How many hand planes do you actually need

[jorgoz]

I just found this article in woodworkers journal. At the bottom of the article Ian Kirby proposes you can tackle almost all furniture making tasks with only 2 planes, a #4 1/2 smoother and a #7 trying plane.

Apart from a good block plane and a low angle reverible toe spokeshave this would make for a 'complete' set of planes, instead of the arsenal of planes you regularly see, out of wich a churchbell could be cast

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/uploa ... ecraft.pdf

 

[Racers]

Hi,

Depends on how much hand work you do, you can't do mouldings rebates or tennon shoulders etc with a No7.

Pete

 

[jorgoz]

The article clearly say 'almost' all furniture tasks.

True about moulding planes, if you only use handtools it's the only way to go.

But i bet most of the hand-tool afficionados or planes gatherers own a router (only one :wink: ) and an extensive range of bits, which would do that task more efficiently.

I would actually like to know why so many woodworkers collect so many planes when only a couple well chosen ones would do the bulk of the work.

 

[MikeG.]

It won't come as any surprise to any regulars that I am completely with you (and Ian Kirby) on this, Jorgoz! Any more than 2 planes and you are a collector .

Mike

 

[Aled Dafis]

Alan Peters managed with just a #7, and he produced some OK work.

Cheers

Aled

 

[Benchwayze]

It won't come as any surprise to any regulars that I am completely with you (and Ian Kirby) on this, Jorgoz! Any more than 2 planes and you are a collector .

Mike

Mike,

For pure hand-tool work, (No access to machine methods allowed) I can agree. Two bench planes (a jack and a smoother) will manage most everyday tasks. But you can't cut rebates with either of those. Even if laboriously, you cut a rebate with a back-saw, you still couldn't clean it up with a bench plane. So add a rebate plane.

You can't work up to the edge of a fielded panel with a bench plane.
So a carriage-maker's rebate plane is useful, unless you remove the fence from your rebate plane. (But that isn't always wide enough, though I suppose you could get by.) A low-angle block plane for end grain and small trimming jobs. A shoulder-plane, if you prefer not to joint tenons right from the tenon saw.

Those six planes were all I had for a long time. And I used them all, regularly. Rubbed joints were a fiddle with the jack plane, but doable; just.

Most of the mouldings I utilised could be cut with a combination of rebate and block planes. So my planes weren't so much a collection. However knowing that the right tool for the job was always at hand made the work go all the 'smoother'...

Yes the router made some of my planes redundant. Does that mean I throw them away? I don't think so.

Thus to me a 'collector' of planes is someone who buys a plane just to possess a tool that never has been, and never will be, used. So I am not in the market for a Holtey any-time soon! But I do have the odd LN!

I know you'll still call me a collector Mike, but I do use my collection!

Regards
John

 

[woodbloke]

Alan Peters managed with just a #7, and he produced some OK work.

Cheers

Aled

He had a couple more to be fair...he also produced pieces that were the merest tad better than just 'OK' - Rob

 

[Aled Dafis]

Alan Peters managed with just a #7, and he produced some OK work.

Cheers

Aled

He had a couple more to be fair...he also produced pieces that were the merest tad better than just 'OK' - Rob

:wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

Depends whether you use machines, such as planer/thicknesser, saw bench and bandsaw, as well. If, like me, you don't, then several planes set up for specific tasks are very helpful. If you have a shop full of machines, like most people on here, then a small number of planes will probably do. Then again, there are the collectors......... :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Philly]

I'm sure that's a myth that Alan Peters only used a #7 - he was a professional cabinetmaker for goodness sake! I know in his book he says he favours the #7 but why would you handicap yourself like that?
Philly

 

[Benchwayze]

I tend to agree Philly.

I'm sure Alan Peters would at least have had some specialist planes.

Excuse the straying into foreign territory, but Django Reinhardt had full use of just two fingers on his left hand. Listen to his playing! I'm sure he would have much preferred full use of all his fingers, and what would he have been like then; he was phenomenal as it was.


John

 

[woodbloke]

I'm sure that's a myth that Alan Peters only used a #7 - he was a professional cabinetmaker for goodness sake! I know in his book he says he favours the #7 but why would you handicap yourself like that?
Philly

I'm not sure that is was a handicap in Peter's case Philly, especially when you consider the huge range of powered machinery that he had at his disposal. I think that for all the basic processes at the bench, his No7 would probably have been all he actually needed.
When I was in the trade, I knew professional makers where their hand tool inventory could be counted on the fingers of one hand...but they could make any machine dance on it's head - Rob

 

[Racers]

Hi,

Django used to use all his fingers until his hand was badly burned in a fire, so he modified his style to cope with his disability.

Pete

 

[Benchwayze]

the arsenal of planes you regularly see, out of wich a churchbell could be cast

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/uploa ... ecraft.pdf

Jorgoz,

I just noticed your last quote. I'll reverse it! You can make a lot of plane bodies out of a Church Bell! Church bells I can do without. My bench planes I need. :wink:

John

 

[woodbloke]

I tend to agree Philly.

I'm sure Alan Peters would at least have had some specialist planes.

John

If memory serves I think he had a compass plane as well, but that's about it - Rob

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi,

Django used to use all his fingers until his hand was badly burned in a fire, so he modified his style to cope with his disability.

Pete

Ahh.. A fan!

Yes Pete. A caravan fire. Caused by accidentally dropping a candle-stub among some wax flowers his wife had made, to sell at market the next day. So goes the story. Either way, most people would have given up. The man was an inspiration to anyone in any field.

That's one reason I refuse to give up woodwork, even though I have to sit down to do some of it and jobs take longer than they should. Got to adapt eh?

Cheers
John

 

[Racers]

Hi, John

Django and a cracking sense of rhythm, it sounds like he is enjoying playing and thats what it's all about.

Pete

 

[Benchwayze]

I suppose I should 'fessup' and admit I rarely use a rebate plane these days. The router is such a tempting little machine. But my word, the collection of jigs I could have! :lol:

Cheers Rob

John

 

[lurker]

You don't need any planes if you take up knitting.

I think once you get an interest in woodwork you become a plane magnet.

I've been rather fortunate to inherit most of mine.
My "spend" on planes & plane parts in 5 years has been £65 for Aled's kit plus less than £100 for mainly car boot stuff and I've passed on duplicates from those to other forum members.

 

[Paul Chapman]

The router is such a tempting little machine.

But doesn't always give as good a finish as a plane and can cost a fortune in cutters. That's one of the good things about non-powered hand-tools - there's virtually no on-going cost.

Cheers :wink:

Paul