Recommendations on starter set of hand planes...

Try tuning up your current ones first. Narrow the mouth (opening in front of the blade) and flatten the sole (the bottom). Then flatten and polish the back of the iron (the blade), and then put a proper bevel and microbevel on it. It should be sharp enough to shave with.

If you're only going to have one, then a jack plane is good--this is how I've started out. If you know you're going to have multiple planes, then you might consider a jointer and a smoother instead. A block plane (smaller, often used one-handed) is useful for smaller and more localized tasks.

Try checking around your area to see if there are any woodworking guilds or clubs. You might be able to find some used planes in reasonable condition. For the money they're likely better than a cheaper new plane.

Too many to mention. Try your local library for books/videos. If there are local woodworkers they might run hand-tools classes.

Chris

I have some great old planes that I have bought, found, and was given. Like most, I have many hours tuning and getting these planes in shape as working on planes and sharpening edge tools one of my favorite shop chores but.... my personal suggestion for the best all around plane to carry on every project you do it would be a Lie Nielsen 60 - 1/2R low angle rabbet block plane. Link to Nielsen's site -

As you can tell I am just really impressed with this plane. I've been in the home building business for about 20 years and have carried a lot of different block planes most of which I still have. We have a fair collection of bench planes and other specialty planes at the shop but even when I am there, this is the plane that gets the most use.

Its a pricey plane and at $150 was a tough purchase but after the first pass I havent regret buying for a second.

Mark

I use my Stanley Handyman jack plane the most for carpentry work. Then my other Stanley jack plane and Stanley #7 for higher level carpentry work and beginning woodworking. Or if the Handyman blade is dull. And finally the various Clifton and Lie-Nielsen planes for upper level woodworking. Start with a jack plane as your first plane. Its size is easy to use and its versatile.

Use a sharp blade. Makes a world of difference. And keep it sharp. And rub cnadle wax, or canning wax, on the sole of the plane. Makes it easier to plane. All the rest of the plane fixing up and fettling and such can be ignored until you have everything else in your life done and need something else to do. Sharp blade is the key, the only key. Nicer planes are nice to use but not needed to plane wood. If you got to have a nice brand name plane, Lie-Nielsen are quite good. As are Clifton. Probably any and all of the higher priced name brand planes are quite good. Can't really go wrong with their quality and performance. But they aren't needed.

As already mentioned, public library. And PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. With a sharp blade.

I asked this a few years ago of Patrick Leach. His response was:

I bought most of my old planes (users) from Patrick plus found others at antique stores, etc. If you're after users, you can get Stanley #4's for around $20-$25, jointers (#7 & #8) for around $125-$150 and block planes for around $20-$30.

See archives at:

blueman wrote: ...

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Along w/ the other recommendations -- all sound, btw -- I'm remembering there was a pretty nice Fine Woodworking article a year or so ago on tuning hand planes. The Taunton site may (or may not--seems like there's more pay for view content these days) have it accessible online. Even if not, I'm sure a search will find the issue and then if you're lucky your local library carries the mag...

I don't recall if it was the same article or not, but I also remember one in where a fella' tuned up a cheapie Anant and compared it to "the good stuff" -- it did quite credibly though it couldn't handle the figured grain and didn't hold an edge so well, of course. It w/ a better/thicker blade was still _much_ less initial investment than the high-priced spread and probably perfectly adequate for the kind of work you describe. It takes time, though, to work thru the tuneup for an inexpensive plane; that's one of the things one's paying Lee Valley and similar. But, if you're not really dedicated or not sure yet, perhaps the effort to tune up what you have would yield the most "bang for the buck"....

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In my opinion the first plane that a power tool user should get is a good block plane. Follow that with a no. 5 Jack (just because they are "jacks-of-all-trades" and are plentiful and inexpensive on the used market). Then if you are serious about jointing a long edge with a handplane, get a No. 7 or (my favorite plane) a No. 8. Now the No. * may be my favorite plane, just because it is big and heavy and imnpressive. It is NOT my most useful plane because I have a small jointer. ( note I do not have a rabbit plane or a bullnose and some folks would say those are near the top of needs).

As to what to buy, I am a big believer in good, older used Stanley and Miller Falls planes. That said, I have a 60-1/2 Stanley block and 9 Miller Falls block and I thought I had them all "fettled" and sharp. Then I bought a Veritas (Lee Valley) low angle block. Out of the box it put the others to shame. If the bigger ones are as much better then they must be great, but I can't afford them. Good older Stanleys and Miller Falls planes, with a lot of time and care in preparing them, will do great jobs. The preparation will also get you to really know about the planes, how they work, what is important, etc. before you go dropping a couple hunnert on some shiney new LN or LV hunk-o-iron. I would hate like hell to buy a really good plane and F it up because I hadn't a clue how to sharpen or adjust the darned thing.

LEARN TO SHARPEN. If not, all planes will disappoint. Even the new LV or LNs will cut like crap after a fairly short time if you can't keep them appropriately sharp. Dave Hall

The plane numbering thing you see works like this for bench planes: the larger the number, the longer (and/or wider) the plane. Common bench planes are numbered #3-#7. If you can get two planes, a #6 fore plane and a #3 smoother would cover the range well. If you can get only one, perhaps because you're spending for a quality new plane, go for a #5 Jack which will be around 14".

Bevel-up planes offer more flexibility, where you only have to change the blade to change the cutting angle for difficult grain. That probably won't be an issue, though, unless you know you work with tough, highly figured wood. The geometry or bevel up planes also works better, at least on paper.

Factor the cost of a sharpening system into your purchase. You could go the sandpaper and glass plate route, which is fairly economical, or get a few water stones. A jig is probably also a good idea if you want to get started fast and with minimal frustration. The Lee Valley Mk.2 sharpening jig should be the last one you need to buy, for ~$50.

I would second the vote for the Mk.2. Its the jig I have been using for a long time and I really like it. Well made, simple, repeatable. Mark

I started off with a pretty cheap jack plane. I think I paid $35 for it. It's about 12" long and made by Footprint.

I was grateful that the first pass i took with it was on scrap. That piece of scrap went directly to the kindling pile.

After I tuned and sharpened it, I tried again. Lovely little shavings appeared.

In no way was it as nice as Lie-Neilson or Veritas plane, but I still have it, and I use it constantly.

The point is, if you're willing to play with your plane a bit, it might surprise you. I believe there are sites on the Net that can help you with the tuning. Try a google for "Tune Hand Plane".

Once tuned, it needs, must, has to be......sharpened. A perfectly tuned plane with a dull blade is still a POS. Leonard Lee has a stunning book on sharpening, found on the Lee Valley site, which I can't find right now. Instead it lists a DVD:

I played in my shop for a long time before I got a block plane, and truly don't know how I managed without one. If you're going to buy any plane get a block first. HF has them for about $20 and I'd advise against that one. Stanley has a nice one for maybe $50-$60.

As has been said about many aspects of woodworking, this is the top of a very slippery slope. Once you've planed something properly, it's almost like smoking crack (or so I've been told). You'll want to get that same feeling with anything you plane, and that leads to more trips to high-end tool stores. I now own 10-12 planes, and my collection is tiny compared to other guys.

But keep coming back and asking questions. Even with the book, the jig, and websites on use, it's not going to all jump out at you. Lots of folks here to help you spend more money on better and brighter tools.

Good luck.

1. Low-angle block w/ adjustable mouth
2. No. 5 jack
3. No. 4-1/2 smoother
4. hefty shoulder plane
5. No. 7 or 8 joiner

In that order.

Brands: Lie-Nielsen, Lee Valley, old Stanley. Be wary of E-bay, you can buy a lot of rusty, worthless trash there (DAMHIKT). Wait until you've perfected the skill to go searching for bargains.

Considering what the ancient Egyptians did with what they had, you can do pretty damn good with new, "low-cost" planes. I'd consider Clifton, even Stanley, over Anant. They all respond well to "tuning", no matter the initial cost. For the cheaper brands, consider after-market upgrades for irons and chip breakers (e.g. Clifton, Hock).

Just my $0.02 worth.

-Zz

Zz Yzx wrote: ...

Yes, I would agree--what I was trying to get across was that even a really cheaply made plane if tuned up can perform reasonably well for simple uses, not as a recommendation--it was simply an Anant the guy used for his comparisons...

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Do you want to use hand planes to fill in or speed up machine work, or are you wanting to make items completely with hand tools?

I can answer only the first scenario and suggest the following starter tools, in acquisition order:

- Low Angle Block (for all kinds of stuff, a must have for everyone)

- Medium (3/4" to 1") shoulder plane (fast tuning of machined tenons and rabbets)

- 4 1/2W smoother (remove thickness planer marks with no sandpaper)

- #7 (for jointing edges, flattening and shooting miters)

A high-angle smoother or scraping plane are very handy for woods that jointers and thickness planers destroy.

With my machines, I rarely use my #5 or my normal #4. I currently have the #4 set up for a rougher cut and the #4-1/2W set for rice paper shavings.

I'll leave the list from a hand tool enthusiast's POV to someone else.

The most important planing accessory out there is a solid way to hold the work.

I _love_ Veritas planes for just those reasons. Older Stanleys can be tuned up with Hock or Lie Nielsen irons and chipbreakers, but some examples have enlarged mouths or other damage. In some cases, the "collector" market has driven old tool prices to the level where I simply went for the new Veritas. Plane fettling is not difficult, but it can require a hunk of time and patience.

"The Handplane Book" by Garrett Hack and "The Sharpening Book" by Leonard Lee. Don't try to read the Lee book like a novel, it's _really_ dry.

I agree with Chris, tune up your current ones first. I have a cheapo Borg Stanley block plane and after lapping the sole and sharpening the blade I can get thin shavings of Maple (If I don't go against the grain). Right out of the box this plane would barely cut SPF construction lumber. I use this plane constantly for a quick chamfer, fine tuning a joint or leveling a glue up. I have even used it to plane the edges of boards for a panel glue-up.

Here is a simple jig that will allow you to get the blade 'scary- sharp'

Two? Block & jack.

One of the handiest planes I have is a little mini one...all steel, blade about an inch or less wide, total length 3" or less. It was made by Stanley, no idea what it is called. I use it to trim solid wood edging on sheet goods.

I like it because it is very controllable and I can use it in one hand using the heel of my thumb and fingers as guides so as to tip it slightly outward so I don't acccidently take off a slice of plywood.

For a modern version of similar dimensions, Lee Valley makes the "little victor":

Something that I think gets over looked a lot, when disucssing hand planes, is that having the plane is only one part of the equation. To use a plane properly, for typical woodworking applications, requires you to have a decent bench. If you don't have a a proper means to securely hold your stock, even the best planes from Lie-Nielsen are useless.

For me, I've found the planes from Lee-Valley/Veritas to be the best quality for the price.

A book that I've found to be particularly useful is "Working with Handplanes"[1], ISBN: 1-56158-748-6, published by The Taunton Press. This is basically collection of articles from the magazine Fine Woodworking. The book has information on different types of planes, plus has some information on technique.

With regard to sharpening, there's any number of different ways to do it. Try them all and then use whatever works the best and fastest for you. Avoid any method that takes too long. When you've learned how to tell your blade needs some attention, you want to get it sharp quickly and get back to work.

Sounds like I need to learn how to tune (and sharpen) my plane. Hopefully, I can find something good on the web because frustratingly, I have never been good at getting my Stanley borg plane to work. But I think the problem has been that I didn't really know what I was doing. Mea culpa.

That's quite a recommendation! and by the sound of it, it's worth the price!

It is not hard to do just takes a little time. A piece of glass (or MDF) some wet/dry sandpaper (automotive or Borg) and you're in business. Lapping the sole allows the plane to slide smoothly across the work, without a smooth sole you can't get a good cut. Even a poor quality blade can be made amazingly sharp. Then you have to get the blade set right in the plane, practice on some 2x4s since they are soft & cheap. Here is one link to get you started but Google will provide hundreds more.

And as was already said the best way to get your plane to cut better is with one of these: