Do I really need it

YES

jim reed @ tallahassee


>I have not used my #8 in several years, but I still NEED it. One day that special project will come along that can only be done with a #8. I am ready for that day. A #8 can fill in for a #7 or a #6, but you cannot stretch a #7.

Re: No

thomd


>Obviously it depends on what kind of stuff you do. I think if 8s had been readily available when I was starting out, I might have settled for one of those isntead of a 7, but given that I got a 7, I haven't found anything I couldn't do with it in the last 25 years or so.

Each plane will have a scale of work that it handles in direct relation ship to it's size, about the only bad thing that happens when one stretches the 7 to cover the 8 is that one is forced to take a smaller shaving, and the work will take longer. So if the marginal range in which that is the case was a huge percentage of what you do, then it would be an inconvenience that you are stuck without an 8. But if it is a random distribution of the stuff you do, you will be very little inconvenineced.

When you are working out of the ideal range of the planes in question, it's like drawing a 22 inch line when you have a 12 inch ruler; some skill may be required in the compensation, but having a 13" ruler won't make it much better. The only place where you need a 13" ruler is if almost all your work is slightly over 12".

Maybe

Neal in San Jose


>When I was just discovering hand tools, I bought a 608 square side and upgraded it with a Hock blade. However, the thing outweighed me, so it saw limited duty. I eventually sold it and bought an Ohio #8 which I like, but I still use a #7 a lot more. Unless you are going to be jointing very long stock, I think a #7 will do everything you really need to do.

Wanting one, however, is another matter entirely!

Re: Do I really need it

Dean J in MN


>As others have said, "It depends."

Having a long (and wide) plane is nice for match planing edges. However, I'd suggest a woodie for this task. A 30" woodie is a lot lighter than a #8, which resembles an aircraft carrier.

If you tend to do stock prep as well as edge joints by hand having two long planes has its advantages. One with a cambered blade (try plane) and one with a square blade (joynter) -- I'd just push you toward a woodie for the later.

-Dean

I don't own a No. 7

Bill Houghton, avoiding work in Sebastopol, CA


>and have gotten used to the heavier weight of the No. 8.

But I think, if you're new to the process, you should (a) find out what the limits of your existing tools are, and (b) if you do want to buy more tools, look at the larger holes in your toolbox first. Do you own a shoulder plane, or a No. 78 rabbet (slightly different tools, each with its own use)? Router plane? Good chisels?

Enough wood? Enough time? These last two are the most essential tools of all to making actual stuff.

Do I really need it? Probably not but...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA


>I'm rehabbing a Stanley 608 (for a while now) just to have a long jointer.

I have a 607 that get used quite a bit. I'm starting to make larger things so the extra length that a 8 has should be nice. It is a heavy plane though, and a long woodie might be worth looking into.

Re: Woodie

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX


>Dean, I came to the same conclusion after lifting that Record #7 a few times. Went right out, sold it on ebay, and bought an ECE Primus, which I love and can toss about with aplomb. And when Clark & Williams offered some of their instock planes at the old prices (and here I was thinking that $400 was too much), thanks to Wiley's notification, I jumped at their 30" +/- jointer and am extremely happy with it.

I use it for the long stiles on shoji and other doors, tables, posts for the new workshop, etc. However, if you don't do those big type projects, save your money, you don't need it. And with the woodies, it's been posited by Larry Williams that they are easier to use to create flat edges, not needing jointer fences and the like.

Pam

Re: Do I really need it? Probably not but...

Hub in Ontario


>Thanks all,

I guess I will keep it, Look for a Stanley #7 for sale soon though