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Thread: So...Who Actually Uses Their No. 6 Plane?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    South central Kansas
    Posts
    290

    So...Who Actually Uses Their No. 6 Plane?

    IMG_5079.jpg

    It was one of the first planes I bought actually, just a coincidence that a #6 was what I found for the price I was willing to pay. I used it for jointing until I got a #7 and since then it's been demoted to dust-gathering duty. I got it back out today to serve as a jointer for some smaller pieces and because I feel some sympathy (yes, I did just personify a tool) for it. I just can't quite figure out what I think of this thing.

    So those of you that have a #6, what do you use it for? Does anyone actually use it as a fore plane? After a thicker-cutting plane or is it your heavy-duty workhorse?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Used my Stanley #6c,T-10 jsu a few days ago....jointing parts for a panel glue up. Mainly as a jointer

    But can do face planing, too....depends on the size of the boards.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    1,957
    I mostly use it to flatten panels after glue up and also some shorter edge true up. Most of my glued up panels are small enough to not need the #7 to get where I need them.
    David

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
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    Blog Entries
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    My #6s get used all the time. Here it is recently being used finish planing some pieces a little wide for a #5:

    Apron Stop.jpg

    On the same pieces it can also be used as a jointer to smooth the mill and saw marks:

    In To the Claw.jpg

    My other #6 tends to get used more often since it is on a more accessible shelf. This one, if you look close you can see, doesn't have a lateral adjuster it is a type 4. The other #6 is a type 9. If my arms are really tired and a short jointer can do the job, then my 5-1/2 gets used.

    On some projects the #6 is just a big jack plane. It may be the only bench plane used on some projects.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Dublin, CA
    Posts
    4,119
    I use mine as a small jointer and sometimes for roughing. I use a 5 more often for roughing, though. The 6 does see use, but it would be one of the first planes I'd give up if you forced me to.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    SE Ohio
    Posts
    144
    My #6 gathers dust.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary Cunningham View Post
    My #6 gathers dust.
    +1 Mine too.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    I use my LN #6 often....EAsier to handle than the #7..Just my experience
    Jerry

  9. #9
    It is my try plane for large panels, table tops, etc. A little camber works great on it. #7 and #8 for jointing only.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Hutchinson, MN
    Posts
    600
    My #6 gets used a lot. More than #7 and a lot more than #8. I like the weight and length.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Johannesburg, South Africa
    Posts
    1,076
    If there ever was a thread begging for Patrick Leach to join in, this is it!
    "If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Hutchinson, MN
    Posts
    600
    I remember what Mssr Leach said about a #6. I was a member of a small group that once sent him a highly customized #5.
    Last edited by Bruce Haugen; 02-01-2018 at 12:38 AM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    The comments in Blood and Gore dismissing the usefulness of a #6 kept them more affordable.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2,534
    http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm

    There are a lot of folks out there who believe that these longer planes - the #6, #7, and #8 - have to be perfectly flat in order for them to work. Good luck finding one that's perfectly flat, as they don't exist, all of which is proof enough that the old timers, who depended upon these tools for their livelihood, could make effective use of them in a non-perfect state.

  15. I also uze my #6c frequently.

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