Originally Posted by
Andrew Pitonyak
Hey Ted, where do you live? if you are in Ohio, you can try some of my planes to get a feel for what you like. I know a few other people in the area who I am sure would echo that statement.
If you can find an inexpensive #4, that is probably a good addition, but, I would look first for something larger like a #7 or even a #6.
I will echo the statement, if you are in the vicinity of Southwest Washington you are welcome to come by and test drive any of my planes.
My thought is if you are using power equipment to do some of the work a long plane isn't as important. A smoother like a #3 or #4 might be more suitable to your needs.
The answer might be found on what situations you are facing. Are you currently having difficulties with edge joining pieces when gluing?
Then a longer plane like a jointer might be what you need.
Do you have small areas in need of smoothing the #5 isn't able to work?
Then a shorter plane may be the answer.
When all is said and done, many woodworkers get by with a three bench plane strategy. The jointers could be anything from a #6 to a #8. The middle is almost always filled with a #5. The smoother is usually a #3 or #4 though some will opt for a bigger #4-1/2 or a smaller #2.
Since you have restored a #5, it should be easy to find a used #4 and restore it. Just be careful to buy one that is all there and isn't just something made to look like a woodworking tool.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 04-18-2017 at 12:43 AM.
Reason: wording, *for some reason
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