# Talk Me Into a Wooden Jointer Plane



## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I've been spending some time acquiring and rehabbing some old Stanley bench planes lately, and the only thing I'm missing is a Jointer. I've seen some decent-but-not-great prices on ebay, so I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I have also seen some wooden jointer planes there, but I've never used a wooden plane before.

Basically, talk me into a (cheaper, I think) wooden jointer plane over a #7 or #8. I understand the wooden ones are much lighter. Any other benefits? Any major drawbacks? Are they harder to tune properly? More finicky?

What should I be looking for in a wooden jointer? For example, is this a good one? http://www.ebay.com/itm/221287013685

Thanks for any help.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

That's not a wooden jointer plane, it's a transitional plane - halfway between a woodie and a metal plane. It's missing some pieces and the far-away shot doesn't tell you anything about the condition or what faults it's hiding.

I like the heft of metal, but if you're looking for a reason to go with wood:
1. If the sole is worn out you can put a new one on.
2. If it's too long for that spot on the shelf you can cut a couple inches off either end.
3. yea, that's all I got. Like I said, I prefer metal.

Edit: Tuning means flat sole and tap the iron into just the right position and tightening the wedge. That's it.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

fellow LJ Rhett sells Nice Ash planes. There are several reviews here. I did one of his first. He's made some minor modifications since then, but they were and are a well made wood bodied plane.

You can also make your own. There is even still time to join the Plane swap.

Like Joe mentioned, the one you linked to is a transitional. I find the transitionals a little finicky.

A few shop made jointers to ponder over


http://lumberjocks.com/Mosquito/blog/37231


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I wasn't sure if I'd like a wooden jointer either. Then I got one from my grandfather, and it was a joy to use. Decided to make my own (Don linked to it above) and it's great. I love using it. I made shavings for about an hour and a half when I finished the plane, for no reason more than because I enjoyed it lol


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

Advantages of a wooden Jointer:
-easier to flatten the bottom than a metal plane, in fact over-all quicker tune-up compared to sanding and filing a bunch of metal.
-feels nice
-looks better
-less expensive

Disadvantages
-more difficult to adjust the depth of cut, until you practice a bit… (This is the biggest disadvantage, in my opinion…)
-The easier to flatten sole also means it will wear faster, and need flattening more often.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Nothing wrong with wooden planes, but I will throw a couple things to think about out there.

If all your other planes are metal and your bench is set at a good height for using them, then a wooden plane could throw you off a bit. Since the body of the plane is much thicker, it effectively raises your working height by that amount.

Is that a deal breaker? Not for me, but someone with back problems, for instance, might notice the difference and prefer to stick with all similar bodied planes.

Second thing is adjustments. A transitional will adjust much like your metal bodied planes, but if you go for a true woodie, such as Don's or Mos', then you will need to learn to make all adjustments with a mallet. Again not that hard to do or learn, but something to think about.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback. The ash planes look nice, but are way, way out of my price range. This is sort of a low cost project to tide me over until we move out of our present apartment. I got a pretty nice-but-rough Stanley #3, 4, 5, and 6 separately on ebay for peanuts (in some cases the shipping was more than the item itself). There's no way I'd pay more than all those planes put together for a jointer.

The one I linked is out. Any others that I should look at?


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I should add that it's not possible for me to make a plane at the moment, due to my living situation (I'm not living near my shop at the moment and have no space for any quantity of tools here). That's part of why I decided to finally look into adding a few hand planes to my repertoire.


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

I'll have to say I lucked out and found a good old wooden jointer plane in really good condition at a local flea market… it was $28, I think…but I passed over quite a few others that were not in good shape…so you have to be picky, but if you're like me, spending a lot of money was not an option, and old planes were the way to go. I've seen quite a few at local antique stores and flea markets that range between 20-30 dollars.

That's another advantage to a wooden plane, you can find a wooden jointer for 20-30 bucks…but an old Stanley #7 or 8 will likely be 75-100, or more…no matter what condition it's in.

So like you, I have a Stanley #5, #3, & block plane, but couldn't find a cheap jointer plane, so I went wooden.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Would this transitional be a better example of what I should be looking for?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Giant-22-Inch-Bailey-Stanley-Transitional-Jointer-Plane-Made-in-USA-/271283345943

It seems to be complete. The price is a little higher than I'd like, but it does include free shipping.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Personally, I'm not a transitional plane fan…. You should be able to find one of these in a local antique store in the $20-30 range. Look for one without cracks where the blade is close to the front of the mouth with the blade set to planing position.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-REID-Aberdeen-22-Wooden-Jointer-Plane-Flat-Sole-Sharp-Cutter-/171135088309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d87236b5


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## woodenwarrior (May 23, 2012)

I would suggest you rummage through antique shops and antique "malls" near you. I purchased my Stanley #8 for $30 and a #4 in mint condition from around 1920 that was still in the original box for $20. They're out there.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Popped over to a local antique mall-type-thing and saw a few jointers, but they were either a) way overpriced, b) missing an iron and/or wedge, or c) cracked all to hell. One was the trifecta of bad-ness. It was basically a block of hardwood with a handle and a slot in it.

I'll keep looking, I suppose. I checked out that plane WayneC linked, and plan to take a stab at it.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

There are a lot of them out there. Just need to look till you find a good one.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I just don't want to have to spend a lot of time and money on whatever I find. I don't mind doing a little lapping and tweaking - that's what I'm doing with the old Stanleys I bought recently - but I just don't want something that's going to be even more of a project to get functional, especially since I know absolutely nothing about using wooden planes.


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## Texchappy (Apr 27, 2012)

They are generally easier to tweak up than metal ones. There would have to be substantial warping of the stock before it would be a harder than a metal plane. That's for western wooden planes, not so sure the same can me said of transitionals.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I ended up winning the auction for that James Reid Aberdeen jointer that Wayne mentioned. The great bonus was that it was only 20m from my house, so I didn't even have to pay shipping.

Haven't really had a chance to play around with it yet, but it's in really good shape. If the hundreds and hundreds of planes the guy had in his basement were anything to go by, it was well taken care of. Picked up some good tips from him as well. Thanks all for the responses.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Congratulations on winning the jointer. Will be interested to here how you like it.


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## ToolGuy (Sep 2, 2011)

Some other advantages of a wooden jointer could include the much thicker iron which is also usually laminated so it takes and holds a very keen edge. The thickness of the iron makes it less prone to chatter so can sometimes give a clean cut on awkward grained wood which the thinner bladed Stanley type planes can't deal with.

Some users also find that it can slide wood over wood more comfortably than metal planes. They don't rust which can be a problem with some people who have particularly acid sweat. They don't break if dropped (can be good in a tool bag taken to site for instance). Not a desirable item for theft  .

I'm on the other side of the Atlantic and here the wooden planes are plentiful and can find good condition ones cheap as most people want to go for the metal ones. It does take practice to set them up but with that it can be done quickly. They do need the wood oiling occasionally.

Personally I use a metal planes most of the time and suggest the wooden ones as second tools.


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

One more advantage: if you have half wooden planes and half metal…you can alternate them in your tool chest to keep the metal planes from clanking together. Ie in my case…

wooden jointer
metal jack
wooden jack
metal smoother


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