Thread: If you could have 1 hand plane for small box making - what type?

It sounds like a decent block plane would be the best place to start, given the scale of the work you plan and your budget. A low angle block plane will shoot end grain and tidy up a little panel quite efficiently. They are easy enough to find and being small, even the old market finds don't take too long to fettle (usually).

From there every other plane in the constellation will gradually become 'necessary'

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Get two extra blades With BEVELS at 25 degrees (end grain), one at 35 degrees (General Surfacing), and one at 50 degrees (For Highly Figured Cranky Grain).

Well, I'll give the dissenting opinion and say a #4 or #3 would be my first choice if I was to limit myself to just one plane & box-making was my thing. It can be used for thicknessing, jointing, levelling & smoothing small, short boards, & is far more comfortable to use than a block plane in those modes! You can shoot end grain with a #4 perfectly well as long as you keep it sharp (which you need to do to undertake any of the other processes, anyway). We used them for that purpose in primary school woodworking classes, and I used a #5 for many, many years as a shooting plane.

One attraction of a #4 is that it's so common (decent 3s much less so, if you prefer a slightly smaller tool), & you should be able to pick up a good example for far less than a new boutique-brand, though the latter would ensure you had a tool that should work 'out of the box'. However, as you seem willing to spend some time re-habbing, I advocate the old plane route - fettling a tool is the best way to get an understanding of what makes 'em tick. Provided the sole is in good condition (the odd scratch is neither here nor there), most older 4s can be magically transformed by no more than a good after-market (slightly thicker) blade, and making sure the cap-iron fits properly.

As the others have said, you are unlikely to remain a one-plane person for long. By all means, sneak in a block plane as soon as you can, they are a very handy tool, & can be had very cheaply, particularly if you go for a basic model without the (largely unnecessary, imo), frills - a sharp, well-fettled block plane would be the bees' knees for cleaning up the ends of small dovetails, for e.g. However, I don't think a block plane would be as generally useful as your only plane, in your context. For general all-round use, particularly by a beginning plane-user, the bog-standard, bevel-down, 45 degree-bedded planes have a lot to recommend them, and in my opinion, offer the easiest way to ease into a planing career. Later, you may well branch into more sophisticated machinery, and end up with a number of 'specialist' planes, but I'll wager you'll still use your #4 a lot. I've got one or two fancy planes myself, but I still find my old faithful Bailey #4 gets plenty of bench time.....

Cheers,

Thanks for the replies.

A family member has just given me an old no 4 which needs a bit of work. I am not sure of the make so I will post a photo shortly.

This means I will probably lock at a block plane if I can get the #4 going.

Cheers

Of course, a nice plough plane is handy for adding grooves for your bottom and/or lid.

Originally Posted by hiroller

Of course, a nice plough plane is handy for adding grooves for your bottom and/or lid.

Plus a scrub plane for dressing rough stock, a #6 or #7 so you can prepare longer boards to cut into matched sides, A BU plane for shooting ends, a block plane for trimming & clean-up jobs, a scraper plane so you can use really wild-grained stuff for panels, maybe even a compass plane so you can do curved sides?

Actually, a plough is a serious suggestion, if you want to stick with hand tools. Most of the alternatives require burning electrons, I guess.

Must confess, although I'm a hand-tool fan, & I do own a rather attractive old Rosewood plough, when it comes to grooving drawer sides or box sides, I use the tablesaw, takes a few seconds & I can sneak up on any size groove I want, provided it's as wide as, or wider than the saw kerf. I think I was scarred for life early in my woodworking career by ploughing all of the doors for a couple of kitchens with a Record 040. They are a great little tool, & probably ideal for box making, but they are a pain (literally) when used for lots & lots of long, deep grooves....

Cheers,

For working on small-medium boxes, by way of planes only, it is nice (but not essential) to have ...

block plane (e.g. LV DX60 or NX60, LN 60 1/2)
small smoother (e.g. LV SBUS with 2 blades - one low angle and the other high, LN #3)
edge plane for squaring edges (LV or LN #95)
shooting board (used with a block plane, above - they have flat sides, or the SBUS).

Regards from Perth

Derek

If it was me and I want just one plane to start and I do stress start I would get a #4.

This is exactly what happened but I was not using it for box making. Over time you will increase your tool collection when you start looking at making other things.

Also good on you for getting your first plane.

One plane ? Did you say one as in Uno ? Who in their right mind owns one handplane ?

Originally Posted by derekcohen

For working on small-medium boxes, by way of planes only, it is nice (but not essential) to have ...

block plane (e.g. LV DX60 or NX60, LN 60 1/2)
small smoother (e.g. LV SBUS with 2 blades - one low angle and the other high, LN #3)
edge plane for squaring edges (LV or LN #95)
shooting board (used with a block plane, above - they have flat sides, or the SBUS).

Regards from Perth

Derek

I should have added, as Ian suggested, a plough plane for grooves.

The question you must ask yourself is "how do I plan to build a box, and which tools will I need for this process?". Will you use machines at all, or only handtools (then you need to add in tools to dimension the timber).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

I should have added, as Ian suggested, a plough plane for grooves.....

Nope, 'twas Hiroller what suggested that. As I said, I just cut them on the tablesaw, 99% of the time, so it didn't occur to me at the time. I was too busy thinking about what plane I would use to make a box, if I had only one (perish the thought! ). Although there was a long time when I did only have one bench plane, it seems like a very, very long time ago, & I'm not sure I would want to be there again!

Cheers,

I think I am in trouble if one is all that is required , Cheers Richie Rich

Originally Posted by Richie Rich

I think I am in trouble if one is all that is required , Cheers Richie Rich

A lot of us are!

But it's not the worst kind of trouble to be in, is it?