>What's driving this question is that I had an opportunity this weekend to pick up another 5 1/4 and due to cash limitations I passed on it. The question that ran thru my head at the time was "Do I need it", yes Ernie that was the question. Now there was no doubts that I wanted it, but I need to fill in some holes before I buy any more duplicates. So, I'm wondering, what planes does everybody have as duplicates that they use regularly, and why. For instance is there a need to have more than one 5 1/4, or say 4 1/2 in a toolbox, and if so, what different iron shapes do you use on the duplicate(s)?
Multiple #4's and 5's I can understand if for no other reason than to have a handy sharp plane to use when one of them goes dull. Also the #5's can be justified for coarse, medium, and finer planing.
How about 6's 7's and 8's?.
Scrapers,spokeshaves, and drawknives I can understand as well.
>Duplicates? Oh yes. I have three #6 planes. One for rough work where I might encounter paint, grit, nails, etc. Another for medium cut, and one set fine. They get used all the time. I like my #6's.
Spokeshaves? *ahem* Yes, but you see they're so cheap, I just can't pass them up. Those cool little Stanley #64's are just so handy. And it's not like the #64 rack is full, heck no, I got room for um, two more, three if I move the quirk router...
Darrell
Wood Hoarder, Blade Sharpener, and Occasional Tool User
>I have a few multies. Not for the reasons that you might have...
I have 6 no.4-1/2...
1 low knob type 11(?), a war issue with plastic blade adjuster, a type 17 (it sucks), and 604. I also have 2 LN's, a corg. iron one with a 50 deg frog and #65 of the LN aniversy bronze addition (Stelath gloat). I like wide smoothers.
I have 2 605's so I don't have to stop and sharpen them allthought their set up slightly different.
If'in you can count a 40 and a 40-1/2, I have 2 scrubs.
I have a no.7 and a 607, 1 as a smoother and the 607 a jointer.
Also 2 603's for small smoother taskes again, so I don't have to stop and sharpen.
>I seem to have aquired several set's of chisels. Many drawknives spokehsaves quite a few axes. Planes I have two 605's two 608's I have slightly curved blades and straight blades for all duplicate planes. If I had room no doubt every time I saw a bedrock or moulding plane it would be added on.
>I`ve finally got to the point where I can resist side beads and rebate planes.Unless they`re in better shape than the ones I have,or a skewd rebate,or unbelievably cheap,or I think one of my brothers could use it,or a friend,or...
Most of my duplicates are in woodies,I just can`t resist them,especially the razee type.Transionals too.
I don`t want to talk about the buckets of laminated irons/chipbreakers,that`s why I keep them hid under the table.Sort of like that LN iron hangin` out under your bed there Todder.
Although I`m not planning an addition to the abode for them,SWMBO is starting to ask why I feel I NEED to buy yet ANOTHER cheap handsaw(but honey look at the neat medalion,and it has a nib and split nuts too).
Mainely,Bob-I`m not a collecter,I`m not a collecter.
Your saying that in your daily WWing you find need for 6 4 1/2's? Why does your type 17 suck?
with your #7's, one as a smoother, and one as a jointer, could you not just nip the outside edges of the the blade so it dosen't leave blade tracks and thus get away with just one #7? Or is one the blades shaped like a thumbnail and the other straight?
I also have muliple scrubs. Thor much like scrubbies
Have you tried the ballast story to justify your accumulation of assorted rust? Something like "Honey, you just never know when some emergency ballast might be needed, and instead of having just a bunch of rocks I fiqure the ballast might as well be tools as they may come in handy during the emergency. Worth a try.
>Yah you heard me Todd O I do not have any duplicate hand planes. I do have a pile of braces. and a stack of saws and an acre of augers but no two planes alike. I keep the one that works the best and sell the rest. unless it was one of my Dads or GrandDads then I sell which ever it is I happen to find and make do with whay the family did. althought they are tuned up into real nice users.
Re: Need??? What does that have to do with anythin
Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away
>Yes Dave, I hear ya' but I'm talking most about what is needed as working duplicates in an effort to have a well rounded and efficent toolkit and not toolkit that doubles as the tool accumulation holder as well. I have muliple 4's 5's 6's in drawers in the other room, but only one 4, 5, and 6 currently in my toolbox. I'm wondering if I am cheating my self abit.
I'm also wondering if buying that 5 1/4 and set up differently than my other one would of been a good idea. I think so, but don't have enough experiance with the 5 1/5 to know for sure. The 5 1/4 is also a smoother, is there anybody who users it regularily and absolutly couldn't do with out it?
I also passed on a $200 #62. I know that was a bargain price, but truth be told the biggest reason I passed on it was that to me it seemed kind of light. I guess with the lower blade angle it need not be all that heavy to do it's job, but it did seem pretty light non-the-less. I have the LN #7.5, so I couldn't justify the $200 for the #62 at this time.
Need-- in some cases can be such an ugly 4 letter word I know.
I'm headed for the shop here in a minute. I added 3 more 2x4's to my workbench yesterday when I build the sliding board jack and I need to level them to the rest of the top.
Top is looking good. got it smoothed. got a bit of tearout here and there, but that's fine, afterall it is a workbench and not a fine dining, dining room table.
Intend to post pics after I get a bit more done to it.
>I have an old Stanley four square #5 1/4. It's in good shape, tuned up, but I rarely use it. For light scrubing, I like slightly larger and heavier #5, and #6. For finer planing in this size range I have a special #5 and #5.5 that I set aside just for that. For finer planing in the #5 1/4 size range, I just use my smoothers, #3 & #4.
My #62 gets most of it's use on the shooting board. Extra weight on a shooting board is quite welcome. If I had a #LN7.5, I probably wouldn't buy the #62 either.
As you know,5's are real common in the used tool market.I ended up with a bunch of them and I found one advantage to having multiples.I'm lazy when it comes to sharpening and when my 5 gets dull I just grab the next sharp one in line. Only problem with this system is that when I get around to sharpening I have to do alot at one time---Jack
>It's sloppy. There's a lot of play in the blade adjuster. The general machining of the mating areas of the frog and base needed a lot of work to get the plane working at a mediocre level and the sole needed a lot of work to get it flat also.
Do I �need� 6... no not realy but there nice to have around and they keep each other company when I�m not in the shop.
I could get by with only one no. 7 but, It's just easier for me to have 2 different set-ups. They are set up as you described, 1 cambered and 1 flat.
In the 15" (+/-) range, I use (a) a true jack plane with heavy camber, (2) a narrower fine-set plane for edging the zillion small parts that are in the inside of case goods, (3) a wider, fine-set panel plane as a 'big smoother' for flattening rails, stiles, post legs, drawer blades, and other appearance elements that you want both smooth and flat.
In the 18"-22"(+/-) range, I use a fore plane for flattening which has considerable camber, but not as much as a true jack, and a try plane for edge jointing with moderate camber, but not as much as a fore plane.
Overall, I think the Stanley 1-8 numbering system tends to emphasize length as the important attribute of bench planes, where in fact the degree of camber is at least as important to the function of the plane.
So...lots of room to justify planes. Example: Set up one No. 5 as a fine set short jointer for edging small case parts and drawer sides, and another one with heavy camber as a true jack.
