Okay, I am an 18 year old kid, and I have a small Bently number 3 or 4, and a stanley number 5. They are straight up ancient. Using just the number 5 and a cheap table saw I built a woodworking bench that has a 6 foot by 2 foot top that was made of 2x6s and the whole thing weighs a little over 350lbs. In my limited experience, if you have access to a few power tools, go to a barn/yard sale and get an old, old stanley number 5. Then get a known flat surface, like a cast iron table or a piece of 3/4 MDF, put some sandpaper on it, then run the sole of the plane over it. In my workbench project, I only had to use a table saw that cost $25 at a yard sale, and a $10 stanley at a barn sale, clamps (although you could use just a set of weights or screws to clamp the boards), and a 1" irwin chisel I got at the same yard sale for free because the guy wanted that table saw gone. In my opinion, you don't need a number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and however many other planes are out there if you have maybe a 5 or 6, and a few power tools if you are okay with using power tools and you are a DIY or hobbyist.
The money shot was at the 10 minute mark where you take the time to get the camera angle to show us how to set a blade compared to the sole. Thank you!
Gotta be one of the best introductions to hand planes I have seen. My intentions were to purchase a #5 or #6 as a starter plane but now with this new information I believe my first purchase will be a #3 or #4. Can't thank you enough for posting this video! Invaluable!!
Thank you, very well made video. My Dad was a master cabinet maker/carpenter and now that my Son is starting to ask questions about his Dad's tools, I want to be able to teach him what my Dad knew and could do. It's very appreciated. I inherited all his old tools and I'm in the process of rehabbing many of them so my Son will have them passed on to him.
Watched this at the hardware store, and you just saved me a whole lot of wasted purchase! Going to a desktop thicknesser and grabbing block plane! But will keep on watching to learn the art! Thanks for the wise words!!!
Standing in hardware store in Dubai! hard enough to get good equipment or wood for that matter, but the RUclips community is an awesome trove of knowledge! Just finished my first project (workbench) and more to come this year!
wow, and here i am sanding burn marks off my pieces. incredible finish after using the plane. And here I go learning with my old Stanley bench plane and my Mastercraft block plane. I am so looking so forward to using this tool.
Great demo! You are a good teacher. And I like your shop set up; it's just the right size with everything available without being cluttered or overwhelming. Opposable digits up!
Thank you very much for such clear and concise explanation. This video has helped me to think better about what would be the appropriate plane or planes for the type of work I most frequently do. Cheers.
04:14 I'm aiming at 'squaring up' stock with a hand plane, how to use windings sticks etc. and therefore I think it's crucial to get acquainted with planes. Great video.
Thank you for your helpful and interesting video. I'm like a Plane omnivore, right now, and you've helped me place some order on the chaos. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for this video it answered a ton of questions I've had about hand planes. I know that I am going to be using them when I set up my workshop but this helps out allot.
In my opinion, with today's dimensional lumber, 4S or 3S, you only need two big bench planes, #5 jack plane and #4 smoothing plane. I use the jackplane the most when I need to reduce the thickness or to flat a minor warp or bowing from a board. I used it during construction of a carcass or a space frame to make sure everything is flush and square. The #4 smoothing plane is always used for joinery work. I also use the jack plane for my shooter board. Two other useful planes are rabbet plane and block plane. But if you have a good set of bench chissels, you can do without. Of course, if you have the money, you can buy as many planes as you want.
Too late - I've pretty much assembled most LN bench planes and several specialty planes that I'm looking forward to learning how to use! Yep, its an expensive exercise, but they are beautiful to behold.
Heino, I'm not picky about block planes and it really depends on what you want to do, but the rabbet block planes are in my opinion the most versatile especially if you can only have 1 of them.
Shannon, dude, you sure took on a big task with this one. You have every new woodworker out there asking you questions on everything there is to know about planes. Good grief. You have my sympathy.
@wdworking Got that right! I had my first experience with a No. 4 a week ago (after lapping the rusty bottom and re-grinding the strange little four sided blade that attaches directly to the cap iron) and it was wonderful! Even with having health issues that cause severe stiffening of my muscles with even light activity, I couldn't help it. It was like magic how the wood came out in thin little streamers. Cool stuff.
This was a GREAT video! I was really only looking for the basics of hand planing for a bench project, and I got so much more! Looking forward to see where this goes! subscribed!
You are right, the longer the sole the flatter the resulting surface. However smoothing isn't about flattening. It is about creating a blemish free surface that is ready for finish. To do this you need a really fine cut and that is harder to take with a longer sole because now the whole surface has to be really really flat. It is just extra work to do it with a longer plane.
@marioaleal I have been encouraging folks to hold off on buying all the tools right away. Not all the tools are necessary right away & I show ways to cut joinery w/ several tool combinations. The last thing I want to see is someone spend a lot on tools only to discover they only want to cut joinery by hand or aren't interested in hand sawing. Many folks join up and learn what to buy for their working style after watching the lessons or reading the huge volume of material in the tool library
I apply finish right after I have smoothed a board assuming I was able to clean it up properly. Sometimes scrapers are needed to tackle the really nasty grain.
I am slowly getting into woodworking and I don't have the money to get a planner or a joiner. So I was looking at getting one or two hand planes. I would mostly be working on medium sized things I guess. I have planes on building my son a bed, but mostly smaller things for around the shop that I need to have flat and square that my other cheap tools are not super great at. Suggestions?
Intimidating about planes is not only the vast number of different types and models, but the price of these toys. Most beginning woodworkers will not want to spend thousands of dollars (euro's) to get started. You need at least a couple of saws, a few chisels, a serious set of clamps and ... a bench. The question is: what can you afford in a budget and what comes first.
That's an excellent argument for a smoothing plane to start with. I want to know why or whether you prefer the #3 to a #4. In the USA I would have suggested that somebody start with a #5 because there are so damned many on the secondary market and it can be tweaked to function as a smoothing plane. I am going to better present your idea of starting with bench planes at the smoothing plane stage.
I don't prefer the 3 over the 4 or vice versa. I choose the plane that best suits the size of the work piece and the task I want to perform. The #5 is always a safe choice hence the "Jack" nickname, but I find the shorter sole of the 4 will make getting started easier.
@marioaleal works fine for me. It could be a buffering issue with RUclips. Try it again or visit my site directly to watch it as that version works just fine too.
I bought a Lie Nielsen low angle jack and a small block plane a month ago. I also bought some water stones and a jig and honed the blades stupid sharp. I am obviously new to this but I am making a oak coat rack with a cedar shelf on top of it. All my wood was rough dimensional. I got everything squared up and fairly flat on one side. BUT I have all these little lines everywhere from the edge of the blade. The cedar is the worst. I tried using the block plane with the mouth set to nothing and the blade pulled way back. Either I got no cut or too much and left a line. Same with the jack plane ( it has an adjustable mouth ). Some of the oak cleaned up really nice, but the area around knots? Forget it. The cedar seems too soft I guess, can you hand plane cedar to a finished surface? So far I have lots of shavings, on the bright side they smell really good: )
I noticed you didn't get a reply to your question, so I'll answer it for you. The sharp square edges of your plane blades are giving you plane tracks, assuming you are adjusting your blades so you have an equal reveal exposed to the wood surface using the lateral adjustment lever. The way to eliminate the plane tracks is to barely round over just the corners of your blades during the grinding process on a grinder or use more concentrated hand pressure to each edge of the blade during the sharpening process or actually grind a slight to moderate curvature along the front edge of your blades.
I have a little doubt. I have heard people that wooden scrub planes are great because are light and you dont get tired. Other people say that metal scrub planes are better because you plane firm and strong over the wood. Im near to buy one, because i dimension all my pieces with hand tools and is really often to me plane around 3/8" to 1/4" of material
Thanks, very helpful! Nice collection of planes as well. I see that you started with Veritas BU planes trio and then extended it with BD planes. How does Veritas #6 works for you? That is supposed to be used after scrub plane and maybe LA jack plane with toothed blade, right? I'm kind of following your steps, it seems. I have that BU trio, still have some more in them to learn. But I'm considering to master BD plane next and I think I would benefit from Veritas #6 for flattening big pieces or maybe Veritas custom #5 1/2. Want to use it for shooting long grain as well to make square edges. My target is to build big furniture for myself (doors, bed, dining table) and then see where it goes. What can you tell about that? :-)
+Andrey Kharitonkin I use my #6 Fore plane usually as a substitute for a Scrub and it gets all my rough dimensioning and flattening done. Honestly it is my workhorse that does 90% of all my planing work.
+RenaissanceWW Thanks again! Would be nice to know what your experience was at more developed or advanced stage. I stepped into hand tools wood working that I vaguely touched in my childhood and advance rapidly now. And so, I do not limit myself to one plane, so to speak, but rather want to find that optimum "advanced starting set". Maybe you touched this subject already (I'm still processing your numerous videos and blog, hehe). But certainly would love see that. I'm sure I'm not the only one just-started-wood-worker that was amused or seduced by advertisements and good reviews of BU planes and now wondering what's next, since they have some limitations in use :-)
Is a number 4 plane more versatile than a number 3 plane ? The reason I ask is that I find number 4 is readily available in most tool stores and have never seen a number 3 plane. I wonder if you will make more videos demonstrating the uses of each type of plane. Thanks for this great video.
Hi there, I've just built a small coffee table from scrap woods from a decking project. However the legs don't balance and it rocks. What tool or plan do I get to level them? Thanks!
The tool cabinet is the final project in semester 1 of The Hand Tool School. The entire build is cataloged there for members. The bench I made and that process is on my blog, just look for it under the Projects tab of my nav bar
Well done! I only have three planes but when properly tuned and sharpened they are a joy to use. Is there a way I can contact you without using RUclips?
well that was good for a smoothing plane - but I am hoping for a more overall view of the myriad of planes that you have. Maybe a minute on each plane. Can planes be grouped? How many groups? How do you use that router plane? Shoulder planes look like a must - are they? What the heck is a block plane? I have so many questions
Trail Guy visit my web site for all of these answers. Yes they can be grouped but trying to tackle all of this in once video would gloss over too many details. I will probably do more videos on this topic in the future.
How do you handle planning a much larger surface than this small board? If the surface is too large to plane in one pass of the plane, how do you do the entire surface such that the stopping and starting of the plane does not degrade the surface?
***** you have to overlap your strokes as you work across the board's width. If you are "spot" planing a section and won't run the entire length of the board you can lift up the plane (like an airplane taking off) to feather the cut. Additionally for planes that you want to leave a finish ready surface a slight camber (curve) is introduced to the blade so that the edges of the cut also feather to nothing.
How can I tell if I'm buying a smoothing plane when I buy an old wooden one from an antique tool shop? It could be a jack plane or a jointer plane as far as I know. Also, is it possible to route with a router plane? You suggest it for the depth of the hole but not from the flat surface. Thanks.
Smoothing planes can run from about 5-9" in length. The number 4 smoothing plane is 9" long and generally will have the number 4 stamped somewhere on the casting. The router plane can start from the surface but it will splinter dramatically if the long grain fibers are not severed to either side of the cut if working cross grain. Even with the grain the blade can wander unless a fence is used. However the router plane is not really meant to be a rough removal tool and it is very time consuming to do this. It is best to rough the joint to shape with a chisel or something else then refine it with the router plane.
No there really isn't a difference other than sole length (which is a pretty big deal in how the plane works). Some specialty smoothing planes will make little tweaks in the mass and the frog (what the cutting iron sits on) in order to facilitate smoothing in tough grain, but in its basic form there is no difference.
If the other half is complaining about the time you spend fondling your planes, or the number of planes you own then divorce them. With the money you save you can buy more planes. It's been scientifically proven that's it's impossible to own too many planes. Fact.
maybe there is some obsession there but primarily this is for a few reasons. First to make sure the plane doesn't clog. If you let shavings build up in the mouth this is always a possibility. The biggest reason is so that I can see the mouth and the size and shape of the shaving I am taking with each pass. This tells you a lot about how the plane is cutting and can telegraph the topography of the board at the same time.
The only thing you didn't mention that I would have is to turn the board to be sure that you get both ends fully. Of course you need to work down hill if the wood is prone to tear out, but you know...
hi your newset subscriber here, i've been using a surform and sandpaper for a while mainly because i have no money and was wondering if trying to make a hand plane on my own could give me better resaults, btw ill be making it with a 24mm chisel and i can get a bigger one if nessecery. thanks
I just bought my first plane, I was just wondering if there is a good way to take the protective oil off the plane. I tried using dry paper towel, but it doesn't take off very much. is there an easy way to take that oil off?
most solvents sold at the home center will work. I have used Mineral Spirits, Simple Green, Goo Be Gone among others. You should be able to find a non toxic one that won't stink up the place too.
When you talk about heavy pressure and weight, does that mean I've gotta crank on that mother almost as hard as I can? Do I lean on it and get all 200lbs on that beast, or what? Could you describe the heavy pressure it takes a bit better? I'm trying w my pos lowes plane, and it just doesn't seem to shave. It's like it either grabs and stops or does nothing. Sharpen I suspect?
Blackrain4xmas actually the pressure applied won’t effect the cut at all but I emphasize this to beginners in order to illustrate the weight transfer from toe to heel that makes the plane cut flat. One of the biggest mistakes I see is a tapered board resulting from uneven weight transfer. The reality is I prefer a fingertip grip on the toe for better feel and feedback from the plane. With that grip it’s just not possible to apply much pressure at all.
Thanks Btw, that crayon trick is a big help I really need to get my plane's blade sharpened, but I don't wanna break the bank either. I'm sure that'll be the difference
I'm a little confused as to why the smoothing plane is so short. I'm not familiar with the numbers as far as identifying each plane, but I have one that is about 13 inches long that I have cleaned up. It seems that the longer the sole, the truer the face or edge will be.
I just don't get it. When you are adjusting the depth of the blade by turning the adjusting wheel, you are doing it with the lever cap locked down, and are moving the blade up and down over the face of the frog although the lever is locked. The same is true of adjusting the lateral adjustment. You are moving the blade side to side over the face of the frog even thought the lever is locked. Doesn't this mean the blade is not locked very securely if you are able to do this? If the blade is loose enough to adjust it although it is locked how come planing the wood does not also cause the blade to move?
***** its not like the lever cap is loose in order to make adjustments, it is still very tight. The advancement is done by a yoke mechanism that pushes the blade forward while also giving a physical positive stop for the blade to ride against. so any force on the blade in use is stopped by that yoke and now you are relying on the screw below the frog to resist the force. I suppose if enough force were applied to the blade you could move it but in planing action we don't come even close.
RenaissanceWW Thank you for your generous response. Now not I examine the system more closely it is apparent the use of leverage in both the lateral and depth adjustments. The lateral adjuster has at least, I haven't taken the time to measure it better, but by eye at least an 8 to 1 leverage, the top of the handle vs the lower part below the pivot. I guess the blade is really tighter than it seems moving the adjustments because we are moving the blade with the help of leverage.
That is an answer best saved for an entire video. Basically I'm looking to see which direction the grain is rising to meet the surface. I check the edge first as that is the quickest way to see how the fibers intersect the surface but if that doesn't tell me anything then I will examine the end grain to figure out where the center of the tree is and to orient the board at the tree grew. This will help me determine the direction to plane. In general if working on the outside of the tree I plane from base to top of the tree, and the opposite when working on the inside of the tree.
Thanks Shannon for hitting absolutely the right spot.. the right question that I was always curious to know about planes. You answered 99% of all my questions except for one. (pardon my ignorance as I am a beginner & hobby woodworker) Can you please let me know if there is any difference between a smoothing plane and rest of no 5 and no 7s except for the length of base ?? I could get some hint in your response to "Howard Hagadorn" but thought of re-clarifying. thanks in advance. :)
Maybe a sharper than razor blade. Maybe a very fine setting. Maybe a low angle plane. Maybe a belt sander. Maybe a scraper plane, or maybe just a hand scraper. What I'm saying is, well, just maybe!
Excellent video on planes. I’m a beginner woodworker and have learned so much just watching this.
Okay, I am an 18 year old kid, and I have a small Bently number 3 or 4, and a stanley number 5. They are straight up ancient. Using just the number 5 and a cheap table saw I built a woodworking bench that has a 6 foot by 2 foot top that was made of 2x6s and the whole thing weighs a little over 350lbs. In my limited experience, if you have access to a few power tools, go to a barn/yard sale and get an old, old stanley number 5. Then get a known flat surface, like a cast iron table or a piece of 3/4 MDF, put some sandpaper on it, then run the sole of the plane over it. In my workbench project, I only had to use a table saw that cost $25 at a yard sale, and a $10 stanley at a barn sale, clamps (although you could use just a set of weights or screws to clamp the boards), and a 1" irwin chisel I got at the same yard sale for free because the guy wanted that table saw gone. In my opinion, you don't need a number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and however many other planes are out there if you have maybe a 5 or 6, and a few power tools if you are okay with using power tools and you are a DIY or hobbyist.
The money shot was at the 10 minute mark where you take the time to get the camera angle to show us how to set a blade compared to the sole. Thank you!
HonestDoubter I tried, but I couldn't make it past 8 minutes. Maybe I'll go back.
Great methodical video for those of us beginning hand work!
Gotta be one of the best introductions to hand planes I have seen. My intentions were to purchase a #5 or #6 as a starter plane but now with this new information I believe my first purchase will be a #3 or #4. Can't thank you enough for posting this video! Invaluable!!
I appreciate that. Great to know this video is still doing its job 6 years later.
Wonderful intro to hand planes. I have been very intimidated and confused by the vast variety out there, but you broke it down very simply. Thank you.
Thank you, very well made video. My Dad was a master cabinet maker/carpenter and now that my Son is starting to ask questions about his Dad's tools, I want to be able to teach him what my Dad knew and could do. It's very appreciated. I inherited all his old tools and I'm in the process of rehabbing many of them so my Son will have them passed on to him.
Shannon, This is probably the best plane tips I've seen or read about. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Shannon Rogers this is one of the best handplane videos I've seen for the less or inexperienced woodworker. Stumbled upon it while viewing LN's stuff.
I appreciate that Ken. It does seem to make a lot of people happy
Watched this at the hardware store, and you just saved me a whole lot of wasted purchase! Going to a desktop thicknesser and grabbing block plane! But will keep on watching to learn the art!
Thanks for the wise words!!!
that's pretty cool to hear. Which store and where? Tell them thanks for spreading the word
Standing in hardware store in Dubai!
hard enough to get good equipment or wood for that matter, but the RUclips community is an awesome trove of knowledge!
Just finished my first project (workbench) and more to come this year!
wow, and here i am sanding burn marks off my pieces. incredible finish after using the plane. And here I go learning with my old Stanley bench plane and my Mastercraft block plane. I am so looking so forward to using this tool.
Great demo! You are a good teacher. And I like your shop set up; it's just the right size with everything available without being cluttered or overwhelming. Opposable digits up!
That is a great introduction. It makes sense to gain confidence with using planes for smaller tasks. Thanks.
Thank you very much for such clear and concise explanation. This video has helped me to think better about what would be the appropriate plane or planes for the type of work I most frequently do. Cheers.
1st time viewing any of your videos. OH MY GOSH! What a great teacher! I am excited to get started. Start small so I'm not overwhelmed. Thank you.!
What's a gosh and how do I get one?
I wanna thank you for this beautiful and useful video, you explained things clearly and in a pleasant way. Regards
very useful advice for anyone new to hand planing. Thank you
04:14 I'm aiming at 'squaring up' stock with a hand plane, how to use windings sticks etc. and therefore I think it's crucial to get acquainted with planes. Great video.
Thank you for your helpful and interesting video. I'm like a Plane omnivore, right now, and you've helped me place some order on the chaos. Keep up the good work!
thanks shannon excellent help for a being wood worker glad you took time to this video
Thank you for this video it answered a ton of questions I've had about hand planes. I know that I am going to be using them when I set up my workshop but this helps out allot.
In my opinion, with today's dimensional lumber, 4S or 3S, you only need two big bench planes, #5 jack plane and #4 smoothing plane. I use the jackplane the most when I need to reduce the thickness or to flat a minor warp or bowing from a board. I used it during construction of a carcass or a space frame to make sure everything is flush and square. The #4 smoothing plane is always used for joinery work. I also use the jack plane for my shooter board. Two other useful planes are rabbet plane and block plane. But if you have a good set of bench chissels, you can do without. Of course, if you have the money, you can buy as many planes as you want.
Too late - I've pretty much assembled most LN bench planes and several specialty planes that I'm looking forward to learning how to use! Yep, its an expensive exercise, but they are beautiful to behold.
Thanks for the plane intro video Shanon! Informative and practical. Well done
Heino, I'm not picky about block planes and it really depends on what you want to do, but the rabbet block planes are in my opinion the most versatile especially if you can only have 1 of them.
Do you mean the Rabot plane? I think I bought one of those a couple years ago at a woodworking convention but have never figured out how to use it.
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Excellent advice there, helped me focus on the plane size I actually need, thanks!
Shannon, dude, you sure took on a big task with this one. You have every new woodworker out there asking you questions on everything there is to know about planes. Good grief. You have my sympathy.
@wdworking Got that right! I had my first experience with a No. 4 a week ago (after lapping the rusty bottom and re-grinding the strange little four sided blade that attaches directly to the cap iron) and it was wonderful! Even with having health issues that cause severe stiffening of my muscles with even light activity, I couldn't help it. It was like magic how the wood came out in thin little streamers. Cool stuff.
thanks shannon. subscribed and a big fan of your contributions on woodtalk online radio too
This was a GREAT video! I was really only looking for the basics of hand planing for a bench project, and I got so much more! Looking forward to see where this goes! subscribed!
This is really quality camera work. good job.
You are right, the longer the sole the flatter the resulting surface. However smoothing isn't about flattening. It is about creating a blemish free surface that is ready for finish. To do this you need a really fine cut and that is harder to take with a longer sole because now the whole surface has to be really really flat. It is just extra work to do it with a longer plane.
Thanks for this... I've been interested in learning how to use a plane and this is the best video I've seen yet!
I loved this video i have always hated sanding i now understand how and when i can use a planer instead. Thanks.
I really like that workbench.
This is fantastic. Thanks for the wealth of information.
Thanks so much for clearing this up.
Thanks for a great video. It really clarified the basics.
@marioaleal I have been encouraging folks to hold off on buying all the tools right away. Not all the tools are necessary right away & I show ways to cut joinery w/ several tool combinations. The last thing I want to see is someone spend a lot on tools only to discover they only want to cut joinery by hand or aren't interested in hand sawing. Many folks join up and learn what to buy for their working style after watching the lessons or reading the huge volume of material in the tool library
I apply finish right after I have smoothed a board assuming I was able to clean it up properly. Sometimes scrapers are needed to tackle the really nasty grain.
I am slowly getting into woodworking and I don't have the money to get a planner or a joiner. So I was looking at getting one or two hand planes. I would mostly be working on medium sized things I guess. I have planes on building my son a bed, but mostly smaller things for around the shop that I need to have flat and square that my other cheap tools are not super great at. Suggestions?
Intimidating about planes is not only the vast number of different types and models, but the price of these toys. Most beginning woodworkers will not want to spend thousands of dollars (euro's) to get started. You need at least a couple of saws, a few chisels, a serious set of clamps and ... a bench. The question is: what can you afford in a budget and what comes first.
Thank you so much for your video. helped me a lot to decide.
Cathy
That's an excellent argument for a smoothing plane to start with. I want to know why or whether you prefer the #3 to a #4. In the USA I would have suggested that somebody start with a #5 because there are so damned many on the secondary market and it can be tweaked to function as a smoothing plane. I am going to better present your idea of starting with bench planes at the smoothing plane stage.
I don't prefer the 3 over the 4 or vice versa. I choose the plane that best suits the size of the work piece and the task I want to perform. The #5 is always a safe choice hence the "Jack" nickname, but I find the shorter sole of the 4 will make getting started easier.
yes the tail vise is the version 1 of the Benchcrafted vise
@marioaleal works fine for me. It could be a buffering issue with RUclips. Try it again or visit my site directly to watch it as that version works just fine too.
I bought a Lie Nielsen low angle jack and a small block plane a month ago. I also bought some water stones and a jig and honed the blades stupid sharp.
I am obviously new to this but I am making a oak coat rack with a cedar shelf on top of it. All my wood was rough dimensional. I got everything squared up and fairly flat on one side. BUT I have all these little lines everywhere from the edge of the blade. The cedar is the worst. I tried using the block plane with the mouth set to nothing and the blade pulled way back. Either I got no cut or too much and left a line. Same with the jack plane ( it has an adjustable mouth ).
Some of the oak cleaned up really nice, but the area around knots? Forget it. The cedar seems too soft I guess, can you hand plane cedar to a finished surface?
So far I have lots of shavings, on the bright side they smell really good: )
I noticed you didn't get a reply to your question, so I'll answer it for you. The sharp square edges of your plane blades are giving you plane tracks, assuming you are adjusting your blades so you have an equal reveal exposed to the wood surface using the lateral adjustment lever. The way to eliminate the plane tracks is to barely round over just the corners of your blades during the grinding process on a grinder or use more concentrated hand pressure to each edge of the blade during the sharpening process or actually grind a slight to moderate curvature along the front edge of your blades.
Very, very informative and helpful! Thank you!
Thanks very much I will be taking your advice!
dude the best intro music ever
thanks for this, its really answered a lot of questions I had ! lovely video
Great tutorial, thank you.
I have a little doubt.
I have heard people that wooden scrub planes are great because are light and you dont get tired. Other people say that metal scrub planes are better because you plane firm and strong over the wood.
Im near to buy one, because i dimension all my pieces with hand tools and is really often to me plane around 3/8" to 1/4" of material
Thank you; I needed that.
Great video, good info!
Thanks, very helpful! Nice collection of planes as well. I see that you started with Veritas BU planes trio and then extended it with BD planes. How does Veritas #6 works for you? That is supposed to be used after scrub plane and maybe LA jack plane with toothed blade, right?
I'm kind of following your steps, it seems. I have that BU trio, still have some more in them to learn. But I'm considering to master BD plane next and I think I would benefit from Veritas #6 for flattening big pieces or maybe Veritas custom #5 1/2. Want to use it for shooting long grain as well to make square edges. My target is to build big furniture for myself (doors, bed, dining table) and then see where it goes. What can you tell about that? :-)
+Andrey Kharitonkin I use my #6 Fore plane usually as a substitute for a Scrub and it gets all my rough dimensioning and flattening done. Honestly it is my workhorse that does 90% of all my planing work.
+RenaissanceWW Thanks again! Would be nice to know what your experience was at more developed or advanced stage. I stepped into hand tools wood working that I vaguely touched in my childhood and advance rapidly now. And so, I do not limit myself to one plane, so to speak, but rather want to find that optimum "advanced starting set". Maybe you touched this subject already (I'm still processing your numerous videos and blog, hehe). But certainly would love see that. I'm sure I'm not the only one just-started-wood-worker that was amused or seduced by advertisements and good reviews of BU planes and now wondering what's next, since they have some limitations in use :-)
Is a number 4 plane more versatile than a number 3 plane ? The reason I ask is that I find number 4 is readily available in most tool stores and have never seen a number 3 plane. I wonder if you will make more videos demonstrating the uses of each type of plane. Thanks for this great video.
Great video. Thanks.
Hi there, I've just built a small coffee table from scrap woods from a decking project. However the legs don't balance and it rocks. What tool or plan do I get to level them? Thanks!
The tool cabinet is the final project in semester 1 of The Hand Tool School. The entire build is cataloged there for members. The bench I made and that process is on my blog, just look for it under the Projects tab of my nav bar
I always thought your first project was to build a workbench and for that you need at least a #4 Stanley/Bailey Pre-war.
Would you apply a finish to that board you just planed or are there any additional steps? Thank for the lesson. Well done.
Well done! I only have three planes but when properly tuned and sharpened they are a joy to use. Is there a way I can contact you without using RUclips?
well that was good for a smoothing plane - but I am hoping for a more overall view of the myriad of planes that you have. Maybe a minute on each plane. Can planes be grouped? How many groups? How do you use that router plane? Shoulder planes look like a must - are they? What the heck is a block plane? I have so many questions
Trail Guy visit my web site for all of these answers. Yes they can be grouped but trying to tackle all of this in once video would gloss over too many details. I will probably do more videos on this topic in the future.
How do you handle planning a much larger surface than this small board? If the surface is too large to plane in one pass of the plane, how do you do the entire surface such that the stopping and starting of the plane does not degrade the surface?
***** you have to overlap your strokes as you work across the board's width. If you are "spot" planing a section and won't run the entire length of the board you can lift up the plane (like an airplane taking off) to feather the cut. Additionally for planes that you want to leave a finish ready surface a slight camber (curve) is introduced to the blade so that the edges of the cut also feather to nothing.
Very informative video, thanks you for sharing. Is your wise from bencrafted ?
PS: only audio on the left channel ;)
How can I tell if I'm buying a smoothing plane when I buy an old wooden one from an antique tool shop? It could be a jack plane or a jointer plane as far as I know. Also, is it possible to route with a router plane? You suggest it for the depth of the hole but not from the flat surface. Thanks.
Smoothing planes can run from about 5-9" in length. The number 4 smoothing plane is 9" long and generally will have the number 4 stamped somewhere on the casting. The router plane can start from the surface but it will splinter dramatically if the long grain fibers are not severed to either side of the cut if working cross grain. Even with the grain the blade can wander unless a fence is used. However the router plane is not really meant to be a rough removal tool and it is very time consuming to do this. It is best to rough the joint to shape with a chisel or something else then refine it with the router plane.
great video...thanks
No there really isn't a difference other than sole length (which is a pretty big deal in how the plane works). Some specialty smoothing planes will make little tweaks in the mass and the frog (what the cutting iron sits on) in order to facilitate smoothing in tough grain, but in its basic form there is no difference.
what angle is the frog on the smoothing plane? is it higher than 25?
The wooden smoothing plane at 20:24 seems great. Is there any modern company that would offer such a product?
+wtfbbqbye that one was made by Scott Meek Toolworks, so yes there is a modern maker.
Very informative
If the other half is complaining about the time you spend fondling your planes, or the number of planes you own then divorce them. With the money you save you can buy more planes.
It's been scientifically proven that's it's impossible to own too many planes. Fact.
RenaissanceWW: Why do you remove the shaving after every pass? Is it obsessive or is there a reason? Thank you.
maybe there is some obsession there but primarily this is for a few reasons. First to make sure the plane doesn't clog. If you let shavings build up in the mouth this is always a possibility. The biggest reason is so that I can see the mouth and the size and shape of the shaving I am taking with each pass. This tells you a lot about how the plane is cutting and can telegraph the topography of the board at the same time.
Thank you for answering my question.
Is that true, when they say that wooden planes do not "vibrate" and Stanley planes do?
The only thing you didn't mention that I would have is to turn the board to be sure that you get both ends fully. Of course you need to work down hill if the wood is prone to tear out, but you know...
I agree, that confuses me too!
hi your newset subscriber here, i've been using a surform and sandpaper for a while mainly because i have no money and was wondering if trying to make a hand plane on my own could give me better resaults, btw ill be making it with a 24mm chisel and i can get a bigger one if nessecery.
thanks
I just bought my first plane, I was just wondering if there is a good way to take the protective oil off the plane. I tried using dry paper towel, but it doesn't take off very much. is there an easy way to take that oil off?
most solvents sold at the home center will work. I have used Mineral Spirits, Simple Green, Goo Be Gone among others. You should be able to find a non toxic one that won't stink up the place too.
When you talk about heavy pressure and weight, does that mean I've gotta crank on that mother almost as hard as I can? Do I lean on it and get all 200lbs on that beast, or what? Could you describe the heavy pressure it takes a bit better?
I'm trying w my pos lowes plane, and it just doesn't seem to shave. It's like it either grabs and stops or does nothing.
Sharpen I suspect?
Blackrain4xmas actually the pressure applied won’t effect the cut at all but I emphasize this to beginners in order to illustrate the weight transfer from toe to heel that makes the plane cut flat. One of the biggest mistakes I see is a tapered board resulting from uneven weight transfer. The reality is I prefer a fingertip grip on the toe for better feel and feedback from the plane. With that grip it’s just not possible to apply much pressure at all.
Thanks
Btw, that crayon trick is a big help
I really need to get my plane's blade sharpened, but I don't wanna break the bank either. I'm sure that'll be the difference
Yes it is Ash.
i like the bench. Is it ash?
@peppersvnv drop by my Renaissancewoodworker website and use the contact form on the right hand side.
thanks for the video..
I'm a little confused as to why the smoothing plane is so short. I'm not familiar with the numbers as far as identifying each plane, but I have one that is about 13 inches long that I have cleaned up. It seems that the longer the sole, the truer the face or edge will be.
The most versatile planes are the Stanley No 4s. You can flatten and smooth with it. That's why they're so common in the secondhand market.
good tutorial, you should fix the sound in your video. its only comes through the left speaker.
Hello, I am a subscriber of yours from Spain, would it be possible to subtitle your videos in Spanish? Thanks and greetings from Spain (Europe).
what block plane will yourecomend
I just don't get it. When you are adjusting the depth of the blade by turning the adjusting wheel, you are doing it with the lever cap locked down, and are moving the blade up and down over the face of the frog although the lever is locked. The same is true of adjusting the lateral adjustment. You are moving the blade side to side over the face of the frog even thought the lever is locked. Doesn't this mean the blade is not locked very securely if you are able to do this? If the blade is loose enough to adjust it although it is locked how come planing the wood does not also cause the blade to move?
***** its not like the lever cap is loose in order to make adjustments, it is still very tight. The advancement is done by a yoke mechanism that pushes the blade forward while also giving a physical positive stop for the blade to ride against. so any force on the blade in use is stopped by that yoke and now you are relying on the screw below the frog to resist the force. I suppose if enough force were applied to the blade you could move it but in planing action we don't come even close.
RenaissanceWW Thank you for your generous response. Now not I examine the system more closely it is apparent the use of leverage in both the lateral and depth adjustments. The lateral adjuster has at least, I haven't taken the time to measure it better, but by eye at least an 8 to 1 leverage, the top of the handle vs the lower part below the pivot. I guess the blade is really tighter than it seems moving the adjustments because we are moving the blade with the help of leverage.
Thanks for advices, wish I can afford your school
What's the name of your intro song?
how can yo tell just from looking at a board which way the grain goes?
That is an answer best saved for an entire video. Basically I'm looking to see which direction the grain is rising to meet the surface. I check the edge first as that is the quickest way to see how the fibers intersect the surface but if that doesn't tell me anything then I will examine the end grain to figure out where the center of the tree is and to orient the board at the tree grew. This will help me determine the direction to plane. In general if working on the outside of the tree I plane from base to top of the tree, and the opposite when working on the inside of the tree.
What no. plane is the "smoothing plane" that you demonstrated with.
That is a WoodRiver #3
Thank you
Good
May I ask what "rabbeting block plane" that is ??
It is a Lie Nielsen plane
Thank you, it looks like a great tool.
Thanks Shannon for hitting absolutely the right spot.. the right question that I was always curious to know about planes. You answered 99% of all my questions except for one. (pardon my ignorance as I am a beginner & hobby woodworker) Can you please let me know if there is any difference between a smoothing plane and rest of no 5 and no 7s except for the length of base ?? I could get some hint in your response to "Howard Hagadorn" but thought of re-clarifying. thanks in advance. :)
Anyone know what type of vice he's using?
It is the Benchcrafted tail vise. You can see me install it on my bench here, ruclips.net/video/KzZU7cfU4oY/видео.html
I can not hand plane bloodwood,what is the trick?
Maybe a sharper than razor blade. Maybe a very fine setting. Maybe a low angle plane. Maybe a belt sander. Maybe a scraper plane, or maybe just a hand scraper. What I'm saying is, well, just maybe!
Has anybody downloaded Woody Hyezmar’s Woodworking Bible? He’s making it available for readers to proof-read and the projects look real good!
SCAM!
gimme some of your planes! lol