Next plane.

[paul cottingham]

I have asked this here before and I'm back....

I mostly build furniture - side tables, coffee tables, bedside tables, etc. I am ready to buy another plane, and I need advice on what to buy. I own a #4 smoother, 2 blocks, a medium shoulder, and a good jack plane. I also own a router and plow plane.

I am considering a BU jointer, or a BU smoother or a rabbet plane.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

[Jim Koepke]

My first thought would be to consider what you want to do that does not come easy with what you have.

If you need to prepare longer stock, then a BU Jointer could be useful in two ways. It could be used to straighten and flatten the longer stock and would also work well on a shooting board.

I use my plough like a rabbet all the time. A shoulder plane can also be used this way.

A BU Smoother may not offer much advantage over the #4. I bought a BU Jack just to have a good sized plane for shooting end grain and have been very happy with that purchase. It doesn't get a lot of use otherwise.

Of course, that also depends on what woods one uses.

So, everyone can tell you what their favorite plane might be, but in the end you have to figure out what you are doing now that could be done better with another plane.

My best answer might be to just give up and buy them all. Then you do not have to fret about making a decision.

jim

[paul cottingham]

So, everyone can tell you what their favorite plane might be, but in the end you have to figure out what you are doing now that could be done better with another plane.

My best answer might be to just give up and buy them all. Then you do not have to fret about making a decision.

jim

Don't think I haven't considered it. I can't afford tools, wood and a divorce.

[Russell Sansom]

My response to this oft-asked question always seems to be the same; My woodworking would be incomplete without a big old jointer.
It seems like almost everything I build requires the #8 (or a #7) somewhere along the way. I find it hard to imagine not having them.

[David Weaver]

I'm guessing from what you describe, you already are getting everything done fine, and doing your jointing and planing generally with machines.

I don't know if you really need more planes if your intention isn't to do some part of the process by hand.

So that would be my suggestion, figure out what part of the process you've done so far with machines that you want to do by hand, and then go from there, otherwise you're just going to have a plane that makes one of your other planes get used less to do the same thing.

There may be other joinery-related hand tools that you'd get more use out of.

[Don Dorn]

You have a smoother and a jack - you need a jointer. With those three, and a good block, you are covered. For the record, even though I own some LN planes, I have a LV low angle smoother and recently bought the BU jointer. I must admit that they do the job every bit as well as anything else I own. I wouldn't part with either one and reach for them often.

As a last note - when you get done with your bench planes, there is one more that I have found very useful but doubt I'd get many to agree. It's the LN 10 1/4 Rabbet plane (or Stanley eqivilent). It can easily be used as a jack but I've really used it allot for it's intended purpose. Tried my hand at raising panels and was surprised at how easy and fast it went with this tool. Lot's of room for personal improvement, but the tool did it's part, and then some.

[Zach England]

I'm guessing from what you describe, you already are getting everything done fine, and doing your jointing and planing generally with machines.

I don't know if you really need more planes if your intention isn't to do some part of the process by hand.

So that would be my suggestion, figure out what part of the process you've done so far with machines that you want to do by hand, and then go from there, otherwise you're just going to have a plane that makes one of your other planes get used less to do the same thing.

There may be other joinery-related hand tools that you'd get more use out of.

Why would anyone want FEWER tools? *very confused*

[David Weaver]

Why would anyone want FEWER tools? *very confused*

Yeah, I don't know. I can't say I've abided by the advice I gave above, either

If the OP is just looking for an excuse to get a plane, I'd get a jointer, and I'd get one of the premium ones - personally it would be a LN #7.

[Derby Matthews]

Paul, have you thought about using this as your signature?

I can't afford tools, wood and a divorce.

[paul cottingham]

ha! until my wife sees it!

[lowell holmes]

I have a LV BU smoother that has become my goto plane. Derek Cohen gives it high marks also.

When not using the BU smoother I likely will use my BU jack or my 607 jointer.

I don't use my 604 or my 605 that much. The Bedrocks all have Hock irons.

I'd vote for the smoother myself.

Different strokes for different folks.

[paul cottingham]

Do you use the BU Smoother for shooting? Another question is do you use it more or less than a regular smoother?

Thanks!

[Roger Benton]

another vote for a jointer here.

the LV BU Jointer may make the most sense; as Jim said it can pull double duty with a shooting board.

[lowell holmes]

The BU smoother is my smoothing plane period. I have a number 3 Bailey I use occasionally on a small piece.

I use the BU jack on the shooting board.

The 607 is used for jointing and it satisfies my needs for a jointer.

[Zach England]

another vote for a jointer here.

the LV BU Jointer may make the most sense; as Jim said it can pull double duty with a shooting board.

My bevel-up jointer has a "lip" on the side where the fence attaches, making it useless for shooting.