Re: Need a helper
Adam Cherubini
>I'm in the market for a new assistant to help around the shop. Specifically, I want someone who can help me clean up tennons, drawer runners, and do general light duty planning.
I'm pretty new to woodworking and generally focus on small furniture using M/T joinery. My only plane so far is an old stanley #4. (I have several tools with tails.)
If your work is small, a plane is the wrong tool to clean up tenons. I'm convinced shoulder planes were developed for factory workers making things like raised panel doors. Tenons (or shoulders at least) could be 6-14". For other jobs that guys use shoulder planes for you can use a simple ($5-10) wooden rabbet.
I've narrowed it down to a couple candidates, and would appreciate advice on which to choose: LN140 Skew angle block plane or LN601/2R rabbet block plane.
As so often happens with folks like us, we decide what we want then seek justification. I do it all the time. Sometimes we call our quest for hand tools the slippery slope.
I don't care for block planes in general. I think they are planes without jobs- not necessarily unemployed, but definitely under-employed.
That said, it wouldn't exactly be the mistake of your life to buy one. Given that its not going to change your life, I'd consider the LV low angle block. I have one. Its the only new plane I ever bought (in a shop with 150 some planes, that's saying something). Otherwise I say save your money and invest in some decent chisels and a good long back saw.
Good luck and welcome to the slippery slope!
Adam
