Hi all,
i have a very specific purpose that is making me think it’s time to take the plunge into hand planes. I regularly glue up boards to provide 8x8 or 10x10 sections that I then glue together to create an 8x8x3 or 10x10x4 bowl blank for turning. I also will sometimes glue an 10x10x2 bowl blank disc to a 6x6x2 bowl blank disc to make a bigger blank. My problem is getting the boards and the blanks flat so that they glue together well. I do not have a power jointer or planer and even if I did I think these sizes would be too small without special sleds to go through those tools safely.
So so I am thinking of trying hard planes for the first time. I have done a lot reading. It seems like for flattening a low angle jack plane is a great way to go. But the concern I have is that this plane, at 14” or so, is too big for 10x10” or 8x8” boards and blanks. I’ve looked at a #4, but it seems like it’s just for smoothing and won’t allow me to really flatten the boards and blanks without a huge amount of work.
Your advice is most appreciated!
Thanks,
-dan