Thread: Shooting Boards - which plane?

The Hock was A2.

The concern is mostly just my inability to get it to a mirror shine on the back side. It remains a dull grey which is uncharacteristic of other blades I've flattened/polished.

Cheers,
Luke

Luke; have you noticed any difference in the time taken to raise a wire edge on A2 compared to PMV11.

Stewie;

Not really, which, honestly, is part of why I am so befuddled by the back taking so long to polish. The bevel doesn't really seem to be all that much harder to hone.

After this thread, I'm beginning to realize how odd the situation is. I should probably revisit polishing the back...

Im still vacillating on what to buy with Round One.

Ive two old Stanley planes, but they are just el-cheapos. Ive also a couple of Japanese planes which are as sharp as razors, but I have difficulty getting them Just Right.

As stated in my very first post, Im wanting to buy a couple of things to make things by hand, rather than machine.

So far, on the list are (all veritas):

-- dovetail Hand saw package deal
-- Dual marking gauge
-- their shaft clamp
-- a new kiridashi (god knows where I put the last one!)

But importantly, I cant decide which planes to buy! I simply don't have enough experience and don't want to buy "a thing" and someone say "what a shame, you should have bought...."

So, I think my choices are the:

-- Low Angle Jack plane with an O1 25° blade
-- Low Angle Block plane with the same blade

I make kids furniture, boxes and commissioned pieces, but I'm trying to get out of the commissioned work to focus on lower volume quality work.

Should I also get one of the massive smoothers? Is the choice of blade really that important?

Ring Jim Davies and have a chat to him. Jim Davey - Woodworking Hand Tools - Events - Diary

Better still, go pay Jim Davey a visit....you'll find him very approachable, and he has a wealth of knowledge on planes and sharpening.

My first "real" plane was a Veritas Low Angle Jack, and I'd recommend this as a starter to anyone. Choice of blade material is a personal thing; I started out loving the A2, but have since gone over to PMV11 for everything (including chisels). One benefit of the Veritas bevel up planes is that blades are interchangeable between the Low Angle Jack, BU Smoother, and even a BU Jointer if you feel the urge. This allows you to keep one set of blades with microbevels at different angles that can be used in any of your planes.

The only LN planes I have are block planes (102, 103), as they just work better in the hand for me. I do have a Veritas block plane (the wind-tunnel tested, low drag, DX60 ), but frankly it's just too big and hardly gets any use.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

.......But importantly, I cant decide which planes to buy! I simply don't have enough experience and don't want to buy "a thing" and someone say "what a shame, you should have bought...."

Evan, you really can't learn to swim without getting in the water.

People can advise you on what they consider 'essential', but only you will know what really suits you to a T, & to find out, you are going to have to try one or two, somehow. Just about every experienced woodworker I know has been through a number of planes before settling on the ones they want to live with forever - it's rather lik choosing a life-partner.

Smoothers are a particularly difficult plane to advise on, imo, because we use them in so many different ways. I have three, in fact, each with a different cutting angle. I frequently choose the one I think will do a better job, then end up trying each of the others & find one of those actually makes a better fist on the particular piece of wood I'm trying to wrestle smooth! Much depends a lot on when said plane was last sharpened, too....

You could do a lot worse than starting with a pretty plain Jane, 45*, bevel-down job & see how you go. The 'compromise' angle of 45 was well-chosen, I reckon, it works far more often than it doesn't. If you find yourself wanting a different cutting angle down the track, you could indulge in a second plane. OTH, others recommend starting with a BU type and buying a second blade, so you can have different cutting angles in the one tool. Of those who do that, I wonder how many go on swapping blades, & how many end up buying a second (or third!) plane instead??

Cheers,

I agree with Ian's point about going ahead and getting your feet wet.

I SUGGEST (key word...) a plane in the 5 or 5 1/2 size, because it is more versatile than the 4 or 6 size. Something in the 14" length range. You can flatten, smooth, and to some degree joint with that plane.

I also suggest getting a vintage plane, fettling it yourself, and getting some experience troubleshooting the issues you are likely to encounter. You also save money that way and if you decide later you want a high dollar plane, you know what to drop the coin on.

Either way, no more waffling! Time to do some woodworking!

Cheers,
Luke

Suggest you check out Rob Cosman's YouTube video on making and using a shooting board. Lots of good tips.

I have no idea what the situation is nowadays but there used to be an ACT woodworkers association way back in the 80s when I did the Furniture course at Canberra School of Art.
There were a lot of keen makers involved and the SCA had night classes which got into fettling planes etc.
Theyve had a major change in direction due to new staff but they may still offer some classes.
Same with Sturt at Mittagong if you don't mind driving up the road a bit.
I guess most of the members of the Woodies Assoc have carked it or moved on same as in Sydney.
H.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

Im still vacillating on what to buy with Round One.

Ive two old Stanley planes,
Ive also a couple of Japanese planes which are as sharp as razors, but I have difficulty getting them Just Right.

As stated in my very first post, Im wanting to buy a couple of things to make things by hand, rather than machine.

So far, on the list are (all veritas):

-- dovetail Hand saw package deal -- in reality, to get started, you really only NEED the standard 14 tpi dovetail saw
-- Dual marking gauge -- personally I prefer the double ended gauge

-- their shaft clamp
-- a new kiridashi (god knows where I put the last one!)

But importantly, I cant decide which planes to buy! I simply don't have enough experience and don't want to buy "a thing" and someone say "what a shame, you should have bought...."

So, I think my choices are the:

-- Low Angle Jack plane with an O1 25° blade
-- Low Angle Block plane with the same blade

Should I also get one of the massive smoothers? Is the choice of blade really that important?

for a good versatile first plane, a low angle jack is hard to beat, though my preference is for an A2 blade (lie Nielsen) or PMV11 (Veritas). Of course you need to be able to sharpen A2 oe PMV11, but that is another story.

Block plane?
I really like the size of the #102, followed by the 60-1/2.

but you started out looking for a plane to dedicate to a shuting board.
Whilst the low angle jack will work, as will a #5, 5-1/2 or 6, given that this is your primary ask of a premium plane, my advice would be to get a dedicated shute board plane. Derek has done a comparison so you can be guided by his thoughts.


Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest a scrub plane Stanley #40 or the Veritas equivalent.
I've spent a couple of hours this past week making odd shaped blocks for a a glue setup. The scrub was invaluable to waste away bulk material for a multifaceted filler piece. At least 3 orders of magnitude safer than using a table saw, and much, much faster than a jack plane.

Good advice from everyone.

Tell you what, this world of planes is a bit too much.

I did find out I have two Stanley No-204's which are officially classified as "junk". Interestingly after a good sharpen, sanding and squaring I can get a nice thin shaving, but the blade holds its edge for about as long as an aluminium spoon would. Sigh. The world of quality is never cheap - just as well I have no idea where they came from, for they have been in my pre-woodworking "toolbox" for 20+ years.

I gave my Japanese planes another go too - but they are picky finicky fussy f*#cking things. I get a perfect perfect shaving and smoooooth cut and 10 strokes later its a chainsaw. Jeeeee-sus.

I'll write everyones suggestions down and gooooogle a heap.

I was sort of hoping it would be easy - a veritas Block, Smoother and Jack... nice and simple... now it feels like I'm fleeing across a minefield. Perhaps its as Mr Maddox says - sink or swim! Just do!

This article has reduced my ignorance a bit: Understanding Bench Planes - Popular Woodworking Magazine as have a few videos by Doucette and Wolfe on 'Tube.

Hadn't seen that Schwarz article before, WP, so I just read through it quickly. You probably need some experience at hand-planing to fully appreciate what he's on about in a few places, but overall, I reckon he puts the cases for the various sizes & configurations pretty well and is as objective as you can be, given we all have our own biases.

But you need to fit it all into your own situation. Drawing on what the Schwarz says, get yourself a plane or two that seems to fit your needs & start using them. You might hit the sweet spot straight off, but as I said above, chances are high that you'll end up with a different mix than you begin with, after a few years. But when you do decide to change or acquire other planes down the track, experience will inform the decisions far better than any article, no matter how well-written & well-considered......

Cheers,

Evan just simplify it, no one is going to see the results until you tell them. Get hold of a No.4 or 5 old Stanley, knock up a rudimentary shooting board out of some MDF or whatever and try it. I used a No.4 when I was first forced into it through circumstances and it worked ok for me. The real secret to shooting planes is a S-H-A-R-P blade when end grain is being planed. If it doesn't feel like it is going to cut you when you touch the blade it is not sharp enough. I would put timber faces on the MDF if using that and with a nail gun and glue it ought to take about ten minutes to make.