Smooth plane?

Re: Smooth plane?

paul womack

>I'd actually recommend getting the LV low angle jack, and adding a high angle blade. This is an astonishingly versatile and cost effective tool.

If you need the smaller size (for localised planing, or small workpieces), get the LV low angle smoother, also with the HA blade.

But the jack is more versatile.

BugBear

Re: Smooth plane?

glh

>Jack,

I'd check with the instructor and see what he/she says about the #5 serving as a smooth plane. I use a #5.5 as a smooth plane. Most people prefer a #3, #4, or #4, but any of the bench planes can theoretically serve as a smooth plane. The main thing is the blade be real sharp, the corners of the blade slightly rounded to prevent tracks, the blade set for a thin shaving, and the plane be comfortable.

It might be that a smaller #4 would be better for the project you might be working on the class. I'd check first unless you just want to get a new one for the class.

Re: Smooth plane?

JL work

>I was thinking about a #4. The projects are going to be a Shaker style table and a Shaker lap desk. The lap desk is probably going to be about 15 x 20 and the table 24 x 24. I thought that my #5s would be a bit big.

Re: Smooth plane?

Rob Lee

>...or he could wait a short time for one of these...

http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/hsicon.jpg

.... that's #1 of 2 - made yesterday...to explain the lack of paint...

:)

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Smooth plane?

JL work

>I'll gladly try one out for you :). How long would I have to wait? If we are talking 2-3 weeks, not a problem. If we ar talking 1-2 months, I'll have to find another alternative.

Re: Smooth plane?

Rob Lee

>Hi JL -

I'll get in trouble with others here if I quote a date....but it's more like May-June...

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Smooth plane?

Alice Frampton, UK

>Hey Rob, think of the dial-up users eh? These huge pictures take an age to load...

Cheers, Alf

With nose pressed up against the monitor like a kid outside a toy shop window at Christmas :~D

A dull answer...

Jonathan Kaplan (OR)

>Not to dismiss or otherwise put down the suggestions re: bevel-up smooth planes, etc., but a user-condition old bailey-pattern #3 or #4 Stanley, properly tuned, makes a fine smoother, and would be quite inexpensive . A step up would be a bedrock version of those (#603 or #604) or perhaps a 4 1/2 or 604 1/2; these options are more expensive, but easier to tune as a dedicated smoother.

If you don't want to buy used, the LV #4 or 4.5 would be fine choices, as well, as would their low-angle smooth plane.

Or, you could always try your hand at making a wood-body smoother... It's not that hard, and kind of fun... :)

jk

Re: A dull answer...

JL work

>Maybe so, but I have enough on my plate right now. The HD list is long, the work list is long and the list of projects is neverending.

Re: Smooth plane?

Rob Lee

>Yeah - I know...

But it's pre-production...with all the attendant warts... mismatched woods, scuffs etc. .... and we don't want to give away all the details so far in advance...

After all - one can barely see the new lever cap...so there's something left for the catalog...

Cheers -

Rob

impossible for 5 to be too long

David Charlesworth

>Alan Peters stated that the work had to be very small indeed before his favorite No. 7 was too large.

I cannot believe that a well tuned No. 5 could be too big for your projects.

best wishes

David

Or a 5-1/2...

Todd Stock

>

Re: Smooth plane?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Unless you find a miracle cheap plane on eBay or rusthunting, Jerome, I would go with one of your No. 5 planes. The main difference between a Stanley No. 5 and a No. 4 is the length of the sole.

Back in the simpler days of my youth, the beginners' books all suggested a No. 5 as the all-purpose first bench plane, and a lot of people went years before buying a second one.

My apologies...

Alice Frampton, UK

>... to other readers. I inadvertently seem to have given Rob further opportunity to tease us all. I'm so, so sorry...

Cheers, Alf :~)

Agreed, and ... *LINK*

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>... add a small low angle block plane to the tool pile.

It is possible to tune up one of the #5 planes to make a fine smoother. There are many tuning tips available, two coming to mind: (1) a Badger Pond article by RJ in the WC archives (link below), and (2) and a recent article by David Charlesworth (he of the long hair) in Fine Woodworking magazine a few months ago.

Adding a small low angle adjustable mouth block plane will open up several options for you. The cheapest and best used LA available is the Stanley #60-1/2. Extra blades are easily available and I'd get one and regrind this with a 43 degree microbevel. This will increase the cutting angle to 55 degrees, which will make a terrific small smoother for any interlocked grain. The standard blade and bevel (25 degrees) will enable you to plane end grain.

Regards from Perth

Derek


Tuning a hand plane

But Alf!

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Think of the service you've done Rob - and his workers. If he didn't have us to tease, he'd probably be out on the shop floor all the time, interfering with hardworking LV employees. So you're doing everyone who buys LV tools a service, too. Wow. All that from one post.

Slight disagreement, Derek *LINK*

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>In my experience, the best used LA available, though not always easy to find, is the Stanley 65, with the later knuckle joint cap. This is longer than the 60-1/2, with a wider iron (1-5/8 as opposed to 1-3/8, not much but it makes a difference in use) and, at least on my example, far more "bed" for the iron.

You know, I've owned that plane for probably eight or nine years and have picked up several extra Stanley irons at garbage sales, and it had never occurred to me until now, in spite of all the frequent discussions here about bevel-up planes, to regrind a second iron to a higher bevel. Thanks, Derek, for inspiring this epiphany.

Slow, and not too smart, but at least I'm not good looking.


What Patrick Leach says about the No. 65

Good grief, Bill...

Alice Frampton, UK

>... you're right! It's our duty to ask him about progress on every single new tool he's trailed.

Possibly on a daily basis... ;~)

Cheers, Alf

Not at all Bill

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Bill

You will not have any argument from me on that score. My best small block plane is a #65 knucklejoint with Hock blade (I do believe that LN have now begun making replacement blades as well). This is simply a stunning plane on end grain, well up to all the hype. For more general trimming I prefer my bronze LN #102. It is just so comfortable to use. As good as it is (and it is), it does not have the performance of the #65. My suggestion of a #60-1/2 was simply because it is cheaper and more easily available than a #65, not because I consider it better.

I turned a #18 Knucklejoint (bed of 20 degrees) into a HA mini smoother by grinding microbevel so that the bevel was effectively 35 degrees. I'm sure that this will work for common #110 and #220 block planes as well (a new use for these unfashionable block planes?). With these you will need to close the mouth down. Since the mouths are not adjustable, read my tuning tip for the #140 skew block plane (the part about using epoxy to close the mouth up). It should be directly applicable to these planes as well.

Try it - I know you will like it!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Smooth plane?

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>How much $$ have you budgeted for the smoothing plane?

Re: Smooth plane?

JL work

>How much? Well, I have 2 #5 Stanleys (one with corrugated sole and one with smooth sole) and a cabinet scraper plane. The Stanley #4 smooth plane is on the order of $65. So I figure that's a place to start.