Update to previsous post, "Can a plane *really* eliminate sanding..."

[wood_newbie]

Thanks to everyone for the good advice. Talked to the guy at Woodcraft who taught me sharpening, and he recommended a LN 4 1/2 smoother. His recommendation was based on what I told him I was working on...mostly cherry wood, plenty of tables/bookcases/etc. He said any tearout can be remedied with a card scraper. Went home with it. Time will tell if it's the right one for my needs, but it sure is a joy to use.

At the same time, my SWMBO bought me the LV Medium Shoulder Plane off the wish list. What a jewel.

Just a few months ago, I posted a question along the likes of "If you had to buy JUST ONE PLANE, which would it be..."

Of course, everyone warned me I wouldn't buy just one, and they were right. I'm now own the above two, plus the LV low-angle block. (For the record, those who said I wouldn't stop at one, you all suck and are headed straight to hell.)

Hand planes are like crack, except they're sold in fewer places.

[Ba r r y]

As a first plane, you really can't go wrong with that.

A great second plane! I really love mine and just used it an hour ago!

A perfect fill-out. You can do TONS with an LN 4 1/2, LV Med. shoulder, and LA block. I have an excellent compliment of machines, and 99% of my hand work is done with those three planes, but my #4 1/2 is an antique Stanley #4 with a Hock iron.

I recommend the following for the next plane purchases:

A good cabinet scraper (the Veritas is an excellent value!) The LN Rabbett Block ( Are you listening, Rob?) A large shoulder plane (LN, Veritas, Clifton, they're all good!)

If you've got good machines, some hand planes won't do that much for you. Going neader? There's better folks than me who can comment.

Barry (a machine guy who knows when hand tools work)

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

Let us know how they work out for ya. I have never had much luck with scrapers on Cherry but then again, I still don't think I've hit the "Zen" level with sharpening them. Cheers, cc

[Mark & Juanita]

Cherry's not bad at all. Wild-grained Ash, that's a different story. Not much problem with the scraper if I get there before a really big screw-up with the hand plane

I finally bought the Veritas scraper burnishing tool. That has made all the difference in the world. Now, when I don't get a good hook I know it's time to sharpen the scraper by filing it back and re-squaring the edges

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

Yeah, my problem has been turning the hook too much. The last time I used my scrapers, it felt like I finally "got it". I think I was using way too much pressure when turning the hook. I haven't had a chance to do any woodworking for a while but hopefully the new year will get me going again! I do remember the cherry kind of peeled up vs. scraped up for lack of a better description. Probably a sign of a dull or poorly sharpened scraper. Cheers, cc