# Best jack plane



## msparker (27 Nov 2020)

Hi all, I'm building up a hand tool kit as I'm stuck in a flat with no space / apatite for the mess and noise that comes with power tools. I only have a block plane (a nice one) and a very not nice (not very flat or square) number 5. I want to get a serious plane that I can depend on for 90% of tasks so a higher quality jack plane seems the obvious solution. For ages I've been 100% sold by various youtubers that the Veritas low angle jack should be the answer, but I've been watching a lot of Rob Cosman recently and he's a massive advocate of the 5 1/2 bedrock and I think I'm getting converted. 

1) Any defence for the low angle jack or is the 5 1/2 the better way to go?
2) Given this would be the main plane for all work, I'm keen to get a great one. Lie Nielsen is very expensive but I'm sure great, Rob Cosman uses the Wood River (about half the price! you could even buy his IBC blades), I see Clifton come in the middle, Veritas do an odd-looking 5. So, what is the best option to go for?


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## thetyreman (27 Nov 2020)

the low angle jack planes are good for certain jobs, example end grain or planing a butchers block, that's actually what they were designed for, as well as mitres and reversing grain like sapele (I don't own a low angle plane or block plane), I use my no 5 1/2 for everything jack plane related. 


What exactly is it you're struggling with? how will getting a new plane fix that?


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## Peter Sefton (27 Nov 2020)

I love my Veritas Low Angle Jack but for most people a standard 5 1/2 bench plane is the way to go. I am the UK dealer for Woodriver, the 5 1/2 is out best selling plane but we are currently out of stock and had an email saying we may not get new stock until April/May  I think there is something very special about the Clifton 5 1/2 but again waiting for a restock along with the Veritas.


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## msparker (27 Nov 2020)

@thetyreman the 5 I have is was a cheapo old one and it's really not in great shape! The sole isn't square to sides so it's hard work to get it set properly on a shooting board and I suspect it has a slight twist... So basically I have a block plane that's good and need an all rounder.

@Peter Sefton I know I just looked on the site!! Was gutted! Seems like all planes are out of stock across all brands so it might be a wait regardless! How would you compare the woodriver and Clifton?


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## MikeK (27 Nov 2020)

I have the #62 LA jack plane, but have never used it. After attending four of David Charlesworth's courses, my favorite plane is now the 5-1/2.


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## Peter Sefton (27 Nov 2020)

The Woodriver is excellent value for money, I have them in all my students tools kits and use one myself. I can't do anything with my Clifton that I can't do with my Woodriver but the Clifton just has a different feel, a larger handle, polished elements and made in the UK.


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## profchris (27 Nov 2020)

I have a Quangsheng low angle jack. I still haven't found anything it's better for than my other planes.


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## Ttrees (27 Nov 2020)

A no. 5 1/2 would be my choice also, I have two, one is handy for the shooting board.
If buying secondhand on ebay, along with the usual hairline cracks to look out for, chips from the mouth, plenty of life left in the iron, and no broken handles, 
I would want a picture from each end of the plane to see if the sole (base) is thick
and untouched, unlike some planes you might see which often are sold on job lots and must have been belt sanded, or lapped badly through the years to get that thin.
A bit of light rust is no issue.
Just incase you don't decide to buy a new ductile iron (unbreakable) hand plane.
I would sooner have the two of them.

Tom


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## XH558 (27 Nov 2020)

msparker said:


> Hi all, I'm building up a hand tool kit as I'm stuck in a flat with no space / apatite for the mess and noise that comes with power tools. I only have a block plane (a nice one) and a very not nice (not very flat or square) number 5. I want to get a serious plane that I can depend on for 90% of tasks so a higher quality jack plane seems the obvious solution. For ages I've been 100% sold by various youtubers that the Veritas low angle jack should be the answer, but I've been watching a lot of Rob Cosman recently and he's a massive advocate of the 5 1/2 bedrock and I think I'm getting converted.
> 
> 1) Any defence for the low angle jack or is the 5 1/2 the better way to go?
> 2) Given this would be the main plane for all work, I'm keen to get a great one. Lie Nielsen is very expensive but I'm sure great, Rob Cosman uses the Wood River (about half the price! you could even buy his IBC blades), I see Clifton come in the middle, Veritas do an odd-looking 5. So, what is the best option to go for?


Hi. I have a number 6 that is doing nothing and has not done anything since I got it............ Any use to you?


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## Jameshow (27 Nov 2020)

Convert the cheapy into a scrub plane. 

Easy to do with a grinder or course sharpening stone. 

I have a old Wickes no5 plane which is great for cleaning up rough sawn timber. 









Quangsheng No. 5-1/2" Bedrock Pattern Jack Plane


Buy Quangsheng No. 5½ Jack Plane at Workshop Heaven. We offer friendly service, useful advice, next day delivery and a lifetime guarantee.




www.workshopheaven.com





This looks nice and very simalar to the wood River planes.. 

Cheers James


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## msparker (27 Nov 2020)

The quangsheng is an interesting shout... Has anybody got hand on experience? The only thing I've ever heard was a guy I met had bought one and found it to be off square but the reviews on workshop heaven (the ones the post at least) are glowing


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## jcassidy (27 Nov 2020)

> The sole isn't square to sides so it's hard work to get it set properly on a shooting board and I suspect it has a slight twist...


The sole isn't supposed to be square to the sides. I've never squared the sides of a plane, I was never taught that, and I've only ever seen this on YouTube.
You use the lateral lever to square it on the shooting board.

A twist would be a problem, you need a perfectly flat surface to get the plane flat. I use a huge piece of marble from a fireplace! It could be that someone warped the plane.using excessive force.


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## MusicMan (27 Nov 2020)

msparker said:


> The quangsheng is an interesting shout... Has anybody got hand on experience? The only thing I've ever heard was a guy I met had bought one and found it to be off square but the reviews on workshop heaven (the ones the post at least) are glowing


I have a Quangsheng low angle jack and find it a very good plane. I don't think I would get it first, the 5 1/2 or even 5 is more versatile and very useful. But the variable angles one gets with the three blades are useful for handling different types of grain.

BTW for shooting board work, the sole does not have to be square or even flat. The edge of the blade does. The sole plays virtually no part in a shooting board action, just the bottom of it runs along the straight edge.


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## D_W (28 Nov 2020)

Am I correct that you're intending to do all of the woodwork with hand tools, from rough to finish? Rob pushes his planes for that, but they're not ideal for it. 

Actually, if you're going to work entirely by hand, lighter casting historically accurate planes (like actual vintage planes) are better, but the coarse work and middle work is best done with wooden planes. 

That said, if you're working in a vacuum, I suppose it's not realistic to suggest those as a starting point (I started with one rehabbed plane -the seller did a bad job on it - and one LN plane - both are long gone). 

Rob will have you buying all kinds of stuff you don't need, but if you're going to work softwoods, a quangsheng 5 1/2 is like trying to win a bike race with both brakes applied.


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## D_W (28 Nov 2020)

(I think the average person is better off with a stanley 5, by the way, than any of the heavy 5 1/2s, getting us back on track with metal planes - but it'd be a trick as a beginner to have someone politely give you one that works well. I've sold a lot that work well, but I've never received one properly set up).


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## undergroundhunter (28 Nov 2020)

If I've read your post correctly then the 5 1/2 will be your only bench plane? Are you starting with rough sawn or par timber?

If prepping rough sawn you are going to get very fed up very quickly, as others have said a 5 1/2 is (and in my opinion) far too heavy for dressing rough timber. I have tried several planes, here are my thoughts on the common choices. 1. a no4 converted to a scrub, 2. a 5 with a cambered iron and 3. a wooden jack plane with a 10" radius iron, these were all used quite extensively before I had machines to do the grunt. Here is my 2p worth,
1, the no4 scrub was great at whipping timber off in very shot order but I found I had to check frequently that i was staying flat and not creating a banana. 2, The no5 with a cambered iron was easier to keep the timber flat but it was quite tiring to use.
3, The wooden jack was a pleasure, the heavy camber ment I could (timber dependent) take 1/6" off each pass, the work stayed pretty flat due to the longer sole of the plane, being a wooden plane I could work for longer without stopping as they are a lot lighter than their metal counterparts. All I would say is with wooden planes you ideally need a lower bench so you can get over the plane instead of behind it.

If you are dressing par then the 5 1/2 is a great choice.

Matt


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## Ttrees (28 Nov 2020)

Msparker has a no.5 which would make a good scrub IMO...
well at least a winter scrub...
My sleeve always gets caught on the heel of my no.4 scrub plane


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## johnnyb (28 Nov 2020)

don't get a la jack. they are good but have an odd low approach. why do people advocate 5 1/2 especially it seems for beginners. these folks simply don't have the strength to push 5 1/2. a 5 is sensible. make waxing the sole part of planing. Ray illes sells vintage planes that have had there sole and sides regrouped. the last one I got for a chap had a samurai brand blade!(it was about £50)


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## PeteBowen (28 Nov 2020)

I've got a 51/2 Quangsheng. I love it. It's the plane I use most frequently even though I've got a handful of 4s a 5 and several others.


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## timothyedoran (28 Nov 2020)

I am a hand tool only person with minimal tools. 
What about a secondhand Stanley or record no.4. I have a record 4 and I like it.
I also have a sliverline plane that was absolutely rubbish until I turned it into a scrub plane. Now it's actually very handy. I wouldnt recommend a silver line one, but basically any cheap plane can be made into a scrub plane.


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## Benchwayze (28 Nov 2020)

Quansheng. Comparable with the big two but much more realistically priced. Failing that Record 1950s Finally a Stanley 1950s. Both abundant on eBay.n
John


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Nov 2020)

undergroundhunter said:


> 3, The wooden try was a pleasure, the heavy camber ment I could (timber dependent) take 1/6" off each pass ...
> 
> Matt



Wow!


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## msparker (28 Nov 2020)

Thanks for all the replies! super helpful. My current project (and probably next) is using PAR hardwood so I'm going to steer away from the LA and get a bedrock style jack. I don't possess the eye of a used-tool connoisseur so I think I'll buy new from one of the previously mentioned trusted manufacturers. 

It sounds like after that, converting an old plane into a scrub would be a great next buy / small project to open up the option of starting rough! 

Now I come to think of it there is also a massive (presumably jointer) wooden plane in my parents garage, I'll have to nab it at some point and see how it goes.


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## Woody2Shoes (28 Nov 2020)

MusicMan said:


> I have a Quangsheng low angle jack and find it a very good plane. I don't think I would get it first, the 5 1/2 or even 5 is more versatile and very useful. But the variable angles one gets with the three blades are useful for handling different types of grain.
> 
> BTW for shooting board work, the sole does not have to be square or even flat. The edge of the blade does. The sole plays virtually no part in a shooting board action, just the bottom of it runs along the straight edge.


I have both the (Workshop Heaven - which sells a better spec than Rutlands 'equivalent') LA Jack and a Wood River 5 1/2.

They are both made by the same factory (I believe), although to slightly different specs, and both hit the sweetspot (for me anyway) of excellent quality of design, materials, finishing and price.

I find that, particularly once I learned how to camber a blade and how to use the chipbreaker, the 5 1/2 is the one I pick up almost every time, but they are both excellent. I think the LA jack perhaps needs more skill in sharpening (e.g. cutting edge needs to be square to the blade) and is less easy to adjust 'on the fly' (the Norris adjustment mechanism is an inferior design IMHO).


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## thetyreman (28 Nov 2020)

it's worth looking at old wooden planes, they are lightweight and can still be bought cheap on ebay, look out for i-sorby and ward irons, they are great for removing large amounts of wood.


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## deema (28 Nov 2020)

I have had a full set (all bevel down) of LN and almost a full set of LV, I’ve also had a set of old Stanley / Record. One thing I found is that there were three differentiators that determined which planes I’ve actually ended up keeping
1. Size and location of the handle that can be fitted. If you gave big hands like me, the LN and Record / Stanley type planes I find cramped and uncomfortable to hold for long periods. The LV has much more room for your hand which I believe makes it more suited to people with larger hands.
2. Adjustment system. All apart from the LV use a Stanley adjuster, and it’s a matter of your dexterity and also preference which system you prefer. I personally find much more back lash in the Stanley system, and personally prefer the Noris system
3. I’m a tall chap, I found I reached for the LV No6 in preference to a 5 (which I found too small) or a LN 5(1/2) which seemed both heavier and not as versatile as the 6.

I personally stay clear of bevel up planes. There is IMO not benefit and a lot of down sides.
1. A bevel down has a choice of frogs as well as the ability to back bevel the blade for reduced tear out.
2. A bevel up is sensitive to the angle of the blade bevel.
3. Typical bed angle of 12 degrees creates a very thin and vulnerable part of the casting in the sole. A blade then has typically a 25 degree primary bevel giving you a low angle of 37 degrees compared to a bevel down common pitch of 45 degrees. You add a micro bevel to the bevel up of say 5 to 10 degrees (accuracy depends on free hand sharpening ability or jigs) to get an angle of between 42 to 47 degrees, virtually the same as a bevel down. No advantage at all is achieved. So, to get a low angle you have to sharpen the whole bevel of the blade......well most people won’t do that for very long!

I use 4 planes typically. A No6, No4, a proper Scrub and an apron / block plane (which is a low angle bevel up). I have scraper planes and specialist planes but these are my only stock prep planes as I’ve disposed of everything else as I didn’t use them.

I would seriously consider a proper Scrub rather than converting a no4. They are easier to use, and as a consequence get used more.


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## paulrbarnard (28 Nov 2020)

deema said:


> I would seriously consider a proper Scrub rather than converting a no4. They are easier to use, and as a consequence get used more.


I agree with this. I used a converted plane as a scrub for a long time and it worked. I then received a LN 40 ½ as a birthday present and it is simply a pleasure to use. Much less effort as the blade is considerably narrower making it possible to take very deep cuts to get to where you want to be really quickly.


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## Just4Fun (28 Nov 2020)

paulrbarnard said:


> I used a converted plane as a scrub for a long time and it worked. I then received a LN 40 ½ as a birthday present and it is simply a pleasure to use. Much less effort as the blade is considerably narrower making it possible to take very deep cuts to get to where you want to be really quickly.


Can you explain more about that? EG Why is a narrower blade better than a wider blade with a more pronounced camber so that the effective width is the same as a narrower blade?
I have never used a "proper" scrub plane. My scrub is a converted (cheap) No 4. It seems to work OK but I have nothing to compare it with.


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## deema (28 Nov 2020)

From my perspective, a ‘proper’ Scrub has and can take a much thicker blade than a no4 and as a consequence when taking a large bite, the feel is far better, less judder and easier to push through the stroke. It can take a larger bite IMO than a converted no 4


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## paulrbarnard (28 Nov 2020)

Just4Fun said:


> Can you explain more about that? EG Why is a narrower blade better than a wider blade with a more pronounced camber so that the effective width is the same as a narrower blade?
> I have never used a "proper" scrub plane. My scrub is a converted (cheap) No 4. It seems to work OK but I have nothing to compare it with.


The camber on a 40 ½ is massive as well as the blade being narrow and very thick. This means you can sink it in very deep. It produces deep furrows in the wood which seem to make subsequent passes easier. The effort involved with my 40 ½ is, or at least seems to be, much less than using a heavily cambered blade in a 4 for example. I’ll upload a video of it in action when I get a chance.
There is nothing wrong with the adapting approach. That’s what I did for 30 years.


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## Peter Sefton (28 Nov 2020)

I converted an Record No 4 into a scrub but a fair bit of blade/chip breaker regrinding and reworking the mouth for big shavings. I would suggest using a Woodriver 62 low angle jack or simular or on old woody from a carboot.


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## Jameshow (28 Nov 2020)

I'm guessing it depends on what your using a scrub plane for. 

Of your taking the saw marks off sawn timber I think a no4 converted would be fine as your not trying to get flat or reduce its thickness. 

However if your planning on dealing with some cupped or warped timber or need to reduce it down in thickness then a scrub plane is best. 

Paul sellars recommends a No78 btw! 

Cheers James


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## David C (28 Nov 2020)

A 5 1/2 will do everything you need.

David Charlesworth


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## paulrbarnard (28 Nov 2020)

paulrbarnard said:


> The camber on a 40 ½ is massive as well as the blade being narrow and very thick. This means you can sink it in very deep. It produces deep furrows in the wood which seem to make subsequent passes easier. The effort involved with my 40 ½ is, or at least seems to be, much less than using a heavily cambered blade in a 4 for example. I’ll upload a video of it in action when I get a chance.
> There is nothing wrong with the adapting approach. That’s what I did for 30 years.


Here is me flattening a board for a box using the 40 ½ and a No 5 and a panel plane.


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## D_W (28 Nov 2020)

undergroundhunter said:


> If I've read your post correctly then the 5 1/2 will be your only bench plane? Are you starting with rough sawn or par timber?
> 
> If prepping rough sawn you are going to get very fed up very quickly, as others have said a 5 1/2 is (and in my opinion) far too heavy for dressing rough timber. I have tried several planes, here are my thoughts on the common choices. 1. a no4 converted to a scrub, 2. a 5 with a cambered iron and 3. a wooden try plane with a 10" radius iron, these were all used quite extensively before I had machines to do the grunt. Here is my 2p worth,
> 1, the no4 scrub was great at whipping timber off in very shot order but I found I had to check frequently that i was staying flat and not creating a banana. 2, The no5 with a cambered iron was easier to keep the timber flat but it was quite tiring to use.
> ...



Exactly. One probably wonders the first time they use a poorly fitted aged try plane and wooden jack why they were so popular. Why aren't there more long jointers, etc? Once you use one that's been fitted properly (which isn't hard to do) and then use the pair back and forth with metal jointers and jacks, it becomes instantly clear why they were so common. 

The position they have you in (probably 34 or 35 inch bench for most folks) is ideal for planing in general and any plane that caters to anything else (like a bevel up plane, which encourages you to get behind it) is far less productive and will have you both out of position and running to sharpen more. 

The rotation from the higher orientation of older planes and stanley style planes makes the plane start better further back in the stroke (so you can move the plane more and your body less), and provides fairly significant downforce. on the wooden plane ,the friction is less and the downforce is there to do the work of keeping the iron in the cut but not noticed in terms of sticky friction like you'll get with an overweight boutique plane or a really heavy steel infill (infills are elegant lovely planes, but they are only productive in finer work - the friction is tremendous).


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## D_W (28 Nov 2020)

msparker said:


> The quangsheng is an interesting shout... Has anybody got hand on experience? The only thing I've ever heard was a guy I met had bought one and found it to be off square but the reviews on workshop heaven (the ones the post at least) are glowing



You can disregard a lot of the overzealous talk about squareness and flatness. There are certain cases where out of square and out of flat are biased against you, but a plane that's a little proud at the mouth (convex sole, not concave) will actually be less effort to use. This is not a statement for bananas, but rather that a few thousandths off in that direction is actually better for you. 

Something like a 5 1/2 quangsheng is a plane for someone using a power planer and jointer. It'll be extremely poor for working from rough lumber or even basic work truing panels that have been glued together. 

But, you can start with it. 

If you're going to work entirely by hand, learn to set the cap iron (so you can escape from nonsense about matching grain directions on boards, which may threaten the ability to orient end grain in a way that avoids much more problematic cup and twist), and be ready to get away from the boat anchor boutique planes for all but final smoothing (which will be over in a short whiff of time if you prepare wood properly with a pair of wooden planes down the road). Working with the right planes is like taking a brisk walk, even in stout working. Doing a lot of work with boutique metal planes will leave you feeling as an English friend of mine over here says "balls on floor". 

I mentioned earlier, and it's true, cosman will generally only recommend things he can sell and even at that, only the exact brand he sells. If he changes companies that he's affiliated with, his recommendation changes instantly. It's not credible. He's also not a credible source for woodworking from start to finish as his business is selling things, not efficiency and pragmatic working entirely by hand. 

If you want to work entirely by hand, it's important to get advice from people who do it and have done it for a while.


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## msparker (28 Nov 2020)

@D_W which wooden plane(s) would you recommend to a noobie? I have no idea how to shop for them (with no helpful Stanley numbers etc)


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## msparker (28 Nov 2020)

I agree with you on Rob Cosman btw, he'll have you convinced that to cut a half blind you need his $$$ dovetail saw, his $$$ marking knife with matching kerf and his $$$ kerf extender tool! Can't argue with how nice some of the stuff he makes is though


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## Jameshow (28 Nov 2020)

Anyone know anything about the eastern European pinie planes? 






Wooden Planes | Pinie







pinie.cz





Cheers James


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## Nigel Burden (28 Nov 2020)

I have too many planes, all bought off ebay or car boots etc.

My scrub plane is a £2 Stanley no 4 car boot purchase that was rather rusty. On cleaning up it showed a crack on both sides of the mouth. The blade was heavily cambered, so I imagine that the previous owner was using it as a scrub plane. I also converted a rather wide mouthed wooden smoother to a scrub plane, they both work well enough for my purposes as a hobby woodworker. My jack plane is a Record no5 1/2 which is, as others have said, fairly heavy. I also have a single iron wooden jack that performs well and is lighter. My Stanley no 4 smoother with a tightly set cap iron will take shavings off end grain as well a bevel up plane. I have wooden jointer bought for only £5 at Bridport Market that takes full length shavings no problem.

Nigel.


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## raffo (28 Nov 2020)

msparker said:


> @D_W which wooden plane(s) would you recommend to a noobie? I have no idea how to shop for them (with no helpful Stanley numbers etc)


You being in the UK should not have a lot of trouble finding wooden planes. I'm in the US and have been lucky enough to find Mathieson wooden bench planes that have worked well for me, but there are probably many other makers to be found there. This is an English made jack plane, ca. 1940, 17" long, 2 1/4" double iron, cambered. Try to find one that is not too badly worn.









If you are going to dress rough lumber, as mentioned above, the difference in effort between a wooden jack and a metal jack is noticeable. It'll make you reach for the wooden one.


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## D_W (29 Nov 2020)

msparker said:


> @D_W which wooden plane(s) would you recommend to a noobie? I have no idea how to shop for them (with no helpful Stanley numbers etc)



I like a cleaned up vintage jack plane for practical use, and a stanley 5 with a whole lot of wax second. The issue with the vintage jack plane is that someone needs to bed the iron properly and maybe address the wedge, sole, iron and cap iron if they are not in great shape and that's something best done with a little bit of experience. If you were in the states, I"d offer to do it as it doesn't take long, but I guess it could be a puzzle to do right. 

For a jack plane, fit is nice, and the cap and iron work doesn't have to be as perfect. Any 16 or 17" long vintage pattern double iron english jack is tops to me for actual material prep. 

The fitting of a try plane has to be a little bit more precise. 

This is a shortened version of my favorite subject plane to copy - a mathieson jack. I made this one for someone else who just didn't want anything longer than 15", so the back is truncated. My personal plane is laid over behind it. These are 2 1/8" iron, and in a proportion that was probably a whole lot like a zillion jack planes in England until the early/mid 1900s.


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## D_W (29 Nov 2020)

raffo beat me to it - just like the plane he shows on the left. If you're feeling indulgent, you can shop around until you find one that's old with a nice full iron and in almost perfect shape.


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## Andy Kev. (29 Nov 2020)

The Veritas LAJ is the central tool on my bench. I imagine that the L-N LAJ would be just as good. Its companion is a second hand Stanley style No 5 fitted with a heavily cambered blade so that it functions as a scrub plane. A luxury addition is a No 7 (either bevel down or conventional) for anything long and for jointing.

Between the first two there aren't many boards of four feet or less length that can't be dealt with. A low angle block plane is a useful addition for the myriad of tasks for which it is suitable.


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## Peter Sefton (29 Nov 2020)

The Veritas is the best LAJ I have used, just love it.


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## G S Haydon (29 Nov 2020)

Jameshow said:


> Anyone know anything about the eastern European pinie planes?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Their scrub plane is great. Cheap and much better than a modified no4.


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## richarddownunder (30 Nov 2020)

I have a lovely Clifton 51/2 but it is quite heavy. I think I'd find it a bit cumbersome for some jobs but it is ideal for flattening boards and it is a beautifully made tool. The ubiquitous #4 is what I use by far the most but a #5 would probably be the best all-round if you don't want multiple sizes. Can't comment on low angle but the standard bevel-down design does most things very well. 

Cheers
Richard


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## CaptainBudget (30 Nov 2020)

I would agree, I have a reasonable selection of vintage planes including a no5 and a 5.1/2

I have 2 no5s, one is a Scrub Plane with a cambered Iron (it's a salvaged POS) used for chewing rough lumber. The other is a more conventional 1960s Stanley No5 I use as a general purpose plane.

A 5.1/2 for me is a "Super smoother," usually what I use on wood straight off the bandsaw (so it's pretty flat and square to start with and just needs a couple of finer passes to take the saw marks off).

I personally love a heavy plane, but I find for general work I reach for the no5 rather than the 5.1/2 as it's reduced weight makes it more flexible for smaller jobs

I would personally buy a no5 in your position, you'd only really benefit from a 5.1/2 if you were making panels for wardrobes all day long.

I tend to get my planes from Tooltique when I can, you do pay a bit more than for standard vintage planes but they are reconditioned and ready to go out the box (including a flattend sole and blade back!). For me it's worth paying a bit more because then I don't have to spend a day doing it myself (that's a day I can play with them on timber instead...). Only issue is stock, no5s don't tend to hang around very long with them at the moment...
Vintage Old Tools - Antique & Used Second Hand Tools UK


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## Just4Fun (30 Nov 2020)

CaptainBudget said:


> I would personally buy a no5 in your position


I would agree with that. For many years the only plane I owned was a Stanley #5 and I still often use it now, for a variety of purposes. It can do just about any task I want a plane to do.


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## Popey (2 Dec 2020)

msparker said:


> The quangsheng is an interesting shout... Has anybody got hand on experience? The only thing I've ever heard was a guy I met had bought one and found it to be off square but the reviews on workshop heaven (the ones the post at least) are glowing


I have the Quangsheng low angle jack and a 4 1/2 planes. Both needed hardly any fettling other than cleaning off any oil and honing the blades. They have both had quite a lot of use and I'm very pleased with them.


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## Popey (2 Dec 2020)

I should also add that I have just ordered a Quangsheng No. 5 plane to complement the low angle jack. I intend to dedicate the low angle jack as a shooting board plane - something at which it really excels (one of my favourite workshop sounds is that of a sharp plane slicing through end grain). I have made my own hot dog attachment which makes it much easier to use on the shooting board.
I bought the No 5 as I want something for preparing stock and I intend to slightly camber the blade to enable speedy stock removal, though not as aggressive as a scrub plane.


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## Peter Sefton (2 Dec 2020)

The hot dog is a good attachment but I prefer the the standard jack to the low angle for shooting, I know the effective pitch is higher but the extra weight and lower centre of gravity the frog gives when the 5 or 5 1/2 is on its side just feels right to me.

Cheers Peter


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## Popey (2 Dec 2020)

Peter Sefton said:


> The hot dog is a good attachment but I prefer the the standard jack to the low angle for shooting, I know the effective pitch is higher but the extra weight and lower centre of gravity the frog gives when the 5 or 5 1/2 is on its side just feels right to me.
> 
> Cheers Peter


It will be interesting to compare the 5 and the 62 on the shooting board. I feel some experimentation coming on  That said, I like the idea of having a plane optimised for shooting and a second one for prepping stock, which was my rationale for buying the 5.


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## Popey (3 Dec 2020)

My Quangsheng no.5 arrived today. The sole is flat, the sides are square. Apart from cleaning off the oil on it, all I had to do was pop a secondary and back bevel on it and it was taking lovely shavings. I will look forward to putting it through its paces at the weekend.


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## Popey (3 Dec 2020)

If anyone's interested, here's a couple of pictures of the hot dog I made for my Quangsheng low angle jack plane. It makes using the plane on a shooting board much more comfortable. I made it by laminating some offcuts of 12mm ply and then shaping the sides with a rasp before sanding it.


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