Which Plane - 5 or 5 1/2

[JohnM Martin]

I'm looking to purchase my first premium plane and upgrade my old bailey stanley no 5 with either a new LN no 5 or 5 1/2. Deciding to "upgrade" because 1) I finally have the budget for it and 2) I would like to see what its like to work with a good high quality plane.

It seems to me that there are guys coming out of the woodwork to say that the 5 1/2 is superior in every way to the no 5, but I'm wondering if there are any out there that actually prefer the no 5? I've never seen a 5 1/2 and don't have a good way to actually see one in person so was hoping to get some advice from those more experienced than I. I have looked up the weight/dimensions differences so I have a good feel for the differences there, but what I don't have a good feel for is how that translates to the real world. Is there anything that a 5 1/2 does better than a 5 and vise versa? My plan for this plane would be to set it up more for lighter cuts and tailor my current no 5 to be more for rough removal/dimensioning. I work a mix of both machine prepped stock and rough air-dried stock mostly in oak and walnut since that is what is most prevalent from my local sawyer.

How close is the 5 1/2 to a Stanley no 6?

If using this plane as mostly a smoother, would a 4 1/2 be a better fit?

I know a lot of this is personal preference and everyone is different, but I'm just curious what everyone thinks.

[David Eisenhauer]

One main difference between the 5 and 5-1/2 (besides length) is blade width. Same for the 4-1/2. The wider blades take that much more effort to push than the narrower blades. I am not saying that you have to be a weight lifter to push wider blades, but sometimes the narrower blades that require less effort to push are easier to control. Sort of like a sharp knife is easier to cut where you want to than a dull knife is. For my taste, the 5-1/2 is a lot closer to a 6 than a 5 is to a 4 if that makes sense. In my hands, a 5 is used a lot more than my 6 is, with the 7 covering lots of the 6 work. That is just my hands, yours may be different.

[Joel Thomas Runyan]

The 5.5 and 5 are both lengths best for medium to rough removal, not smoothing. The added width of the 5.5 is about your strength and work-rate, not much more. A 4 is hard to beat as in all purpose smoother, if not a 3, depending on the average size of your projects.

[steven c newman]

I have a #5-1/2 AND a #6c....both Stanleys...along with about 4 No. 5s.....

The #6 is more of a small jointer/ Fore plane. 3" longer than the same width 5-1/2. depends on how much weight you feel like pushing around. Try them out for a few hours....see which you pick up the next time....


The #5-1/2 was known as the Jumbo Jack.....

The #4-1/2? Nothing more than an overweight, fat #4. Same blade as the Jumbo Jack. Or the #6, or the #7...A #3 or #4 is much more agile, and a lot less tiring to use.

After a full day of using the larger planes...a #3 feels kind of nice....at least my shoulders think so....YMMV

[lowell holmes]

I have a 5-1/2 Bailey that I favor over my Bedrock planes. I have 604, 605, and 607 Bedrocks. I probably should sell them.
I also have a no. 3 Bailey that I favor.

[Patrick Chase]

the 5 is 14" long and has a 2" iron, while the 5-1/2 is 14.75" long and has a 2-3/8" iron. The length difference is almost imperceptible in use while the 18% width difference is more noticeable (though not as drastic as some make it sound).

As to which is "better" that's an entirely subjective preference, that only you can answer for yourself.

[Nathan Johnson]

I bought my Bailey 5 1/2 as a dedicated shooting board plane. At 2 pounds heavier than my 5s, I wouldn't want to be using it as I have my 5s.

[Derek Cohen]

I'm looking to purchase my first premium plane and upgrade my old bailey stanley no 5 with either a new LN no 5 or 5 1/2. Deciding to "upgrade" because 1) I finally have the budget for it and 2) I would like to see what its like to work with a good high quality plane.

John, to what purpose do you intend to use the plane? Most use a #5 as a coarse plane, that is, for fast removal of waste. In this disguise, it pays to have a light and nimble plane. Woodies take this one step further. I quite like a #5 also with a straight blade as a short jointer on narrow stock. Anything wider feels difficult to balance.

In recent decades, David Charlesworth gave the #5 1/2 a popular image as a "Super Smoother". However, David does not use other planes in preparing his stock, as far as I know. I have a #5 1/2 and find it a large and heavy plane. I doubt that I would wish to use it continuously (for several tasks).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[lowell holmes]

Just get the 5 1/2. You will not regret it. I have a 5 1/2 Bailey that I favor.

I always admired the 4 1/2 that Paul Sellers had when he was at Homestead Heritage.
I like the wide planes,

[Jim Koepke]

It seems to me that there are guys coming out of the woodwork to say that the 5 1/2 is superior in every way to the no 5, but I'm wondering if there are any out there that actually prefer the no 5? I've never seen a 5 1/2 and don't have a good way to actually see one in person so was hoping to get some advice from those more experienced than I. I have looked up the weight/dimensions differences so I have a good feel for the differences there, but what I don't have a good feel for is how that translates to the real world. Is there anything that a 5 1/2 does better than a 5 and vise versa? My plan for this plane would be to set it up more for lighter cuts and tailor my current no 5 to be more for rough removal/dimensioning. I work a mix of both machine prepped stock and rough air-dried stock mostly in oak and walnut since that is what is most prevalent from my local sawyer.

How close is the 5 1/2 to a Stanley no 6?

If using this plane as mostly a smoother, would a 4 1/2 be a better fit?

It is difficult to respond to this without a bit more information. Do you have a #6, #7 or #8 sized plane? My #6 gets used more than my #5-1/2. Perhaps if it needed to be carried around in a tool box the #5-1/2 would be taken instead of a #6.

My suggestion would be to acquire something different than what is already in your kit.

If you are going for a smoother a #4-1/2 would be more in line with the purpose.

In reality, any plane can be used for smoothing, some are more adept at the job.

Since "what is most prevalent from the local sawyer" is oak and walnut my guess is you are not near enough to come by and give the different planes a test drive.

If you do not already have a #3 or #4, my suggestion would be to get one of those for your final smoothing needs. A #4-1/2 may be more in line if you do a lot of large panels or wide boards. Depending on the job at hand my #3 and #4 usually see more use than my #4-1/2. Often, especially later in the day, my #3 gets used more than my #4.

It was hard for me to decide, so when they were found on rust hunts, at least one of each size was acquired. It isn't necessary, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

jtk

[Joe A Faulkner]

Where are you located? Maybe someone near you has a 5 1/2 you could take for a test drive and then you could decide whether to acquire a 5 or 5 1/2.

[Hasin Haroon]

Hi John,

If you want to set it up to take light cuts for smoothing large boards/panels, I would recommend a 5 1/2. But that is the only circumstance where I would recommend a 5 1/2 over a 5, as it is noticeably more unwieldy than a 5 for jointing or regular rough work. My Veritas 5 1/2 is used for smoothing and is set up with a 55 degree frog. A 55 degree frog makes it tougher to push, so I use the added mass of the 5 1/2 to add momentum and make it easier.

[steven c newman]

Simple test...pick a #5 and a 5-1/2 up, one in each hand....see how long before one is set back down....

Momentum might be nice....until you have to drag the plane BACK to the start point...after awhile, that extra weight gets old.

IMG_1374 (640x480).jpg
Of the four #5 sized planes, this one has the most camber, as it is used for this sort of thing..
cambered jack.jpg
There are also two Stanleys, each a little less camber, one having none. There is a Millers Falls No. 14 that barely has any. My #5-1/2 has no camber, nor does the #6 or #7...Then there is Mister Everything....Millers Falls No. 11, a #5-1/4 sized plane. Small jack, light and nimble, no camber. Smoothing is done with either the Stanley #4c, or one of the smaller Millers Falls planes.

I used what best suits the size of the work being done.

A small smoother can "turn on a dime" to deal with reversing grain.....a No. 5-1/2 cannot. Almost like trying to spin the USS Iowa around at speed....compared to a Coast Guard Cutter...

[JohnM Martin]

Lowell, thats interesting. For most people, isn't it the other way around? Prices seem to sure seem higher for Bedrocks, but maybe there is something I don't understand about plane prices. What is it about the Bailey that you prefer?

[JohnM Martin]

John, to what purpose do you intend to use the plane? Most use a #5 as a coarse plane, that is, for fast removal of waste. In this disguise, it pays to have a light and nimble plane. Woodies take this one step further. I quite like a #5 also with a straight blade as a short jointer on narrow stock. Anything wider feels difficult to balance...

I think was thinking of putting a good camber on the iron of the #5 I currently own and use it for dedicated rough removal. I was thinking of getting a nice jack plane to take over standard jack duties and maybe do some dressing of machine prepped stock. I have a #4 Bailey with a LV blade and chip breaker, and it peforms pretty well... Maybe I'm just intrigued by the 1/2 size planes. For some reason, it just seems like the #5 is a great all around - I've never (admittedly pretty new to woodworking) wished my #5 was wider or longer. In that case, I just reach for the #6 or #7 depending on the task. But maybe I'm odd... I really enjoy the #6 and it seems like it is regarded as the red headed step child of the bunch.