Do you need more than a basic bench plane set?

[Warren Mickley]

My Veritas scrub plane also came as a great deal, way beyond its value. I use it extensively, and in my shop it’s a part of my standard set.

The term scrub plane was invented by Stanley tools around 1890. It is an Anglicization of schrupphobel, roughing plane.

Short roughing were not used in the English or American tradition, however, a scrub plane can certainly be considered as part of a "small basic kit". This is a very different thing than having seventeen bench planes or something. If you have a small kit you can have much greater intimacy with your tools.

[Rob Luter]

Hi everyone,.....Reading The Practical Woodworker had led me to believe that 3 bench planes should be in the basic hand tool set.

As I get farther down the path I'm inclined to agree. While I've been woodworking on and off for many years, I was bitten by the hand tool bug about ten years ago and this resulted in the acquisition of a broad array of vintage planes. I assembled a "one of each" collection to make sure I had a tool solution for any woodworking problem I might face. Most of them went unused. Current block planes include a #18, #65, #102, and #60 1/2. From a bench plane perspective, I currently have a #3, #4, #4 1/2, #5, #6, and #7. These are supplemented by a LV Low Angle Jack and multiple scraping planes and cabinet scrapers. I also have a couple woodies set up for scrub plane use. This is what remains after the first purge last year of 20+ planes and nearly as many saws. I use a thickness planer to prepare stock in order to make the most of my meager spare time, so many of these planes still go unused.

I'm planning on a second purge this winter where I'll thin the herd some more. I'll keep the four blocks, a #4, #4 1/2, the Lee Valley Jack, and maybe the #7. I'll keep a #80 cabinet scraper and one of the woodie scrubs too. Next year about this time I'll reassess my situation and perhaps downsize a little more.

I like the idea of a small kit where everything gets used. It's easier to lug around too.

[Brian Holcombe]

I also find that a shoulder plane is not particularly helpful for cutting shoulders.

For small planes I like them to still have a chipbreaker.

[Jim Koepke]

Reading The Practical Woodworker had led me to believe that 3 bench planes should be in the basic hand tool set.

Yes, but life is more fun when we get beyond the basics.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

Yes, but life is more fun when we get beyond the basics.

jtk

You rascal. Now I’m Rethinking everything

[Kory Cassel]

Yes, but life is more fun when we get beyond the basics.

jtk

Fun is another funny concept. Sometimes the higher the highs, the lower the lows.

[Jim Foster]

Warren, I tend to use my block plane to break edges (not a pro here, just a hack, trying not to be...) What do you use for this, purpose, or is it not an issue with your work processes?

[lowell holmes]

Come on guys, we all know that we need at least one of each kind of tool.

I only have ten bench planes and eight apron planes.

[lowell holmes]

Jim, i just went to the shop and counted, I have ten bench planes and six apron planes.
And I need all of them.
How many do you have?

[Tony Wilkins]

Come on guys, we all know that we need at least three of each kind of tool.

I only have ten bench planes and eight apron planes.

Fixed it for you.

[Charles Guest]

Regarding scrub planes: The British writers Wells and Hooper, in Modern Cabinet Work (1908), mention the first plane used on a rough board is the "Bismarck." A line drawing of the plane is shown and it's clearly an E.C. Emmerich/Ulmia style German wooden scrub plane with the front 'horn' handle -- "a single iron plane for taking off the dirt and first rough surface of boards." It's pictured right along with all the rest of the planes you'd expect to see represented in a British kit - wooden planes, infills, shoulder planes, routers, etc.

This plane is also listed in their rather complete list of a kit of recommended tools.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, i just went to the shop and counted, I have ten bench planes and six apron planes.
And I need all of them.
How many do you have?

If we are only counting bench planes (Stanley/Bailey style planes) counting a #62 there are 20 that come to mind right away. Oops, that number has been changed a few times and more planes keep coming to mind. Many years ago, when the tally of all my planes was quickly passing 60, keeping count was seen as futile. Not counting them has made me free.

Our power went out last night and was still out this morning. Since our house is all electric, we decided to go out for breakfast. Afterward we stopped at an antique shop. My attention was still drawn to a type 13 #4. It was too rusty for me at $20. It had other problems to boot.

If a plane comes along at an irresistible price, it will likely come home with me. Even my $3 Dunlap (Millers Falls) #3D gets used regularly.

jtk

[Scott Winners]

Late to the party, but still an active discussion. I did spend the $30 for a #4 size plane from the BORG. Useless as a smoother, but after I cambered the blade and opened up the mouth a bit I have a perfectly adequate, dedicated scrub plane for cheap.

I am pretty sure what planes you "need" really depends on what you are doing. I have a shoulder plane for putting a special fussy bevel on the ends of boat planks when building lapstrake. I own the plane, but hardly ever build lapstrake.

I do own a # 3 size smoother, but I have pretty large hands and usually skip over it from block plane to a #4 or 4 1/2.

I do own a #5, but for now I'll have my stock milled at the dealer rather than start looking or 7s or 8s. That could change if I learn to resaw. Since I don't thickness planks in my shop at this time, I don't need anything bigger than a 5.

For building things with corners on them and starting with thicknessed stock, a block plane and a 4 or 4 1/2 I would add a router plane next - but electric router is the power tool I like the least.

With those three planes in house I would advise filling out the rest of the basics (crosscut saw, rip saw, marking knife, dovetail saw, some chisels, mallet and etc) before buying one of every plane.

EDIT Except a jointer. I will go buy a jointer toorrow.

[Tom M King]

I don't have any idea for a given number, but one of each, and multiples of some works pretty good.

[Matthew Springer]

I don't have nearly the experience of everyone here but that's never stopped me before.

If I can make a suggestion to build on what was said earlier in the thread: Figure out what kind of shavings you want to take, then work backwards. Within reason, you can set up a typical bench plane to do lots of things, just not all at once. The only real constant is the length and width, but the other aspects: cut depth, camber and mouth tightness, chipbreaker offset are easyish to adjust. It's more about being able to grab the right setup quickly (tight mouth, light camber, super light cut vs "take off lots of wood fast mode" ) more than a specific plane. You can totally use a #7 as a smoother. It's just slower and you need to re set it up to do edge jointing efficiently.

I did buy a #3 and retro fitted a LV pmv11 iron to it. I use it a lot since my main smoother is a #4-1/2. By the time I reach for the #3, it means I don't care if the board is getting less flat as long as it is getting prettier so the shortness is an asset since I dont want to plane off things around the area I need to prettify. I also found it was convenient to have a #6 and #7 with one cambered and one not. I probably should camber the #6 and sharpen the #7 straight across but I ended up the other way around.

For hogging off wood, it really doesn't matter if it's a #4-1/2 vs a true #5 or a #4 or a #5-1/2. The thing that does the deed is an open mouth, heavy cut and lots of camber.

My own setup, I ended up with two of everything, two jacks (5 and 5-1/2), two smoothers (#3 and a 4-1/2) and two jointers (7 and 6). Some folks swear by the low angle setups and I find these are handy because you can change pitch quickly, so I ended up with a jack and smoother in that config as well but honestly their main utility is it something extra to grab that is likely sharper than my main plane.