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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â I don’t like the way Veritas has set up the depth and lateral adjust all in the same knob above the handle. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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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