". It is an excellent presentation as to how to set up hand planes to work for you.

After that, I would get planes grouped around the task you want to do. For example:

General milling and dimensioning boards: smoothing plane, jointer plane, and jack plane. Plus a scrub, maybe.

Dovetails: low angle block plane or smoothing plane to smooth down the ends of the pins and tails that you've left a little proud.

Making a tenon: shoulder plane to help trim the tenon piece to fit. Maybe a rabbet plane.

Making a groove away from the edge of a board: plow plane or router plane.

And so on.

I couldn't agree more with Wilbur. Chris Schwarz's DVD is excellent and will definitely get your mind to thinking in the right direction.

[Robert Rozaieski]

If I had that kind of money to spend on planes they would look something like these:

http://www.planemaker.com/images/tsmth.jpg

http://www.planemaker.com/images/tjack.jpg

http://www.planemaker.com/images/tfore.jpg

http://www.planemaker.com/images/tjntr.jpg

http://www.planemaker.com/images/th&r.jpg

:D

[Zahid Naqvi]

what robert said :D I'm a big fan of wooden planes myself.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...since as a Pastor, confession is good for the soul. So here goes . . . I AM A TOOL JUNKIE!"

Wasn't "J" supposed to be a carpenter? I'll bet he was a tool junkie too....

[Danny Thompson]

"Wasn't 'J' supposed to be a carpenter? I'll bet he was a tool junkie too...."

Yeah, but he had to sell all his LN's to give to the poor.