Do I REALLY need a smoothing plane?

[Mr Ed]

For site work you only want to be carrying one plane. Personally I would go for a 5 1/2, although I see a lot of people carrying a 4 1/2 presumably because its a bit easier to fit in a toolbag.

Agree with the comments on Record or Stanley for site use, my LN and LV planes are staying in the workshop!

I have been watching a number of Record and Stanley 5 1/2's on ebay recently (for exactly this purpose) and the good ones are going for an average of £40 + postage, so maybe not quite as cheap as sometimes portrayed, but still miles cheaper than the big 3.

I would also consider sticking with the block plane as an option - I am always amazed with what you can get done with this little tool, if its the only thing you have. I do sporadic bits of site work (I'm meant to be Contracts Manager, but there always seem to be lots of small items at the end of jobs that are easier to do myself) and I just keep a Stanley block plane in my box for those bits. Increasingly I see site joiners having only a block plane with them and when it comes to fitting doors etc they use an electric one (heresy on here maybe, but its reality). I suppose it depends what work you're doing to a large extent....

Ed

 

[Oryxdesign]

By the time you've taken the day off to fettle your Stanley you could have bought a spare LN/LV?

 

[MikeG.]

Here is a startling turn of events!!!!

One Mrs Oryx posting on the forum. All you blokes who have 27 planes each are all running for cover now!!!!

Mrs O, I'll say this only once.....

Nobody need more than 3 planes

Now.......I think I'll just go and hide in the African bush for a little while

Mike

 

[PeterBassett]

Hehe Excellent...

Pete

 

[Ironballs]

Like I said, Forum SWMBO :wink:

 

[Oryxdesign]

Mike you missed a zero off your post, please hurry up and put it in, there's a lot of nervous fellas on here.

 

[wizer]

Good job he makes nice stuff IMHO

That's debateable....
:^o :mrgreen:

 

[wizer]

Hey Mike, I was down at The Oryx Workshop today and Simon said he needed a lathe......

*running for cover* :lol:

 

[Oryxdesign]

I need an Airpress and a drum sander first though.

 

[MikeG.]

"Need" and "lathe" in the same sentence........hmmm

Tom, when is Mrs Wizer opening her account on here?

Oooooooooooh, and I can't wait for Mrs Waka to come along!!!!!

........and Woodblokess.........he he, what fun we'll have!!!

Goodness, this forum throws up some interesting little titbits every now and then.


Mike 2-planes Garnham

 

[wizer]

We ALL need an airpress and a drum sander first.

But after the Domino and new tablesaw

 

[Waka]

"Need" and "lathe" in the same sentence........hmmm

Tom, when is Mrs Wizer opening her account on here?

Oooooooooooh, and I can't wait for Mrs Waka to come along!!!!!

........and Woodblokess.........he he, what fun we'll have!!!

Goodness, this forum throws up some interesting little titbits every now and then.


Mike 2-planes Garnham

I would like to add that Mrs Waka is in full agreement with the amount of tools I have and is aware of all the things I buy :^o :^o :^o

 

[wizer]

hehe actually my missus is quite supportive of my tool fetishes. She doesn't complain about the tools and I don't complain about the shoes...

 

[big soft moose]

my mbgitw reads the forum - but doesnt post (note i have swapped to mbgitw rather than swimbo because she says the latter sounds like shes a baby dolphin ! )

on the plane front my feeling is that unless you are a pro you dont actually "need" any planes or indeed any tools at all, for most of us its a hobby and hobby stuff falls strictly in the "want" rather than need category.

 

[big soft moose]

She doesn't complain about the tools and I don't complain about the shoes...

unless you are married to imelda marcos shes getting the bad end of the deal - yu could buy a hell of a lot of shoes for the price of the BRM

 

[MikeG.]

my mbgitw reads the forum

Who? What? Is this Welsh?

Mike

 

[wizer]

She doesn't complain about the tools and I don't complain about the shoes...

unless you are married to imelda marcos shes getting the bad end of the deal - yu could buy a hell of a lot of shoes for the price of the BRM

You just pipe down

 

[Ironballs]

Imelda Marcos didn't sell her shoes after 6 months....

 

[wizer]

Speaking of which, there might be a tablesaw up for sale by the end of the week....

 

[Tom K]

You should always open new tool packages in the workshop to save on mess ( that polystyrene gets everywhere) and so the receipt can be tucked away. Its a good idea to occasionally open one on the kitchen table
making as much mess as possible but only when you know the parcel contains a couple of very low cost items.