Hand Planes
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Which hand planes do you favour and why?
This could be size, make, type and any reason you find certain planes feel or work best for you.
HaHa I love ’em all. I like the low angle jack plane,I think you can set it up to do so many things. For rough boards I like the No 5 followed by the No 6 and No 4 I do like the No 6 a lot , nice weight and a nice length. I think if I could only have one I would have to pick the low angle jack at this time, It just feels as though you can make it do anything, and do it well 🙂
Haha, I’m almost disqualified from posting in this thread since I only have one bench plane (plus a shoulder and a router plane).
I spent a lot of time before deciding to get Veritas Low-angle Jack as my first plane. I must say that it has done a tremendous job meeting my expectations. From rough work to fine smoothing it is fairly easy to setup and delivers great results.
My next bench plane will probably be a dedicated smoother, preferably a bed-rock style.
Located in Jönköping, Sweden.
I’ve been looking for Stanley’s on ebay, the prices in N.America are very expensive for some reason. I looked at ebay UK and they are a dime a dozen going at 10-30 british pounds, which about 20 to 40 dollars CDN. Unfortunatley I was quoted 68 british pounds to ship….so after looking at the cost I went and bought a Veritas 4 1/2 and a low angle jack. After working with the 4 1/2 I want to replace it with a stanley 4 1/2 if I can ever find one reasonably priced. I don’t like the way Veritas has set up the depth and lateral adjust all in the same knob above the handle. You have to take your hand off the handle to make a depth adjustment and while doing so you risk moving the lateral adjust at the same time. If I can’t find a stanley 4 1/2 I’m probably going to save up for a lie neilson 4 1/2 because they have the same setup as the stanley.
-Canada
Nice one Ken 😀
I think my favourite has to be my very first Record #04 that my old woodwork teacher gave me when I passed my O level. It handles like a dream, but little did he know he’d started me on the never ending journey into Tool World. 🙂 I’ve enjoyed every single woodworking minute along the way. 😀
My favorite plane is my 5 1/2 , i use this plane for almost everything i do.
I also have a nr 7 jointer for long wood and a low angle blockplane for very small wood.
I have some more planes [love tools] but these 3 i use the most.
Lopik - Netherlands
I must admit I’ve a wee bit of a problem regarding my accumulation of hand planes 😀 but SWMBO tells me it’s under control when I’m asleep 😀
This is a bit off piste, but I would like some advice on which plane to use to to clean up the boards which are supporting the tunnel which I am building under the driveway and into my garage so that I can get more tools in there without SWMBO noticing. I’m also struggling to get rid of the surplus earth I’ve removed, but am thinking that she might like some surprise landscaping. Thoughts please.
Yorkshireman currently living in Hampshire
I generally opt for a Record 020 for radial support beam planing 😀 and ye olde worlde vaulting horse comes in extremely handy as a disguise for the tunnel exit and for surplus spoil disposal once the void beneath the floorboards has hit capacity 😉
Sketchup plans for the vaulting horse will soon be available 😉 😀
Hello, my name is Brent, and I have a handplane addiction…..
I love old Stanley Bailey planes, I look for only users and I refurb them myself. My favorite plane is my Type 9 #4. It fell off my bench and broke a few years ago. Broke my heart but Im looking for a body to rebuild with the frog and handles. I haveva bronze LN #4 and a Keen Kutter #10 (a 4 1/2 ) that is a very robust plane.
Im getting of topic a little. I love them all. From my #10 compass plane to my #78 rabbit plane and all others in between…
Meridianville, Alabama, USA
My new favorite is my Old Street Tools smoother. I also love my moving filletster and a set of door planes made for me by Tod Herrli. I also have an embarrassing number of block planes.
We could perhaps form a hand plane addicts sect within the forum 😀
I seem to be the odd one out here – I don’t have a hand plane problem! Saws are my problem but that’s another topic altogether…
I mainly use a LN #4 which I absolutely love. I tried getting a vintage Stanley but all 5 or 6 that I bought ended up being in really bad shape and I didn’t have the knowledge, time or patience to restore them. Although now Chris Schwarz has released a DVD on pimping an old plane, I might get a copy and restore the #4s I have wrapped up in the loft!
I also have a Stanley #5 1/2 which is what I use for milling boards. I think it’s pretty much the perfect size for being able to remove lots of stock very quickly and getting a rough board into pretty good shape. It needed new handles but I couldn’t find replacement vintage ones so have temporary plastic ones on it at the moment. Needs the sole flattening a little but is otherwise in more than usable condition!
I picked up a Bailey #7 as well a while back which requires more restoration than the 5 1/2 and I haven’t used it yet. It’ll be used for flattening boards after they’ve been milled with the 5 1/2. Then they’ll be smoothed with the #4.
I think that once I’ve got the #7 in a usable state and the 5 1/2 tuned, I’ll be in good shape regarding planes. The #4 is my favorite though. I don’t use it for everything like Paul does – just everything apart from milling and truing long boards.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
Hi Brent 🙂
I have a type 9 #4 (Although with a non-original blade) and it’s a very nice user plane. It’s understandably upsetting when a hand plane that fits like a glove suffers such damage, as it’ll be difficult finding a casting with the same feel to it without having to put some work into obtaining the same sense of balance, etc.. I hope you find one, as I feel much the same regarding my very first Record #04. I’ve had it from new – before my apprenticeship – and have virtually used it daily for over 40yrs. It’s handles fit my hands and it is set up beautifully, although I’m probably going to re-handle it some time soon with a more ergonomic rear handle due to the effect arthritis has had on my right hand. 🙂
Denial is the first admission of a potential problem George 😉 😀
I tend to use my planes in various ways, as the approach I take often varies depending on the timber in use. There are ways to avoid buying multiple plane types, as well as potential down time if a blade is somehow accidentally damaged during use and you’ve insufficient time to re-grind a fresh edge. This is by having a few spare double irons (Blade and cap iron combination) set up and ready to switch out at a moments notice. 🙂
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