What's your favourite hand plane?

peter layout your present supply and show us a picture it would help those of us here to give you some better suggestions.. you mentioned a smother and a block plane, well there man out there that some call by those names that really arent all that great.. to me the shoulder plane is down the list, you also need to look at how you work, if you make alot of mortise and tenons then the shoulder plane come in real handy also for rabbet work..

Now you'all got me so confused!!!!!

But just guessing mind you probably the one I need at the time, Seeing I can only use one at a time.

Here Larry, is the unvarnished collection, as is.

Oops. First time uploading photos straight from iPhone. Why are they inverted ?

Peter Rideout said:

Oops. First time uploading photos straight from iPhone. Why are they inverted ?

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Are you left handed? Turn the phone over. It is secretly known that Steve Jobs feared left handed people and built traps into his operating system in order to torment them.

ok looks like a stanley 220 block plane, to me a 60 1/2 is the block plane to have starting out. then i see a record no5. great jack plane no need to replace. the other two look like a stanley no.5 or a 4 and either of them can be very useful too so the smoother like glenn and jim posted would be my number one choice and the 60-1/2 for a good block plane

There we go. Thanks Glenn. We learn a new thing every day here!

Here's another view just for fun. The second from the left is a Stanley 5. The smaller one is a "Stanley Handyman" maybe an economy model from 30 years ago.

Dumb question: is the 60 1/2 equivalent to the Lee Valley low angle block plane?

Peter Rideout said:

Dumb question: is the 60 1/2 equivalent to the Lee Valley low angle block plane?

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yes, peter it looks like the same set up. but you can get a good 60 1/2 on ebay ot kijji for less

what is the record then a 5.25? it looks bigger than the stanley 5

Peter Rideout said:

Dumb question: is the 60 1/2 equivalent to the Lee Valley low angle block plane?

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Functionally they are the same. If I remember correctly the Stanley is a bit narrower. The Stanley can be a very good plane. The one I had was from the 70s and didn't adjust properly. It was a pain to set up, but it served me well until I could justify spending the money for the Veritas. I also bought the aux handle and knob for the Veritas, so I use it as a small smoother.

larry merlau said:

yes, peter it looks like the same set up. but you can get a good 60 1/2 on ebay ot kijji for less

what is the record then a 5.25? it looks bigger than the stanley 5

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The 60½ is a tad narrower than the LV - closer to the apron plane, but with an adjustable mouth.

I think the big Record is a 5½. It's definitely the best of your bunch, Peter.

The #4 smoother, being a 'handyman,' is of lesser quality than the standard Stanley, but the differences are mostly cosmetic. It's body is milled a bit less smoothly, and the knob and tote are lesser quality wood. Functionally, though, after a bit of tuning it'll work as well as it's more expensive brethren.

You've got a pretty good 'starter set' there. I'd go looking for a #3 (slightly smaller/narrower than the #4) and a #7 or #8 (long, heavy, jointers) to fill it out, along with the 60½ or a 65, or if new, the LV Low Angle Block, or the Low Angle rabbet plane I mentioned earlier.

Beware, though, it can be a slippery slope. I started small, and now have well over a hundred planes - even after giving some away.

larry merlau said:

yes, peter it looks like the same set up. but you can get a good 60 1/2 on ebay ot kijji for less

what is the record then a 5.25? it looks bigger than the stanley 5

Click to expand...

The Record and Stanley are pretty much identical to my eye, except for condition. Same length and width and set up.
This is very informative. But I still haven't found my link to "hand plane tune up tips".

This is the edge of an abyss, isn't it? I just don't see it coming

Thanks for the additional comments Jim, and Dennis. It's adding to my, still shallow, pool of knowledge.

Personally, I am a fan of Keen Kutter K series planes, so it would be hard to get me to bit on a LV plane. The Keen Kutter K series is the same plane as a bedrock round side. There are a lot of good used planes out there and they can be gotten very reasonably. I sold Larry a Stanley block and I believe it was for $25 shipped. I will let him pipe it on it but I find it hard to believe that a LV block is $125 better. $149- $25 without factoring in shipping.

Having said that I can find any number of uses for a Veritas Cabinater Maker's trimming plane. Long name for a chisel plane. Those you can not find readly, and if you do the price will scare you. I also like their tail vise. I have the old standard tail vise and once you use a tail vise you kind of fall in love with them. LV's fast and easier to make and install than mine. Also they have a great shoulder screw.



You asked for my 2 cents s I gave it.


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