# So this is what hand planes are all about... (Now with Pictures!)



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Just wanted to share my recent discovery of hand planes with everyone:

I have a couple planes, mostly block planes, that I have occasionally played with over the last couple years. A few months ago I bought a Stanley low-angle block plane in good condition from an antique store. I took it home and sharpened the blade to the best of my ability and it worked pretty good. I've only really used for flushing plugs, chamfers, etc because I never could good, clean shavings from it.

A few weeks later I bought a Stanley #4C (circa 1918) and a Stanley #7C (I haven't tried to date it yet) and they both need some serious work but are in overall decent conditions. The #4C did make some shavings right away but I could tell it needed some serious work. I mainly bought them to restore with the hopes of getting into more hand tool work.

Now, I love the idea of using more hand tools but they never seem to work that well for me. I really would like to become more of a "hybrid" woodworker but have always struggled with my hand tools. I was pretty sure a lot of it had to do with my lack of sharpening skills so I asked my wife for a Work Sharp 3000 for my birthday.

Well, I got my Work Sharp the other day and after sharpening a few chisels I decided to take out the blade of my low-angle Stanley and give it a go. After flattening the back (which was not as flat as I thought) and working the bevel up through the grits I put it back in the plane and took a big stroke down the edge of a piece of figured maple.

HOLY COW! Beautiful, thin, curly ribbons came out like I had never seen before! I was just dumbfounded at how much difference it made. So this is what hand planes are all about…

Well that got my excited so I removed the blade from the #4C, which by the way is rusted, dirty, and has a cracked tote, and sharpened it up. I took it along the face of the figure maple and BAM, more beautiful, thin shavings! I haven't so much as touched this tool other than to adjust the blade depth since I bought it.

Next thing I knew I was running around the shop look for scraps of different wood I could practice with. I found a beautiful piece of hickory about 2" wide. I stuck it in the vice, and ran that #4C across the face. Man, I couldn't believe the beautiful shavings coming out of that plane. That hickory felt like butter under that #4C. I immediately ran inside and grab my wife to show her. She obviously wasn't nearly as impressed as I was at first but I stuck the plane in her hand and made her give it a try. After a few stocks she said she was amazed at how easy it was to get big, almost paper-thin shavings with that beat-up old plane I had bought.

Needless to say, I'm hooked! I felt like I had discovered the secrets of the universe. I was so excited and so proud that I spent the rest of the night planning down random scraps until they were toothpicks. I can't wait to get these planes cleaned and tuned-up so they can really shine!

Thanks for listening!

*
Update:

Here's some pictures, as promised!*

Stanley #4C with some mahogany…









Stanley Low-Angle Block Plane with some hickory…









Oh my, look at all those shavings!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Yeah. Planes are fun.


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## grizzlymunchin (Aug 17, 2013)

get the veritas jig and you will be happy happy happy!!!!!!!!!!! it will get those planes razor sharp with the help of 2000 grit sandpaper


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

She obviously wasn't nearly as impressed as I was

That made me laugh. Totally my experience, too, except my wife won't try them. She also can't understand my excitement when we go to an antique store and they have a hard to find plane or an ebay purchase shows up in the mail.

Welcome to the slippery slope of hand planes, your life will never be the same. Luckily there is a good support group …..... uh, enabling group, right here on LJ.

Edit: The hand plane guys here like pictures. We *NEED* pictures to keep the addiction in check.


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Haha, I kept telling myself that I needed to wait until I got home and could take some pictures. I'll update the post later today with some pics!


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

Congrats and welcome to the slope! That was a really good idea to get your wife to try out the plane and make some gossamer shavings herself. You might have created/recruited an elf that can help you find some good vintage tools.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

She obviously wasn't nearly as impressed as I was 
Another agreement here lol My Fiance has actually tried though. Still don't think she gets why I like it so much. I guess unless you like it, you won't understand why you would lol

Congrats, and like Don said, welcome to the slope


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## BigRedKnothead (Dec 21, 2012)

You're in good company….I think


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

slip…..slip….sliding…...the slippery slope of hand planes. Sounds like your hooked now.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

Welcome to handplanes anonymous… Hi I am Justin, i have an addiction to old tools, mainly hand planes…


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## TerryDowning (Aug 8, 2012)

FYI and fair warning.
Hand plane discovery inevitably leads to the following
chisels (which leads to mallets)
and saws (which leads to mitre boxes)

Of course you need to layout old school now to use all of the tools properly
so - marking gauges and Measuring tools are called for

And of course That workmate (although very useful) just doesn't work well for planing or joinery so now you need a proper workbench which needs to have dog holes so you discover hand drills and bit braces.

and all of these tools need a proper place to be stored when not in use so a toolbox is called for.

last but not least you will to learn how to restore and show off the restoration

Slippery slope? More like a cliff with a greased edge!!

Welcome to the fun, it's only just begun!

P.S. don't forget to keep us informed on the state of your shop!

You have run into some of the most high powered enablers in woodworking!


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Welcome. Sharp blade, some tuning and a quality plane (pre-war or post war from a good manufacture) gives awesome results. Looks like you're off and running.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Yeah - once you get hooked, give your wife all of your credit cards for at least a year. If you don't, you could easily become a starving woodworker - your wife will leave you and you will fill your house with tools.

I've seen it happen - its not pretty!


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Terry just wrote my recent biography.

Welcome to the sickness.


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## TerryDowning (Aug 8, 2012)

It's autobiographical as well. 

SWMBO just doesn't get it which prevents David's observation from happening since she's also the CFO of the household.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Where's the Pics !!!


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

The wife's a good sport about it. She helps me in the shop a fair bit. Her father and some of her other family have all done a little woodworking at one point so she understands and fully supports it. She's also good about finding planes, chisels, etc at flea markets and antique fairs and sending me pictures to see if I want her to buy it.

Ahh yes, the workbench… that is certainly on my to do list. I helped another woodworker I work with put on the top of his the other day and it sure made me want one.

As for saws…well, I picked up a couple last week while back in Louisiana….

And right now I've got my eye on a turn-of-the-century Stanley #80 in good shape at a local antique shop. Also I really want a router plane, and rabbit plane, and…. well, ya'll know how it goes.


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

DaddyZ, the pics will come as soon as I get off work and get to the shop…which can not come soon enough since today is my Friday.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

David - you are well on your way.

Good luck.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

Sounds somewhat familiar to this! As I was welcomed, I welcome you to "The Affliction". Good thing you got your wife on board!


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

Yeah Terry has it down, im starting on the saws portion but have delved into all the rest lil by lil.. glad my gf/fiance is supportive and my job pays well..


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Terry has it DEAD on.
Chisels…(more than 20 < 100). check
Mallets…(6-10).check
saws…....(35+) check
miter box..(6) check
marking guage…(15-20) check
workmates…....(10) check
workbench…....1 large,1portable, several fixed to wall check
hand drills & bit braces….(30+).check
OH my, I HAVE A PROBLEM !!!! INTERVENTION !


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Nothing like wallowing in your addiction. Now you need a chest to put them in


















Welcome to the madness!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

OH my, I HAVE A PROBLEM !!!! INTERVENTION !

We can help. This looks like a serious case and you will have to take some drastic action. The steps needed are:


Find a good realtor
List your current home
Find and purchase a property with a much larger shop.
Move into the new one so you have room to expand your tool assortment.

What else do you expect from a bunch of enablers?


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Have really not started moving my tools in…. This is a 100 plus year old box.


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## TerryDowning (Aug 8, 2012)

Regarding INTERVENTION

If you feel you have too many tools, I know of plenty of people who will take some off your hands!!


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Too many tools? Is that possible?


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Hi my names David and I am going to have an addiction…......Jus sayin'


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

After purchasing a #5 Clifton a few years ago, I now have a nice collection of hand planes, most of them Stanleys that I have re-furbed.

I don't know exactly what a "hybrid" woodworker is, but I use hand tools a lot. Every project gets some of this primitive action.

In conjunction with winding sticks, a hand plane can be very useful to take twist out of a board, and other problems like cup. Without finish planning the whole board, this gives me a reference surface for sending the board thru my planer. The result is a nice flat board. I suppose a 10 or 12 inch jointer would accomplish the same result, but I'm not likely to ever have this kind of power tool in my shop.

For glue-ups of long boards, I'll usually take a #4 or #5, set to take a mere couple of thousands of shavings, and make a few sweeps in the middle. This gives my glue-up a little "spring", creating nice tight ends.

Lastly, you will enjoy the books and DVD's from Chris Schwarz, Lost Art Press. Chris is definitely one of the top "guru's" of hand planes and hand tools.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

I spy some crown royal..


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

As requested, I've added some pictures to the original post.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Welcome to LJ's

What is this affliction you all speak of?

I missed this thread because I was on vacation. Doesn't everyone go to Liberty Tool on vacation?


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

^yup!


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Don, thank's for the welcome. I've actually been on LJ's for almost four years. LOL. Just haven't posted anything in a bit since I just moved across the country. Anyways, I had never heard of Liberty Tool, but after a quick web search maybe I should make that my next vacation destination!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I'm not sure why I thought you were new.

It was a good trip. http://lumberjocks.com/replies/688093


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Don, that's a nice haul! I really like the miter box, I've had my eye out for one but don't really know what I'm looking for. Maybe I'll do a little research this week.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

There is a miter box of your dream thread….

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/36757


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