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Hand plane for a beginner.

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Beags86

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So, I've read the threads, and searched all over.
Just not finding what I want.
I'm a novice to intermediate woodworker. But I'm addicted to power tools. Recently I started going back to more hand tools. I bought a big long plane for table tops, and mini plane for some things, but neither is a good basic "go to" plane. I need to pick up an all around plane.
I understand the older planes are the one to get. That's fine. I want to buy one (to start) a good all around plane, I build smaller stuff. Smalls tables, wall hanging stuff, etc,etc. Would a old Stanley no.4 be the place start?
 
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Robinson1

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Stanley #4 and 220 block plane are essentials.

I like the Stanley 9 1/4 with the adjustable throat over the 220 but that's personal preference.

A Stanley #5 is a good all purpose plane.
 
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jimreed2160

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Well if you really want to know about handplanes, try my Woodworking 101 thread. It is long but has lots of very comprehensive hand plane lore.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344153

The plane you need really depends on the woodworking task at hand. But the simple answer is:
1. Stanley #5
2. Block plane
3. Stanley #4

Learn how to sharpen the blades. Set your plane to take wispy shavings. Go to town.
 
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txlonghorn1989

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Regardless of what plane you are using having a sharp blade is extremely important. That's true for beginners or professionals.
 
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derosa

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a 220 and a number 5 were my starting planes and are my real go to planes, just top notch stuff. If you're going to get into planes you really want to look into how you will sharpen them, they can be a lot of frustration and annoyance if they aren't sharpened right. In hindsight I wish I had bought a new plane as my first. Although I had gotten them sharpened and adjusted my results with them were always just good. It was when I bought a second 220 that was professionally sharpened and setup to go that I discovered just how amazing they really can be, a new one would have shown me the markers for what I needed to do.
For beginning sharpening look up scary sharp sandpaper, which can get you started. I've got some nice Japanese water stones but still gravitate towards sandpaper. Paul Sellers has some good youtube videos for making a 4 perfect.
 
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Beags86

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Ok, I understand the importance of a sharp plane. I'll have to learn. How to sharpen them.
I think I'll start with a no 4, 5 That will get me where I need for what I'll do.
I mostly build rustic style of stuff anyways so It won't be every day use. But they will be good for the tool box. Now, how do I identify the pre war stuff?

I looked, my little plane I have now is a 220.
 
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Kaizen

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I’ve found there is no go to plane. I will grab my scrub plane first but only on some woods and certain projects. I grabbed my flattening plane and Japanese plane only on a mahogany project. Definitely spend the money on sharpening stones. A stupid sharp blade makes it a religious event. A stock blade is like chopping firewood


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James-W

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In your opening post you mentioned that you make small tables. If you want to use a hand plane to smooth the table top, I really doubt you will get a nice smooth even table top that way. With practice you will get pretty good with a hand plane and you will be able to do a lot of things with it.

However, for making table tops I would strongly recommend using a power tool like this:

https://www.rockler.com/supermax-19-38-drum-sander

I have one of these and it works great for table tops, among other things. This is not to say you don't need a hand plane, it just means that for some things (like a table top) there are other tools available that will do what you want done in a quick and precision manner.
 
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JimNC

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Old hand planes have become collectible, so acquiring them at a reasonable price and in good repair can be a challenge. Stanley Bedrock were good, but the prices are high.

For sharpening I suggest starting with the paper on glass method often called scary sharp. It is very effective and far less expensive than good stones. The skills are directly transferable.

Maybe google the terms galoot and woodworking.
 
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Max

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+1 on scary sharp. It’s much cheaper than stones with results that in my opinion are as good or better than stones.

Max
 
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Beags86

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James-W said:
In your opening post you mentioned that you make small tables. If you want to use a hand plane to smooth the table top, I really doubt you will get a nice smooth even table top that way. With practice you will get pretty good with a hand plane and you will be able to do a lot of things with it.

However, for making table tops I would strongly recommend using a power tool like this:

https://www.rockler.com/supermax-19-38-drum-sander

I have one of these and it works great for table tops, among other things. This is not to say you don't need a hand plane, it just means that for some things (like a table top) there are other tools available that will do what you want done in a quick and precision manner.
Click to expand...
I appreciate your input, but I mentioned that I was a power tool junkie.
I have one of the drum sanders. I think it a pile of **** and it mostly just sits taking up space.
That said, I was asking about planes. I won't be planing a table top. I just want a all around plane for little tasks around the shop. I won't be using it to plane the top of a table or anything like that.
Also I mentioned I have a long plane. Like 20 or something inches for leveling big boards or if I thought I needed it for a table top.
 
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doublearon98

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Beags86 said:
Ok, I understand the importance of a sharp plane. I'll have to learn. How to sharpen them.
I think I'll start with a no 4, 5 That will get me where I need for what I'll do.
I mostly build rustic style of stuff anyways so It won't be every day use. But they will be good for the tool box. Now, how do I identify the pre war stuff?

I looked, my little plane I have now is a 220.
Click to expand...
This is a damn good video on sharpening. If you dont have glass you can use plexiglas or anything flat and hard.

Paul sellers in general is a great youtuber for woodworking by hand.


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strutaeng

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All good advice. I have not done much woodworking lately, but had also gotten into hand tool woodworking and my craftsmanship went way up there. I was cutting hand dovetails and all! I built some great furniture.

Anyways, my collection includes No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No.8. None are "collection" grade, most are just usable and I sharpened and honed the blade (iron).

The No. 4 is a cheap plastic knob Home Depot production.

The No. 6 is a plane a buddy gave me because nobody in his family knew what to do to it and he knew I did woodworking.

The No.5 is a Lie-Nielsen used plane that cost almost as much as a new one on Ebay. After this purchase I decided buying a brand new one was probably wiser.

I also bought a new L-N low-angle No.5.

The No. 5 is regarded as the "jack of all trades, master of none."

So, your long plane is a No. 6 or larger? Is you small plane a block plane? It seems you are just missing the No.4 for a starter set.

Because old planes have become hot collectible items, I would suggest you look at a new LN, they are going to be superior and ready to go out of the box, unless you find a Bedrock for cheap. Also, the low-angle option is good if you are doing to hardwoods with challenging grain.

https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4167/low-angle-bench-planes

If you are near swap meets or flea markets, that's another place to get some good planes after some time spent cleaning and sharpening the irons, etc.

Popular Woodworking's David Schawrz is a hand tool junkie that has great articles and there are many more out there.

Good Luck!
 
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Beags86

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strutaeng said:
All good advice. I have not done much woodworking lately, but had also gotten into hand tool woodworking and my craftsmanship went way up there. I was cutting hand dovetails and all! I built some great furniture.

Anyways, my collection includes No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No.8. None are "collection" grade, most are just usable and I sharpened and honed the blade (iron).

The No. 4 is a cheap plastic knob Home Depot production.

The No. 6 is a plane a buddy gave me because nobody in his family knew what to do to it and he knew I did woodworking.

The No.5 is a Lie-Nielsen used plane that cost almost as much as a new one on Ebay. After this purchase I decided buying a brand new one was probably wiser.

I also bought a new L-N low-angle No.5.

The No. 5 is regarded as the "jack of all trades, master of none."

So, your long plane is a No. 6 or larger? Is you small plane a block plane? It seems you are just missing the No.4 for a starter set.

Because old planes have become hot collectible items, I would suggest you look at a new LN, they are going to be superior and ready to go out of the box, unless you find a Bedrock for cheap. Also, the low-angle option is good if you are doing to hardwoods with challenging grain.

https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4167/low-angle-bench-planes

If you are near swap meets or flea markets, that's another place to get some good planes after some time spent cleaning and sharpening the irons, etc.

Popular Woodworking's David Schawrz is a hand tool junkie that has great articles and there are many more out there.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I have a 22" smoothing plane
So whatever number that is.
I mostly work cherry, walnut, oak, hackberry, Ash and poplar.
 
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rlitman

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Kaizen said:
...A stupid sharp blade makes it a religious event. A stock blade is like chopping firewood
Click to expand...

Sharpness really does make a huge difference, and if you aren't prepared to sharpen your tools, you shouldn't be using planes (or chisels or spokeshaves, etc.).

Robinson1 said:
Stanley #4 and 220 block plane are essentials.

I like the Stanley 9 1/4 with the adjustable throat over the 220 but that's personal preference.

A Stanley #5 is a good all purpose plane.
Click to expand...

+1 on the 9 1/2 (the 9 1/4 was the fixed throat version). My go-to planes are my 9 1/2, 60 1/2, 5 and 7. Those cover 95% of my planing needs (with my wooden skew rebate plane covering most of the rest).

Here, I'll say that there are many older copies of Stanley planes are are just about as good as the originals. I like my Dunlop stuff a lot for example. I've got some #5 planes marked "Sears" from the '70's (and Craftsman from the '80's) that are decent (but a lot of other knockoffs, like most stuff from Buck and HD are total ****, so you do need to be careful).

Also, there are plenty of planes made today that work perfectly well. The Stanley 12-920 is a perfectly good substitute for a 9 1/2 and the 12-960 is a perfectly good substitute for a 60 1/2. Yeah, there are nicer options out there, and yeah, the irons and castings are heavier in the 12-138 and 12-139, but where the blade meets the wood, the "contractor" planes will work just fine for you.
 
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jimreed2160

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I collect, restore, and use vintage Stanley planes but my go to user planes are a mixture of LN and Stanleys with my own blades. It took me years to graduate to this level of plane use.

One painless way for a beginner to start is with a HF plane like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/no-33-bench-plane-97544.html

Use a coupon and the drive away price is lunch money. And this is a nice #3 sized bench plane. Learn how to sharpen and adjust the blade. Use soft, knot free construction lumber for learning. First discovery is that you need a cabinetmakers bench with dogs to hold your project steady. Practice until you can pull a long, thin, full width shaving from a 24" section of a 2x4. Hint: your bench plane works better if you skew it 5-10 degrees.

You will know you have succeeded when you pull shavings like the ones in the pictures. Good luck.
 

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strutaeng

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Beags86 said:
I have a 22" smoothing plane
So whatever number that is.
I mostly work cherry, walnut, oak, hackberry, Ash and poplar.
Click to expand...

No7 would be my guess.

Not that it matters, but the No7 and No8 are "jointer" planes, good for flattening boards almost like a portable planer. Once the surface is flattened, it will have rough marks and that's where the "smoothing" planes come in. Jointer planes are also used for milling a flat edge for panel glue ups just like a jointer machine.

My smoothing LN plane is actually a 4 1/2, not a 4. The 4 1/2 is a bit wider.

I would recommend a good ol' No4. For those wood species, I don't think you need the low-angle plane.

Maybe a Stanley Sweetheart No.4?
https://www.rockler.com/stanley-sweetheart-bench-plane

Or similar
 
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M_George

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If you buy a flea market plane. Be sure to remove the blade first and check for rust and pitting on the underside. The pits will make it very difficult to get a good edge and a new blade will add additional cost.
 
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Beags86

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I am not opposed to sharpening things. I know how to and do it offen with other stuff. I'll just need to know how to do these.


I was looking at a sweetheart. Seems like that's basically what I need.
I won't buy horrible freight stuff.
 
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M_George

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Beags86 said:
I am not opposed to sharpening things. I know how to and do it offen with other stuff. I'll just need to know how to do these.


I was looking at a sweetheart. Seems like that's basically what I need.
I won't buy horrible freight stuff.
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to watch a few YouTube videos. There's a lot to be learned from them. A picture is worth a thousand words...
 
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derosa

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James-W said:
In your opening post you mentioned that you make small tables. If you want to use a hand plane to smooth the table top, I really doubt you will get a nice smooth even table top that way. With practice you will get pretty good with a hand plane and you will be able to do a lot of things with it.
Click to expand...
The whole notion of a #4 smooth plane is exactly that, to smooth a surface, I've done things like benchtops and it works fine with practice. For real smooth there's scraping planes which can eliminate the need for sandpaper, Veritas even has an insert to turn a 4 or 5 into a scraper.
On the other hand I recently went to buy a bedroom set and when looking at the tables there were some there that looked like they'd had a scrub plane taken to them and then finished tossed on top so some skill might not be needed if the style is right.

jimreed2160 said:
One painless way for a beginner to start is with a HF plane like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/no-33-bench-plane-97544.html

You will know you have succeeded when you pull shavings like the ones in the pictures. Good luck.
Click to expand...
The problem with this one is that the plane can be so out of square and the mating surfaces for the frog to bed or blade so poorly finished that it can be an exercise in frustration to make it work.

Someone mentioned Lie-Nielsen which I wish I could afford to plunk down on. I have a #92 and 750 chisels from the newer sweetheart line and I've been happy with both. The chisels needed some flattening but that seems true with all but the best and the 92 needed a final polish on the blade and some honing and it was good to go, which isn't uncommon. Veritas is another brand of good, more affordable planes to look at for new. Like Lie-Nielsen they're based off the old stanleys but with modern materials and some updates to the design. I'll be buying their 112 next month when I finish the table top I'm working on.
 
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jimreed2160

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derosa said:
The problem with this one is that the plane can be so out of square and the mating surfaces for the frog to bed or blade so poorly finished that it can be an exercise in frustration to make it work.
Click to expand...

Just curious. Can you post pictures of your problem plane. I bought a few to play with and they were all just fine. I even made some blades for them and turned mine into a pretty decent scrub plane. A thicker blade works wonders.

I know that many people like to bash HF but the little Windsor plane is great for learning. Flea market and yard sale vintage planes are a crapshoot. I know because I have purchased hundreds of them. Many would never be a good learning plane and were good only for parts.

LN planes are the best and I use them in my work. But if someone has no plane knowledge, the LN pricetag is a very high cost of entry.
 
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strutaeng

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I know the LN pricetags are hard to swallow, but once you use one you'll realize that it is money well spent. They don't depreciate like other tools and should last a handfull of generations. Still, I didn't see the the bug fuzz about LN when I was beginner.

In fact, one of my planes has a LN blade (iron.) The irons come in A2 steel and are thicker than the standard Stanleys. For $40 or so you can improve on a basic Stanley #4, maybe lap the plane's sole and you have a great plane.

A plane is just an iron holder.
 
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M_George

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theoldwizard1

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Not a good idea for a novice, but IF you are experienced at sharpening planes, the HF #4 or #33 hand planes CAN be turned into very "serviceable" tools. There are a couple video on YouTube showing the process. This take SEVERAL hours of hand grinding/sharpening and really should only be attempted by an expert (not me) !

Harbor Freight No 33 Bench Plane Review and Tuneup
 
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Beags86

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I will not buy China freight, horrible freight, or whatever else the cool kids call that **** store.
I don't shop there and I don't even like walking into there because of the smell the place has.
 
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Honkey84

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I would look at getting a number 5 plane.

Doesn't matter if it's a Stanley, Keen Kutter, or any other brand if you want to do it on the cheap.

Bed Rock style Stanley's are crazy expensive now.

Buy two blades from Hock to setup for different tasks. One with a radius for scrub planing if you plan to dimension stock by hand, and another with the corners nipped off for smoothing, and finishing boards.

If you go further down the hand tool route, and want to get a premium plane, I would suggest a Lie Nielson No. 4 for smoothing, and have the old plane for rough work.

Edit: also a bar of wax to hit the sole of your metal plane to make it easier to push is a god send in my book!
 
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