Advice requested for a hand plane

[Gofor]

I am a somewhat novice at furniture making, altho I'm on the far sideof 50, and with the decreasing quality and rising costs of furniture-grade ply, I am building more out of edge-glued boards. The largest plane I currently have is a #4 Stanley that I inherited from my dad (at least 50 years old because I remember him using it that far back) . I have made a shooting board that works for edge gluing, but my current project involves panels 24 X 14' and several future ones will be up to 60" (length). I have managed to flatten my glue-ups with the #4, but feel my life would be much easier with a longer plane.
I intend to purchase or make a longer plane (I have a plane iron from an old wooden plane I found in my grandfathers basement thats 2 1/4" wide and is laminated (the plane iron is tapered and I still have the cap-iron but it still need some work to get the pits out of the iron). The wood body is badly chewed up on the bottom, about 16" long and has no tote or knob (the recesses are there but no evidience of fasteners to hold them.) and I would have to cut off about 1/2" thickness to remove the damage to the throat, as well as make a wedge, but I fear the sides would split out anyway.
SO, rather than recondition it, I will purchase or make something else.
My question is: what size would be best at this time for one plane (a #5, #6, or #7) to true up panels up to 24"wide and joint boards to 6'.
Or do I need two, and if so, what size irons should I buy?
Your august advice will be appreciated.
Go:lol:

 

[Ozzie-x]

Hello Go,
For edge jointing 6' stock, a #7 or #8 would suit the bill. From your description, I'd probably recommend a #7 because a #7 is a little more handy and versatile size than a #8, plus it's a little easier to use and your arms will last longer if you're edging a lot of boards. With the addition of a fence you can achieve perfect results equal to an electrified jointer. There's several different fences available, and as for new fences I've heard good things about the magnetic Veritas fence. An alternative is to simply use a flat straight board maybe 5"- 6" wide and c-clamp it to the side of the jointer plane - be careful not to crack/break the brittle cast iron of the plane. :eusa_doh:

#4's are generally used for smoothing. #5's are general purpose planes and can be used for some straightening, flattening and also for smoothing. #6's are nice planes that get a lot of undeserved bad PR. I like my #6 size shop plane (#606 Bedrock) a lot and use it very often, maybe because it's such a honey of a plane. Just my $0.02 and hope this helps.:icon_thum

 

[wapitiscat]

Gofor,

For edge jointing, the longer the plane, the better. The #8 size is nice but they can be pricey. That's why my longest is a #6. I agree with Ozzie-x that for some reason the #6 really gets panned in the bench plane discussion. I think its great for face jointing boards or panels. I clamp a Mcrabbeted wooden fence to it use it as my edge jointer in a pinch. If I have a lot to do, I go over to a friends shop and use his jointer. I'm always on the lookout for a deal on a "true" jointer.

END OF PLANER RECOMMENDATION ... BEGIN SAPPY HAND TOOL DISCUSSION ...:eusa_booh

There was an interesting article in the Dec. '05 Popular Woodworking that dealt with 18th century furniture building. It kind of rambles, but one thing I remember is the authors discussion of our obsession with absolute four square stock. I think machines and longer turnaround times for hobbyists contribute to this. He illustrates this point with a picture of a dining table he made. The top is made from two 14" wide boards that are something like 8 feet long. The boards were slightly tapered as tree trunks generally get slimmer as you go from top to bottom. Rather than fuss with trimming them to identical widths, he put the top together and has a table that is slightly narrower on one end.

I don't know if I would do that, but I'm trying to develop my skills to deal with variations instead of relying on exact dimensions of an inherently unstable medium. Would I like an 8 or 10 inch jointer? You bet I would but I am able to spend so little time in the gar .. er .. shop at this point, that something like that (or a planer) would be woefully underutilized. I'm fortunate to have access to these machines through friends or the NCSU Craft Center so I can get through a "production" run if I need to.

Todd

 

[Gofor]

Thank you for the input. I guess a #6 or 7 is what will suit me best at this point. Now that I have a better idea what I need, it will focus my search better. Your inputs also tell me that I'm not totally out in left field as to what I "thought" I needed. A #6 seemed to be the "right" size for flattening boards, especially after fighting thru it with a #4 but like you said, everyone seems to skip from 5 to 7.
Almost got the proto-type of the project done (four more to build based on how this one meets the needs) so I better get busy locating something!!
Thanks again:mrgreen:

Go

 

[mbb]

I personally prefer the 18" (#6) sized metal bench planes for general work. The additional weight over a jack means that the plane does not get stuck on knots and grain changes and allows you to continue to work even with a mildly dull blade. In addition, for the smaller projects that I tend to do, it is an effective jointer as well. As noted above, due to the bad press (particularly from Patrick Leach) that they have received as being "in-between a jointer and a jack and not very useful", they can often be had on the cheap from ebay.

Mike

 

[Grgramps]

Gofor,
I worked with a #7 for more than 5 years doing what you are doing before I finally bought a jointer. The jointer does is faster, otherwise the #7 will fill the bill.
Roy

 

[4yanks]

In addition to the advice already given you might consider a card scraper to help eliminate uneven surface joints in glued panels. It is no replacement for a plane. However, if the surface to be smoothed does not need to be dead flat the card scraper will quickly eliminate the surface ridges from glue ups.

 

[Gofor]

Thanks again. Scrapers are definitely on my "to buy" list also, unless I find some suitable metal (thick saw blade, etc) to make my own. I will probably buy the first one (s) so that as I learn the technique, I can be fairly certain any problems are me and not the tool.
I've never bought anything on ebay, but I guess there is a first time for everything. :lol:

 

[michaelgarner]

if you need some help re-furbing the handplane let me know, I have lots of stuff to do it. be blessed friend. all of my knowledge came from Insom's web site. shootingboard.net

 

[NCPete]

You should also know that Michael has his own 'Reddy Kilowatt' outfit too. Visited his shop once, and the ferrous stew was going at full tilt!

 

[mbb]

I'd never ebayed anything either prior to buying my first hand plane (which incidentally was a Sargent #6 equivalent, a 418 ). Its no different from buying at any other auction, i.e. if you do your research ahead of time, you are less likely to get shagged. Patrick Leach's site and the Stanley bench plane dating guide are pretty much required reading for ebay. If buying non Stanley planes, stick with Sargent, Millers Falls, early Union (pre and post Stanley buyout), early Fulton (when made by Sargent), Keen Kutter, and Ohio makes. Avoid consumer level planes (Stanley Handyman, etc.), modern Stanleys (post 1960, blue or maroon bed paint), Shelton, and most Craftsmen (with the exception of the Sargent made knucklecap block planes). Don't buy something when you don't know what it is or when there is only a single small photo (been there, done that, bought useless junk). Be very very hesitant to purchase any plane with a crack extending to the mouth or any mouth defects unless you are particularly adept at brazing.

Hope that helps,

Mike