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

[JohnM Martin]

Like others, I use mine as a small jointer. Sometimes, I also find it useful for cleaning up faces that have come out of a surface planer before final smoothing.

[Mike Holbrook]

I just have one classic Stanley #6. I tried updating it with a New LV blade. I have had trouble with the mouth being narrow after the upgrade. As I recall the frog was frozen in place and it took considerable work to get it free. I love mid size planes and plan to revisit getting it back in working order soon. I like #5’s for heavy stock removal which I have done with increasing frequency in the last couple years. I would love to have a #6 “try plane” with less camber to follow the #5 & # 5 1/2. I prefer a rougher texture on many surfaces.

[Jim Foster]

I picked up an inexpensive, used #6 a few years ago and have used it as my scrub plane, might be a little heavy, but it does the job!

[Ray Selinger]

Not the size but the quality of the plane sometimes governs it's use. Who likes taking a clumsy ugly girl to the dance ? My #06 Record is one of my finest planes.

[Stew Hagerty]

I use my as a "rough" smoother. I typically use it in between my 5 or 5 1/2 and my #4 on large boards and panels. It does the bulk of smoothing out the hills & valleys left by the Jacks, plus it's longer length actually ends up giving me an overall flatter surface. Then I can finish up with just a couple of passes using my trusty #4.

[Stanley Powers]

Attachment 377973

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?

It is the largest cambered plane that I use. Rarely have case work which would need a larger cambered plane. No. 7 and 8 for jointing edges.

[Jon Barnett]

I use mine a lot for smoothing, it's my dad's old plane, and for some reason I can always get the blade razor sharp!

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I have 2. A Stanley and a wooden one made in eastern Canada double iron and now flat on the bottom, and sharp!
Use them all the time. The woodie is for edge jointing and the metal one I use for flattening.