Skip to content
Woodworking Masterclasses
Facebook Instagram
  • Register Now
  • Video Library
  • GalleryExpand
    • Bedside Cabinet GalleryExpand
      • Assembly Table Gallery
      • Bathroom Cabinet Gallery
      • Bench Stool Gallery
      • Blanket Chest Gallery
      • Bookends Gallery
      • Book Shelves Gallery
      • Breadboard-end Cutting Board Gallery
      • Carrying Tote Gallery
      • Chess Board Gallery
      • Chest of Drawers Gallery
      • Christmas Gallery
      • Coasters Gallery
      • Coat Rack Gallery
      • Coffee Table Gallery
      • Corner Shelf Gallery
      • Craftsman-style Lamp Gallery
      • Dining Chair Gallery
      • Dovetail Boxes Gallery
      • Fly Swat Gallery
      • Frame Saw Gallery
    • Foot Stool GalleryExpand
      • How to Make a Table
      • Joiner’s Mallet Gallery
      • Joiners’ Toolbox Gallery
      • Keepsake Box Gallery
      • Laptop Desk Gallery
      • Leaning Wall Shelf Gallery
      • Mitre Box Gallery
      • Occasional Table Gallery
      • Picture Frames Gallery
      • Rocking Chair
      • Sawhorse Gallery
      • Shaker-Style Bench Seat Gallery
      • Shaker Stool Gallery
      • Sofa Table Gallery
      • Stepladder Gallery
    • Trestle TableExpand
      • Tool Cabinet
      • Tool Chest Gallery
      • Walking Cane Gallery
      • Wall Brackets Gallery
      • Wallclock Gallery
      • Wall Shelf Gallery
      • Winding Sticks Gallery
      • Wooden Plane Gallery
      • Wooden Spokeshave
      • Wooden Tray Gallery
      • Workbench Gallery
      • Other user projects vol. I
      • Other user projects vol. II
      • Submit Photos to Gallery
  • About Us
  • News
  • FAQsExpand
    • General FAQs
    • Workbench FAQs
  • Contact
Account Login
Woodworking Masterclasses

Reply To: What 2 hand planes to start with.

Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / What 2 hand planes to start with. / Reply To: What 2 hand planes to start with.

Larry Geib
30 October 2022 at 6:09 pm #778418

Some things to consider.

I concur you should try a plane with a 55° frog before you invest in one.
A 55° frog makes a smoother considerably harder to push, especially with some hardwoods. If you feel you must have a 55° frog I suggest you consider something like a #3 plane with the narrower iron. You will be taking such thin shavings in problem grain the size of the plane doesn’t matter much. A small plane is actually and advantage for fine smoothing. A smoother’s office is to follow the undulations of the board you have flattened with a longer plane , not to flatten. If you look at the size of a #80 scraper, for example, the bed is quite small compared to most any plane.
99% of smoothing can be done with a sharp iron bedded at 45°. A card scraper or #80 scraper plane will handle the rest. And I’d consider a #3 or #4 before I got two Jack plane length tools. If you are a small person, choose the smaller plane.

A low angle plane is NOT necessary for a shooting ( chute) plane. If you look at planes made for the purpose from Veritas, Lie Nielsen, and Stanley, they all have 45° frogs. What they do have is a skewed iron to reduce the effort.
But lots of folks use traditional Bailey style planes. My preference is a Bailey 5 1/2 ( old style with the 2 1/4” iron). It has enough mass to power through any hardwood end grain without being too tiring to use, and has a long enough nose to register the work easily. Before I found the 5 1/2 I used a #6 for years. What is more important that the few degrees lower presentation is a really SHARP iron and thin shavings, which also reduce the effort involved.
One of my dream planes has always been a proper shooting plane ever since I used one 50 years ago, but the price of these things has always risen faster than my willingness to pay for one. Over the years I learned to tune a less expensive plane and they work just fine. You notice Paul just uses a #4 Bailey when he uses a shooting board.

Also, a 45° frog will very easily shoot 45° cuts. That isn’t much harder than normal planing.

  • This reply was modified 11 months ago by Larry Geib.
  • This reply was modified 11 months ago by Larry Geib.
Settings

About Our Company

Woodworking Masterclasses is a trading name of Rokesmith Ltd

Rokesmith Ltd



About Rokesmith Ltd | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About Us


Useful Links

© 2023 - Rokesmith Ltd

  • Register Now
  • Video Library
  • Gallery
    • Bedside Cabinet Gallery
      • Assembly Table Gallery
      • Bathroom Cabinet Gallery
      • Bench Stool Gallery
      • Blanket Chest Gallery
      • Bookends Gallery
      • Book Shelves Gallery
      • Breadboard-end Cutting Board Gallery
      • Carrying Tote Gallery
      • Chess Board Gallery
      • Chest of Drawers Gallery
      • Christmas Gallery
      • Coasters Gallery
      • Coat Rack Gallery
      • Coffee Table Gallery
      • Corner Shelf Gallery
      • Craftsman-style Lamp Gallery
      • Dining Chair Gallery
      • Dovetail Boxes Gallery
      • Fly Swat Gallery
      • Frame Saw Gallery
    • Foot Stool Gallery
      • How to Make a Table
      • Joiner’s Mallet Gallery
      • Joiners’ Toolbox Gallery
      • Keepsake Box Gallery
      • Laptop Desk Gallery
      • Leaning Wall Shelf Gallery
      • Mitre Box Gallery
      • Occasional Table Gallery
      • Picture Frames Gallery
      • Rocking Chair
      • Sawhorse Gallery
      • Shaker-Style Bench Seat Gallery
      • Shaker Stool Gallery
      • Sofa Table Gallery
      • Stepladder Gallery
    • Trestle Table
      • Tool Cabinet
      • Tool Chest Gallery
      • Walking Cane Gallery
      • Wall Brackets Gallery
      • Wallclock Gallery
      • Wall Shelf Gallery
      • Winding Sticks Gallery
      • Wooden Plane Gallery
      • Wooden Spokeshave
      • Wooden Tray Gallery
      • Workbench Gallery
      • Other user projects vol. I
      • Other user projects vol. II
      • Submit Photos to Gallery
  • About Us
  • News
  • FAQs
    • General FAQs
    • Workbench FAQs
  • Contact
Login Account
Search