Re: I need a new plane
Dave Mount
>There's nothing wrong with a #6 if the additional 4" over your #5 is enough increase in capacity to suit your needs. I guess my question would have more to do with how many planes you think you'll end up owning, and if you get a #6, how often you'll then be wishing you had the additional 4 inches of a #7. Unless you're really sure that the #6 will be the longest plane you'll want, I'd get a #7 next, then backfill with a #6 later. While the #7 may be bigger than you need for some jobs, it expands your total range more in the short term. And, while I'll probably draw disagreement on this, I think it's generally more workable to use a slightly longer plane for a job best suited to a shorter plane (e.g., a #7 where a #6 would do) than it is to use a slightly too short plane for a long plane job. My perception anyway. All depends on the work you're doing.
There seem to be different camps regarding handplane acquisition and use, including (but not limited to) the minimalists and the specialists. The minimalists might have only 2 or 3 bench planes and use those for a wide variety of uses. The specialists have many more, even multiples of individual sizes, with different setups on each (e.g. cambered and uncambered irons, fine set irons with tight mouths versus more coarse set ups). Note that the "specialists" camp is still distinct from "collectors", though one may blend into the other sometimes. I suspect, but do not know, that most of the #6 advocates (including several here) also have planes in longer sizes, they just like the #6 (or #5.5) for a lot of jobs and use it a lot.
Myself, I tend to not want to fuss a lot with the adjustment of a plane when I pick it up, so I tend toward having more planes with different setups. If you're comfortable getting a vintage plane into reasonable tune, then I'd definitely go the vintage Bailey route (I don't think I'd even bother with a Bedrock)in a #6 or #7 (or better yet, both) and see how you like the size. Not to suggest the modern high quality planes aren't exactly that (high quality), but I don't think I'd make that jump until you were sure of what you wanted. You can always sell the vintage planes for what you paid for them if you decide to go with a modern manufacturer later (though, it appears you can sell modern planes on eBay for close to what you pay for them also. . .).
Just some thoughts,
Dave
