# question about hand planes



## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

I am a novice on hand planes for sure and I am interested in getting a decent hand plane for joining boards. I see this done all the time on wood working videos where two boards are clamped vertically and then edge-planed at the same time.

My question: What is a good hand plane to start with for this? I want to get the right type and of course I don't want to spend a ton, something reasonable.

thank you.

C


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Your best bet would be a #7 or #8 size handplane. Ebay they go for $70-$120 for pre-war Stanley Bailey's but can be found in the wild for cheaper. You could probably get away with a #6 for shorter boards. Ive even had success jointing with a #5 which are readily available at auctions, tag sales, flea markets, and the like.


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Chrisstef has good advice You must remember that buying an old plane (which I do) requires a lot of rehab. De-rusting (often), sharpening always, proper set up, etc.
There is a bunch of info on the web about plane rehab. It is very rare to find an older plane ready to use.
I recently paid $75.00 for a good condition #7, and $25.00 for a #5 1/2 that needed just a little work. That'll kinda give even more credence to what Chrisstef posted. Those prices had additional shipping costs.
Just as a reference…..a good #4, #5, and #7 will do a lot of what you want. You don't EVEN want to know how many I have (hanging head in shame).
Bill


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Bill's got it dead on …. start with one and youll end up with 20. I built a till to house my planes with 7 slots, no way ill ever need more than that i thought to myself. HAHA … now ive got planes scattered about the shop and the till is well beyond full.


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I joint almost entirely by hand but I've never had much luck ganging boards I plan to glue-up. My advice is the same as above, Stanley #7. Tune it up, go to work.


----------



## Lumber2Sawdust (Jul 22, 2010)

I agree with what the rest have said, look around for a good #7. I use a #7 for all of my jointing.

What you mentioned about having the 2 boards clamped together and planing them at the same time is called "match planing". It has its pros and cons. On the pro side, if you plane your board so that they aren't quite square to the face, the edges will counter-balance each other and you still get a flat glue-up. On the other hand, if you plane your boards and the edges are not perfectly straight, you double the effect because each board is bowed the same way.

I've tried match planing and I don't do it. I find it easier to plane each board so the edge is square to the face than it is to get edge perfectly straight. So I plane a board and check that it is square and straight. Then do the same with the other one. If I get better at making them straight, I may try match planing again.

good luck.


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

^agree totally with Lumber2Sawdust. I like to square the boards up to each other individually, then take a few partial swipes in the centers of the boards, "spring" them, if you will. I find that it keeps the extreme edges of the joint tighter together. My favorite thing to do with planes is joint. You're in for a fun time.


----------



## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

There is sage advice in the responses above.


----------



## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

What a ton of great responses! Thanks to all. I am really wanting to >step< into this and this gives me what I need to start.

Again, thanks!


----------



## Infernal2 (May 20, 2012)

Agreed, some excellent advice above. My personal jointer is an old Bailey No. 7. When I bought it, it not only required derusting and general set up, but sole flattening, cleaning the gunk from underneath the frog, and a good scrub with oil, and then waxing it up. The nice thing I've found about restoring these old planes is that once you do it, you have a pretty good idea of what your plane can do in the cut. I'm currently debating springing for a replacement blade and chipbreaker from Hock since I use my jointer so often.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I'll be one that says grab you a #8 if you have the opportunity. It's a big hog, but well worth having if you're jointing anything more than 3/4" thick. A plane in motion, when it's the #8, stays in motion and that's a very good thing.

Other than that, Everythign Above is spot on, sage advise… Good luck!


----------



## ShipWreck (Feb 16, 2008)

Hello Chris, Im fairly new to hand planing myself.

I might get my head chewed off for saying this, but I believe hand planes should work in unison. I think in terms of 4 planes with any project because it will be a rare day when you do not flatten boards as well as edge. This is particularly true with rough stock. My ideal basic setup is as follows:

#7 jointer
#5 jack 
#4 smoother
A good block plane

This only my opinion. There are a ton of guys on here who have more knowledge and talent than I do at this point in time.

V/R….... John


----------



## DocBailey (Dec 9, 2011)

Don't listen to these guys - there's no danger of getting hooked on handplanes. And the "slippery slope" is an old wive's tale. Here are some shots of what happened not long after I bought a single garage sale smoother. The lineup on the dining room table (that went over big!) is of a single days' take last summer. The rest of the shots are of planes I have in a spare room. In other words there are no shots here of my shop planes! But, no, I don't have a problem - I can quit anytime I want.


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

see if this helps

http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/what-planes-do-i-need/


----------



## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

Well, if I was going to be scared off, DocBailey would've done it!

I have already been down this road with:

Guitars
Computers
Smartphones
Golf clubs

I'l stop there. All I want is one little hand plane. Just one and I'll be happy…..

thank you for the input!! I'll start shopping for that one now.

C


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Doc, you need help (moving all those plane around).
Bill


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

DocBailey, that dinning room table picture is awesome. Thanks.


----------



## mrbutton1952 (Feb 6, 2012)

Once you have just one and learn to use it, you'll never be happy with just one again.


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I'll bet you can't stop at one. Jack, smoother, jointer, block, all the poor homeless planes will charm their way into your shop and you will need more and more. The craving will never stop. Shoulder, router, scraper plane, fillister, where will it end? Rabbet, miter, tongue and groove, scrub why stop there. Molding planes, there are hundreds of types. Yes, it is quite possible to go broke by buying just one plane.


----------



## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Or, just go out a-rust-hunting, and rehab a few oldies. That is how I got most of these









Three block planes, a single #3, A #33 scrub plane, 3 different #4s, a pair of #5 jack planes. A 20' long wood bodied Fore plane, and a BIG Bailey #8c.









The most I've spent on a plane is about $25, not counting shipping for a third #5 that is on it's way right now. hey, it was a #5-1/2 Big Jack plane.


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I'll match plane thin boards like guitar tops; with the really
thin wood ganging them makes it easier to feel the balance
on the plane.

For 3/4" thick stock I don't usually do it.


----------



## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Chris, you need to set a price. There are too many planaholics in here. You claimed to just want to to joint couple boards together and don't want to spend a ton of money. A lot of guys in here are retired, pros, & semi pros where they have a different definition of what is a ton of money.

The budget oriented route to get you started is probably an old #5. Sharpening the blade to how you want the plane to cut! So that should be about $15-$40 depending on conditions and how lucky you are. This will get you started.


----------



## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

It is hard to know when to stop. A block plane is an essential, good for taking off edges and checking the grain of a rough cut board. I find a 5 essential for doing small joints for boxes and similar sized items, a 7 or 8 for bigger. A 4 for smoothing, some sort of scraper plane, and a scrub plane. All the rest are good for saving energy by having a better (more correct) size for the job at hand, having specialty planes for cleaning up joints, and finally for feeding the non-existent addiction that hand planes seem to develop. Don't forget, you will need a workbench.

As to actually jointing with planes, I'm terrible at jointing boards square though getting better and for the longest time lacked a lot of clamps so I found it easier to do the two boards together. I'd joint them flat, put them together and joint them. Once they are done it is possible to apply glue to an edge, move the boards back and forth to spread the glue till there is no glue line and walk away once the boards are aligned to each other. No clamps required and eliminates the hassle of having the boards slip while clamping. To check the joint just put the boards together and hold up to a light, when you can't see any light coming through at half an arm's length and practically none when holding the joint up to your eye it is tight enough.


----------



## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

hhhopks is absolutley right.

I appreciate the flood of great information. I suppose I should be more specific.

I want to see if hand planes are the way for me. I'd like to do this by buying a single hand plane (<$100) and see if it is useful to me in the type of hobby work I do.

I have a couple of really crappy hand planes (harbor freight) and I am sure I am getting the wrong impression of how hand planes will help me.

Again, thanks for the all the feedback!

C


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Chris, I have a few smoother ready to work. http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com/tools-for-sale/ For fat less than $100.


----------



## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Chris, 
Since you are new to planes, a ready to work plane could be a great route to go.
A plane is worthless, if you don't know how to tune it and don't have a sharp blade.


----------



## thebigvise (Jun 17, 2010)

DocBailey, I have been laughing for 10 minutes over your photo of the dining room table display! Thanks for sharing. I am new to hand tools, but I can already understand the truth of the "slippery slope" and other utterances of wisdom from my woodworking colleagues above…


----------



## woodworker59 (May 16, 2012)

Chris, I to have collected my share of guitars, I am doing better down to just 9 at this point, Fishing poles only 25 and planes well I stopped counting because it upsets the wife.. BUT unlike some of these sicko's I use every one of them, at some point, some day, so far.. Please stop me… is there a 12 step to get the plane monkey off my back.. it keeps whispering " you really need that Stanley #1 and the Millers #7 and the…........."


----------

