Straighforward plain plane advice please

[Wuffles]

My planes are all from car boot sales and have been brought back to life like something from a Boris Karlof black and white movie involving electricity, some sheets and pyrotechnics.

I'm about to buy one new and need a little advice.

It's to replace one that genuinely cost me £1 and has done the job pretty well for a while. From what I can tell it's a block plane and I use it to soften (break?) edges on wood before or after assembly rather than attack something with a router and make it look too round.

If I were to replace this with a new block plane, would I want a low angle or a standard block plane?

I've read up a few places and it seems to always mention a block plane, but not sure if it's a "given" that it's a standard or low angle.

I'm looking at either the Quangsheng standard or low angle from Fine Woodworking in the UK.

I've also used them (I don't want to offend anyone here, although I do have form) for knocking down glued in tapered wood dowels and Kreg pocket hole angled filler thingies too. Is this the right tool? Or should I be looking at one of them there Chisel Planes to stop pulling out the material around where I am trying to flatten.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[AndyT]

I believe that for your purposes either plane will do just fine.
The sharpness of the edge matters more than the bedding angle.

 

[GLFaria]

If possible, get one with an adjustable mouth. A little more expensive than one with a fixed mouth, but well worth it.

G.

 

[Wuffles]

Righty ho. The standard ones seem to be a little cheaper in general, and I'm cheap enough to go for that.

The one I am looking at does seem to be available with 25, 38 and 50 degree irons for an extra tenner. Is that worth my while? Plane-wise this is quite a big investment for me, as it's more than a quid.

Would you suggest a chisel plane for the other application now I've got you guys attention? Or muddle by with the block plane. There's been a few incidents in the past and I'm trying to avoid destroying the surrounding material.

 

[JJ1]

The option with the 3 different irons sounds like a good bet and a solution that will cover any eventuality. The low angle block planes are also advantageous for end grain which is a job I find them used a lot for. I splashed out on the Veritas DX60 with a single 25 degree iron and have just added two extra irons at 38 and 50 degrees after stumbling across them at a discounted price. I also have a couple of car boot sale block planes, one costing nothing and one costing £1. They work great but don't have the advantage of an adjustable mouth. I tend to use one of the boot sale planes for initially hogging off any wood and then switch to the posh block plane, set with a very fine cut and closed up mouth for the final few passes.
I too was a little apprehensive about going from a plane costing pence to one costing quite a considerable amount more but it gets so much use I don't regret it in the slightest. The cost is soon forgotten but the tool is a pleasure to use and will last a lifetime

 

[Wuffles]

The option with the 3 different irons sounds like a good bet and a solution that will cover any eventuality. That's what I did. I splashed out on the Veritas DX60 with a single 25 degree iron and have just added two extra irons at 38 and 50 degrees after stumbling across them at a discounted price. I also have a couple of car boot sale block planes, one costing nothing and one costing £1. They work great but don't have the advantage of an adjustable mouth. I tend to use one of the boot sale planes for initially hogging off any wood and then switch to the posh block plane, set with a very fine cut and closed up mouth for the final few passes.

Awesome. I think that settles it for me. Is that a ow angle or standard out of curiosity?

I'm also going to forgo the chisel plane as I have talked myself out of it and will give things a go with the new block plane and see how I get on.

Thanks all.

 

[JJ1]

Is that a ow angle or standard out of curiosity?

It's a low angle block plane, but with the additional blades I mentioned it also does the job of a standard block plane.


The block plane will work great for any trimming duties. The chisel plane would be beneficial for getting up close to an edge that wouldn't be accessible with a block plane, but a chisel will work just fine in most cases and be a lot cheaper too.

 

[Wuffles]

Okey doke. Thanks again.

 

[GLFaria]

Not overly expensive mouth-adjustable block planes here:
http://www.fine-tools.com/juuma-einhandhobel.html
I went for the low-angle type as I felt it could prove more versatile by changing the iron angle if needed.

G.

 

[Wuffles]

I'd considered them, but they're out of stock unfortunately.

 

[Jelly]

Personally I'd only consider a 102 style block plane (or a tiny wooden coffin shape plane)... If I was buying new the LN 102 would probably be my choice.

I have a larger block plane somewhere, but rarely if ever find a use for it as the Coffin Smoother I keep on the bench is only a little bigger (albeit somewhat wider) than a 60½ but much more versatile. The tiny woodie and 102 however are convenient and handy in a way only something quite dainty can be.

 

[Zeddedhed]

I'd try and find a good secondhand Stanley 60 1/2.

I've got several of these (one in the van, one in the workshop and a couple of others in various toolboxes) and love 'em.

It's low angle with an adjustable mouth and perfect for the edge treatment you describe.

For levelling dowels etc I'd use a cheap flush cut saw.

 

[Wuffles]

I used the wrong word with "dowels", I meant tapered plugs, so it's not end grain I'm dealing with - just for clarification.

Thanks for muddying the waters

 

[Racers]

I have a Stanley 60 1/2 and a LN 60 1/2, the Stanley sits in the cupboard unused.

Pete

 

[Wuffles]

I've ordered the low angle Quangsheng with the three irons. Figured I've covered all the bases with that.

Thanks for everyone's input on this. Appreciated.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

For levelling dowels etc I'd use a cheap flush cut saw.

I was going to suggest that too. Possibly with a little planing at the very end to get things entirely flush.

 

[Wuffles]

Yes, that's what I use, just the temptation to do it with a plane was too great - I'm over it now