Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 35

Thread: Joinery Planes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    N. Idaho
    Posts
    1,621

    Joinery Planes

    Hello all,

    I've been on a long, slow slide down the hill for a while now. I have recently been adding joinery planes to the arsenal as my aversion to my router grows stronger. I thought it might make a good topic for discussion. So...

    Which joinery planes do you have?
    Which do you use the most?
    What's the best place to start?
    Which types are just as good if vintage and decently tuned and which are best to wait and buy premium?
    Which do you regret buying because it just lays there?

    Thanks,
    C
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Which joinery planes do you have?
    I think of my large bench planes as joinery planes. After all, the #7 & #8 are called jointers.

    Among others that may be considered as "joinery planes" are rabbet planes including; a Record #778, a pair of Stanley #98 & #99 side rabbet planes and a a few combination planes like the Stanley #45, #50 & #55. Also have a #93 shoulder plane and a #140 skew rabbet block plane.

    Which do you use the most?
    My #6 or #5 do a lot of my edge jointing work.

    The #45 gets a lot of work. My #50 is set up for box and drawer bottom slots. I use the side rabbets often. The #778 is also used for rabbeting often.

    What's the best place to start?
    Not sure what is meant by this question. If you are brave, the Stanley #45 is capable of a lot of work. It is a bit tricky in the beginning. A good fenced rabbet plane may be an easier start. The Record #778 is superior to the Stanley #78. A modern plane from LN or LV might be a better choice. The Stanley #45 can cut rabbets without difficulty. It can also do a lot a fenced rabbet can not do.

    Which types are just as good if vintage and decently tuned and which are best to wait and buy premium?
    Different folks will give different answers to this. It really depends on your patience and ability to fettle.

    Which do you regret buying because it just lays there?
    That would be my Stanley #90 bull nose rabbet plane. Even more regrettable would be a Stanley #75. I sold all of the ones I had because they just didn't work for me. At least I can get the #90 to work.

    My side rabbet planes get used often for trimming and such. My suggestion would be to have a left and a right hand version instead of the single tool for both sides. Switching the depth stop back and forth would be a bit of a hassle in my opinion.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    [QUOTE=Jim Koepke;2574062]

    Even more regrettable would be a Stanley #75.

    I agree!

    I have skew rabbet planes and an antique wooden plow plane.

    I also have the Japanese plow plane that sells for less than $100. It does a credible job. It is the Mujingfang.

  4. #4
    Here are my joinery planes:
    Medium shoulder plane (LV), Large shoulder plane (LN), Router plane (Stanley 71), Side Rabbet Plane (WR), Rabbet block plane (LN).

    But I don't think that's what your after, is it?

    I think you're referring to bench planes. They include only the following:
    4 WoodRiver, 4 1/2 LN, 62 BUJack LN, 6 WR, 7 WR.

    These planes cover what I need to do very nicely. I don't do much hand prep I do not have a #5.

    Which do you use the most?I actually use the #6 more than I ever thought I would. The 4 1/2 is a close second.

    What's the best place to start?My recommendation is start out with a #4 and a #6. These two planes will cover a lot of ground. As for vintage, vs. premium, lots of guys will disagree with me here, but having gone through several Stanley's, (paying too much for them, upgrading blades, buying missing parts, spending time to de rust, etc) I finally tried a WoodRiver and immediately could feel and see the difference. I think they are a good plane that performs quite comparably to a premium plane for 1/2 the price. Yes, they are made in China, yes they might be a rip off of LN (as if LN didn't copy anybody, right?) but all in all, if you look at the prices on Ebay for vintage Stanely, Bailey or Record, you may decide (as I did) to opt for a new plane for often just a little more money. IMO the WR has a better blade and cap iron, better machining, ht adj. screw, and heavier. If you don't like it you can take it back!! Chasing the elusive $10 Stanley by running through yard sales, flea markets and estate sales is just not for me.

    In the final analysis a tool is a tool you should always buy the best you can afford because a poor quality tool will be a stumbling block to developing your skills as a ww'er.

    Which types are just as good if vintage and decently tuned and which are best to wait and buy premium?
    I think just about all of them can be tuned up to perform very satisfactorily. As I just said, tho, finding them for a reasonable price is something else.

    Which do you regret buying because it just lays there?
    Stanley 78. Its just not a very good tool.
    I also have several wood molding planes I have never used.
    Last edited by Robert Engel; 06-10-2016 at 5:34 PM.

  5. #5
    Couple dado planes
    Several rabbet planes
    Some hollows & rounds
    Couple router planes
    Plow plane

    I use the plow and the rabbets most.

    Which to buy first depends on what work you like to do. I build boxes and small furniture.

    I enjoy hunting for tools so bought most of mine used and tuned them. Learned a great deal.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Victoria, BC
    Posts
    2,367
    Planes I use most: hands down, my veritas low angle Jack. Easily my most used plane. With a few extra blades ground at a variety of angles and a toothed blade, the low angle Jack will meet most of your needs.
    Next most used no4 smother, followed by my jointer.
    Planes i think are indispensable but don't use all the time: plow, router, Fillister, shoulder (I like my large, lots of folks prefer the medium.)
    i can't imagine doing joinery without these planes; bear in mind, I am a Neander for the most part.
    im sure I missed something.
    Paul

  7. #7
    First, unless I am much mistaken, the OP does not mean bench planes, he means (as he clearly said) joinery planes.

    Second, I like what Fred said above -- he uses the plow and the rabbets the most. It is curious to see things like shoulder and router planes listed first. I guess I would call those "joinery adjusting" planes rather than true joinery planes. Which is not to imply that they're not useful--they definitely are--but they'd be low on my list. What you need more than anything to do joinery is a way to cut rabbets and a way to cut grooves. So those should be first.

    There are lots of directions you could go, and it probably isn't helpful for me to list all the options. I guess the one thing that occurs to me that might be useful is this: If you just want to get your feet wet, you don't have to go with all the bells and whistles. For example, a moving fillister, or metal versions like a Stanley 45/ Record 43 or 44/ Veritas skew rabbet, that's the bells and whistles way, and those are all great tools. But you can also cut any rabbet you want with a plane old rabbet plane and a batten. A plow plane, whether metal or wood, is the bells and whistles way to cut grooves. But a drawer bottom plane that cuts a 1/4" groove, whether purchased or homemade, can take care of probably 90% of your grooving needs.

    FWIW, I go the bells & whistles route, but I didn't start that way. I started with a wooden square rabbet and a wooden drawer bottom plane. Now I mostly use a Greaves moving fillister and a Bensen and Crannel screw arm plow, both mid-late 19th c.
    "For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Milton, GA
    Posts
    3,213
    Blog Entries
    1
    I am thinking that since you mention your aversion to a router, assuming you are talking about an electric router that you are asking about actual joinery planes. I understand, my buddy lost part of a finger to a router table.

    I have: LV medium shoulder, LV small plow, LV router, LV skew rabbit. The skew rabbit is new but I have used it a good deal. If I had to toss one it would probably be the shoulder plane as I don't use it much, more often using a sharp chisel, especially since I invested in Usu-nomi- Japanese paring chisels.

    Many will feel that: jointing, making larger mortises and tenons, grooves dadoes... is a major part of the joinery they do. This is why they will mention what you may think of as bench planes, which they probably use for many of those jobs. I think you will also find that many use chisels or small saws to make "joinery", in lieu of joinery planes.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Poughkeepsie, NY
    Posts
    207
    *** Which joinery planes do you have?
    They are all Veritas:
    plow plane
    jack rabbet
    left skew block
    miter
    side rabbet
    shoulder planes: medium, small, miniature, bullnose
    router planes: large, medium, small, miniature

    *** Which do you use the most?
    plow: grooves, rabbets, tung and groove
    jack rabbet: jointing and beveling edges
    skew block: rabbets, relief bevels, shooting, and as a block plane
    miter: shooting

    *** What's the best place to start?
    If you are only hand tools, plow plane, grooves and rabbets enable many types of joinery.

    *** Which types are just as good if vintage and decently tuned and which are best to wait and buy premium?
    I can't say, I have a couple of my grandfather's woodies, but they aren't tuned.

    *** Which do you regret buying because it just lays there?
    I really only need one router plane, but I don't regret the other sizes.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Dublin, CA
    Posts
    4,119
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    That would be my Stanley #90 bull nose rabbet plane. Even more regrettable would be a Stanley #75. I sold all of the ones I had because they just didn't work for me. At least I can get the #90 to work.
    I still think you've got Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the 55... :-)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Charles View Post
    Hello all,

    I've been on a long, slow slide down the hill for a while now. I have recently been adding joinery planes to the arsenal as my aversion to my router grows stronger. I thought it might make a good topic for discussion. So...

    Which joinery planes do you have?
    Which do you use the most?
    What's the best place to start?
    Which types are just as good if vintage and decently tuned and which are best to wait and buy premium?
    Which do you regret buying because it just lays there?

    Thanks,
    C
    Christopher, a LOT can be done with chisels, but the joinery planes I use are ..

    LV Large router plane (gets a lot of use when grooving or rebating on curved work, and finishing hinges and dado/dovetails)

    LV Small plow plane

    LV Small shoulder plane (largely for shaping and fine tuning rebates and mouldings, partly for tuning shoulders)

    LV Skew Rabbet Plane

    LN side rabbet planes for widening grooves (I have a LV as well but only the one, and both hands are needed to follow the grain)

    LN joinery float (fine tuning tenon cheeks)

    Stanley #79 side rabbet plane converted into sliding dovetail plane

    Edited to add shooting board and plane.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 06-10-2016 at 10:36 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Chase View Post
    I still think you've got Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the 55... :-)
    I do not understand this comment.

    My #55 is used more than my #90 bull nose. (The 'bull nose' descriptor is included because my other #90, steel incased rabbet, is used often.)

    Before suggesting someone consider a #55 I would suggest they be able to use the #45 without difficulty. They are similar but the #55 is a much more difficult plane to use. The #45 has some people convinced it was a cruel hoax and the #55 was made as an attempt by Stanley to get into the boat anchor business. I have found both to be very useful tools once one learns their finer points.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 06-10-2016 at 8:48 PM. Reason: wording
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Chase View Post
    I still think you've got Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the 55... :-)
    Patrick, why not cut to the chase, Thanks for my day's hehe moment.

    ken

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
    Posts
    7,252
    Blog Entries
    7
    I use a dado plane and dovetail plane pretty regularly. Working on more but they do take time.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Brian, surely you use more than these two planes for all your joinery?

    This is actually an interesting exercise to recognise which tools we do use/need for all joinery tasks.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •