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Thread: What size board for a #8

  1. #1
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    What size board for a #8

    How small a board would a #8 Jointer handle?

  2. #2
    What is the smallest piece of wood you would define as a "board" ?

  3. #3
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    If you are real careful maybe an inch or two.

    Usually the piece shouldn't be too much shorter than the plane. The #8 has a lot of sole between the toe and the blade. This is for registering the sole on the work and to keep the plane above any dips on the surface.

    Too bad Spokane is so far away. You could come by my shop and give it a try if you were in the area.

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

  4. #4
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    Let's see...a #8 is 24" long.....anything 2" longer than that should be fine.....

  5. #5
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    Building small to medium boxes and trays. Right now my longest plane is a #62 LN. Sold my power Jointer and haven’t missed it.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Sutherland View Post
    Building small to medium boxes and trays. Right now my longest plane is a #62 LN. Sold my power Jointer and haven’t missed it.
    You might look around at various junk shops, antique shops and yard sales and see if you can turn up a #5-1/2 or a #6 if you want something a little bigger.

    My #6 often gets used on longer pieces.

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

  7. #7
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    Since my Jointer is gone and i’m enjoying hand planing so much I think I need the #8.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Sutherland View Post
    Since my Jointer is gone and i’m enjoying hand planing so much I think I need the #8.
    If you can think it, then you need it.

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

  9. #9
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    It is not just the length of a board that needs to be taken into account. The width of the edge is a bigger factor for me. I would rather use a #5 to joint a "narrow" 1/2" wide board than a #7. Shorter boards tend to be narrow as well.

    As well as being longer and heavier, a #8 is 2 5/8" wide in the blade. By comparison, a #7 is 2 3/8" wide in the blade. For narrow jointing edges, I prefer either a 27" long woodie I made which has a 2 1/4" blade, or the HNT Gordon Trying Plane (18" long), and a 2" wide blade. Another alternative for narrow boards is the Veritas BU Jointer, which has a very low centre of gravity and a blade that is 2 1/4" wide. It seems to hug the wood, and has so much more control than a wider jointer on narrow boards.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Sutherland View Post
    Since my Jointer is gone and i’m enjoying hand planing so much I think I need the #8.
    What's your biggest plane right now?

    The reason I ask is because unless you're fairly strong you may find the #7 to be preferable for most jointing uses. It can handle basically the same range of board lengths, as the difference between 22" vs 24" sole length isn't very significant. There also aren't many cases where the difference between 2-3/8" and 2-5/8" iron widths matters that much, unless you happen to be edge-jointing a lot of 10/4 stock. The 1-5/8 lb weight difference (for Stanely #7 vs #8) becomes pretty noticeable over the course of a long session though.

    Full disclosure: I have an 8, and use it fairly often, but I also tend to "go big" more than most.

  11. #11
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    Right now the biggest plane I have is the LN 62. I am fairly strong since I'm still lifting weights and running so hours of planning is actually enjoyable for me. I find I can see what the wood is doing much better than using my previous power jointer and power planer. I still have my DeWalt 735 but after flattening one face and edge of boards I can run it through my drum sander and sneak up on the thickness I need fairly fast. I spent all yesterday afternoon doing that with much better success that with my power planer. I've also used my #62 to plane both sides of the board with success. That's why I'm wondering about the #8. I think my process would have been much faster with the #8.

  12. #12
    What specifically are you using it for? It's not really clear to me....

    If you want to knock the worst rough down before a ride through the power planer or your drum sander - then a #4 or #5 fitted with either a cambered iron or a toothing iron for roughing duty would be my go-to choice..

    I have a Millers falls #7 equivalent.... I love it - but I honestly don't use it much since I got my drum sander... The old Stanley #4 and #5 see frequent duty for jointing and roughing, though.

  13. #13
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    Most of what I’m making is wood boxes and trays. The trays are quite a bit bigger than the boxes. I’ll be making some wood tool chests also.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Sutherland View Post
    Right now the biggest plane I have is the LN 62. I am fairly strong since I'm still lifting weights and running so hours of planning is actually enjoyable for me. I find I can see what the wood is doing much better than using my previous power jointer and power planer. I still have my DeWalt 735 but after flattening one face and edge of boards I can run it through my drum sander and sneak up on the thickness I need fairly fast. I spent all yesterday afternoon doing that with much better success that with my power planer. I've also used my #62 to plane both sides of the board with success. That's why I'm wondering about the #8. I think my process would have been much faster with the #8.
    I don't have a #62, but I just looked at the L-N and Blood & Gore sites and it's the length & approximate weight of a Stanley #5. (Making the #62 a little bigger than I'd thought....) You should realize you're skipping a lot of steps in the classic sequence if you jump to the #8 as your next plane. Plus you don't sound like you're working on really large surfaces (e.g. table tops.) But, ultimately only you can decide what's going to work best for you.

  15. #15
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    Be aware that a No. 8 weighs 9-3/4 pounds. This may not sound like much - heck, you can bench press a ten pound sack of flour all day, right? - but an enthusiastic day of work on your stock with a No. 8 will make you feel like either the Mighty Hulk or a bowl of overcooked spaghetti. Or the Mighty Hulk feeling like a bowl of overcooked spaghetti. A No. 7 weighs 8-1/8 pounds, and that pound-and-a-bit-more-than-a-half can make a difference in your endurance.

    I'd never sell my No. 8, no I wouldn't, but I am glad that I later acquired a No. 7.

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