Wood Planes

[morpheus83uk]

Hello,

I am looking at getting a couple of planes to remove bits of stock once cut where needed. I am wondering what to look for? I am going to be removing some edging and possibly some of the face boards. These are only small pieces of work currently but I would like something which would last and be suitable for larger pieces of work.

I have had a look around and there are lots of different planes and I am wondering what would be suitable? Or even what the differences are between them?

I do have an electric plane which was given to me but its a little too aggressive and not very good for small pieces of work.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks

James

 

[Burnerman]

I'd start with a smoothing plane, maybe 2 1/2" and maybe progress to a jack plane - depending on your needs.
I'd also go for a decent sharpening stone to keep it like a razor - but that takes practice.
John

 

[big-all]

car boot sales as an old plane iron will last far longer than a more recent one

 

[bobasd]

as above, a 10" x 2"smoothin plane.
but you might have probs sharpening or workin on the bed or cap iron of a new plane - some of them are banana.
best buy old plane in a car boot etc not a new one.

but most even cheap modern elec planers will shave off 1mm - 2mm if set up correctly.
small bits of stuff should be held in a vice or trapped on a bench - never free hand.
if youve got any doubts dont do it sack it.

 

[pete50]

Yes electric planes will take off a millimeter but they are so big and heavy that it is impossible to do it acurately. Electric planes are only good really to take large amounts of material off quickly. As for sharpening even getting the blade reasonably sharp takes a lot of practice. I have not yet got to the the razor sharp stage with plane blades or chisels.

 

[bobasd]

sorry big-all,
i didnt notice your post before i posted.
you gave good advice as usual.

 

[bobasd]

pete50, thers lots of v. small elec planers that are lightweight. usin elec planers we take heavy coats of paint off posts or frames for instanc an leave the wood clean an untouched almost.

 

[big-all]

sorry big-all,
i didnt notice your post before i posted.
you gave good advice as usual.

sometimes i do other times it complete and utter rollox

 

[Diver Fred]

This -
https://www.faithfulltools.com/p/FAIPLANE4AVB/No4-and-No6012-Plane-Set-with-Bags

Have a look around and you should be able to buy at a cheaper price.

If you must buy second hand then you need to look for a 'No4' plane for the majority of work - typical second hand cost is circa £25
A good quality second hand inch&1/2 block plane will be around £15 to £20, expect to buy a new 'iron'. harder to set up so buy from a tool shop or get a skilled man to explain how to set one up for different timbers.

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thanks for all the quick replies.

What is the difference between a smoothing plane, jack plane, block plane etc?

I also presume there are lots of video's etc to show you how to sharpen the blades?

When you say a sharpening stone I have something similar to this at home and wondered if this would be suitable?

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p3...MIkr2Y8Nra3QIVb7HtCh3j_g1aEAQYBCABEgIf_vD_BwE

 

[Burnerman]

A smoothing plane is a short version of the universal jack plane and the block plane is a one handed jobby for going across the grain......I was brought up using the original beech jack planes and as they are so light, there's certainly a place for them even now.
Sharpening them will be your greatest hurdle.....just touching a nail or whatever means the blade will have to be ground back to get rid of the notch - no amount of honing will do this. I have a Draper horizontal whetstone grinder for this but truthfully I prefer the usual carborundum wheel.
The oil stone there is fine but you'll find that the blade is too wide for it so it has to be honed at an angle.
All we need now is for Record to come back to save us from Oriental rubbish, and some timber that isn't fast grown and kiln dried
John

 

[Diver Fred]

Looking (Google'ing) around I see Clas Olsen are selling Stanley No4 planes for £25 - OK it's the 'economy' version (plastic handles, less good finish on the less important surfaces) but certainly is a good buy.

As for sharpening, you have a stone, not sure what grit but will do for a start. Buy a 'Honing Guide' and learn how to get a good finish on the plane iron. Once you have confidence ion using the plane and sharpening then is the time to improve your sharpening tools. A double sided, Two grits, stone (or diamond plate). Use the course side for the grind (25 degrees) and the smooth side for the hone (micro bevel/grind 30 degrees). When you hone the iron you should 'raise a wire' on the back edge - run your finger down the iron and you should feel a round, raised roughness at the tip. Once you have that all the way accross then take the iron out of the guide, lay the back face of the iron on the stone and with a circular motion on the stone grind that wire off. Once that is done the pro's will 'strop' the cutting edge on a leather belt.

 

[Roger928]

All we need now is for Record to come back to save us from Oriental rubbish

Veritas...

Or Lie nielsen..

Are already here.
American and Canadian.

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thank you for all your advice about honing and sharpening. I will certainly give it a shot.

What would people recommend in regard to the planes themselves? A smoothing and block plane? If so would the Faithful or the Stanly be better?

I presume one I am more comfortable the wood made planes would be better that Roger928 has pictured? Who makes them for a future purchase?

Thanks

James

 

[Deleted member 174758]

What would people recommend in regard to the planes themselves? A smoothing and block plane? If so would the Faithful or the Stanly be better?

For fitting and adjusting I'd probably suggest a low angle, adjustable mouth block plane first (which can also do some of the same work as a smoother), and a 2in jack plane second (for general work and small-scale jointing). What you buy is down to budget, in part. Want a L-N or Veritas (or Clifton - a great British make) then be prepared to pay £150 for a block plane and £300+ for a jack plane. Faithful and modern Stanley planes both require work to fettle them and the blades are only so-so in terms of being able to take and keep an edge (sharpened enough apprentice's tools to have learned that). Based on having owned and still using a number of "premium" planes (Wood River, Luban, Veritas, L-N and Clifton) about the best near affordable options I could recommend (depending on how deep your pockets are) are the Quangsheng (Luban) or Wood River planes, both of which come out of the same factory. The Wood River planes are a bit higher spec and slightly better finished but are fundamentally the same planes. A low angle block is going to set you back about £60, a #5 (2in) jack plane about £150. I accept that this may be more than you are willing to pay, but at those prices you really are getting about 85 to 90% of what a L-N, etc will give you in terms of accuracy and usability straight out of the box.

I presume one I am more comfortable the wood made planes would be better that Roger928 has pictured? Who makes them for a future purchase?

Are you saying that you'd like to use traditional wooden planes? If so there is nobody left making English-pattern wooden planes (the last Marples plane maker retired about 1970, didn't he) and having initially learned on them I can assure you that Bailey-type planes are faster to adjust and generally easier to use. There are still a few wooden planes around, but you'd need to look for two German brands, ECE Emmerich (Primus) and Ulmia (now owned by ECE Emmerich). Don't know if anyone imports them into the UK any longer, but the link I posted takes you to a German site who will ship to the UK