Your first purchases should be a low-angle block plane and a shoulder plane, above. Both help you put a refining touch on the less-than-perfect cuts produced by your power tools.
What planes should I start with?
When it comes to larger bench planes, I recommend either starting with a No. 5 (Jack) Plane (pictured right) or a No. 4 (smoother). These are the two most common models of planes you’ll be using anyways so it’s a good start.
What size hand plane do I need?
My personal recommendation for a first hand plane is a number 4 or 4-1⁄2 because with a smaller sole it can take shavings readily almost anywhere on a board. If it comes time to joint a long surface, place a straightedge on the surface of the board.
What Is a Number 4 plane used for?
The No. 4 smoothing plane is historically the most common size. It is an excellent balance of sole length and cutter width to be useful for typical furniture parts.
What is a number 5 plane used for?
Bench or ‘Jack’ planes have a long base and are used for the initial preparation of rough timber. Made with a quality grey cast iron body for strength and stability with precision ground base and sides for flatness and squareness.
What is a No 6 plane used for?
The No. 6, also called a ‘fore’ hand plane is good for jointing edges and flattening and smoothing large surfaces, such as table tops, panels and workbench tops, where you might not want or need the length or weight of a larger plane.
Are hand planes necessary?
Whether you’re an active hand tool user, a neophyte learning to work wood by hand, a weekend woodworker or a casual homeowner, a basic set of good hand planes is essential. There’s a great deal of generalization that goes into compiling a list like this.
What is the difference between a jack plane and a smoothing plane?
Jack planes have toothed edges (or irons) that often teeth into the wood, whereas smoothing planes feature an iron with no sharp edges. This means that you can make smoother surfaces without leaving ugly tracks in your workpiece.
Is a hand planer worth it?
The better tool for thicknessing stock is a dedicated benchtop planer (see photo, above). They don’t take up much storage space, even in a small shop, and they work great for reducing boards up to about 12- or 13-in. wide (depending on the planer) down to whatever thickness you need them to be.
What is a number 3 plane used for?
The lighter weight and smaller size of this otherwise fully-fledged Smoother make it a popular tool for young apprentices, small work, and situations in which single-handed operation is necessary. The short body makes this an effective smoother for touching up local trouble spots. 9″ long.
What does a jack plane do?
A jack plane is a general-purpose woodworking bench plane, used for dressing timber down to size in preparation for truing and/or edge jointing. It is usually the first plane used on rough stock, but for rougher work it can be preceded by the scrub plane.
What is a woodworking plane?
Woodworking Hand Planes
Bench planes are used to flatten and smooth broad wood surfaces and narrow edges. Long bench planes are best suited for smoothing very long surfaces and edges. Specialty planes, such as a shoulder plane or rabbet plane, have plane irons (blades) that come flush with the edges of the tool.
What is the longest bench plane?
8 Jointer Plane
The longest and heaviest of the bench planes, the No. 8 will flatten and true like no other. It is capable of precise joints and perfect flatness of large areas.
What is a block plane best for?
Block planes are one of the most essential tools in a carpenter or furniture maker’s toolbox. They are used to literally and practically smoothen out rough edges. Rough edges in the form of end grains can diminish the quality of your work, giving it an uneven look and feel.
How do I date my Stanley plane?
If you noted one patent date and there is a raised ring, your plane is Type 14 and dates between 1929 and 1930. If you noted zero patent dates and there is a raised ring, you have a plane of Type 15 to 20. If you noted zero patent dates and there is no raised ring, you have a plane Type 1 to 8.
Why is it called a jack plane?
How did the Jack Plane get its name? Its name is related to the saying “jack of all trades”, as jack planes can be made to perform some of the work of smoothing, fore and jointer planes, especially on smaller pieces of work.
What size is a fore plane?
Historically, wooden-bodied fore planes have been 18 to 22 inches (460 to 560 mm) long. As with other bench planes, fore planes were first developed with wooden bodies, before the introduction in the 19th century of metal-bodied and transitional planes.
When did Stanley buy Bailey?
He moved there to produce Victor and Defiance planes and tools. However, in 1880, Stanley took over as the sole agent for Bailey’s Victor planes. After a series of patent infringement suits and charges of industrial espionage, Stanley bought the entire Victor production facility in 1884 and then discontinued the line.
What is a fillister plane?
A fillister plane is used for forming and trimming rebates / rabbets with the capability of working with the grain or against the grain. A fillister plane is equipped with a spur or nicker for the cross grain work.
What is a scraping plane?
The Veritas Scraping Plane is used for the final levelling and smoothing of large, flat surfaces, even if they are highly figured, prior to applying a finish.Because the scraping plane cuts the wood fibers rather than tears them, it will further bring out the wood grain, rather than mute it as sandpaper would.
What is the most useful hand plane?
The Best Hand Planes of 2022
- Veritas #4 1/2 Smoothing Plane.
- Best Overall. WoodRiver #4 Bench Plane.
- Best Edge Relief Planer. YOGEON Woodworking Hand Planer, 4″
- Best for Tight Spots. Stanley 3-1/2″ Small Trimming Plane.
- Best for Rough Lumber.
- Best Smoothing Plane.
- Best Overall.
- Best Edge Relief Planer.
Contents