# What plane do I need for what job



## arand18 (Sep 16, 2011)

Hi im sort of new to woodworking but have been making a lot of projects but my question is what plane do I need for waht job, as I know of only 3 types of planes block plane, smothing plane and a jack plane, also could you tell me if there are any other types of planes that I would use for a beginner woodworker.

Advice greatly appreciated.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Here is some info that may help.
http://www.handplane.com/101/hand-planes-where-to-begin/












 







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## m80zimm (Aug 28, 2011)

A lot of good information on that page.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

You know, there's probably still time to back out before the addiction hits... 

That said, the site cabinetman pointed to is a good start. Aside from the ones you mentioned, the ones I have or would find useful are a rabbet plane (an old Miller's Falls 85), which I have and find use for fairly frequently, and a shoulder plane for cleaning out dados. The list goes on forever, though.... pretty much any use you can dream up for a hand plane, someone has built one for.


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## arand18 (Sep 16, 2011)

Thanks, I also wanted to know what plane do you use if you want to smooth a large surface like say you joined 2 pieces of wood together and you want to plane them so there smooth what plane would best do the job.


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## eagle49 (Mar 22, 2011)

*plane*

Low angle block for end grain. stanley 60 1/2


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

arand18 said:


> Thanks, I also wanted to know what plane do you use if you want to smooth a large surface like say you joined 2 pieces of wood together and you want to plane them so there smooth what plane would best do the job.


Which plane to use for a given task is really subjective...there is more than one correct answer. If you're just looking for one or two good planes to use occasionally, I'd go with a small block plane and a jack plane. The jack plane is a versatile general purpose type plane that can be used for all sorts of things. 

If you're going to buy a set of planes with a variety of types and sizes like a block (9-1/2 or 60-1/2), rabbet plane, bench (3, 4, or 4-1/2), jack (5 or 5-1/2), scrub plane for roughing, fore plane (#6), and a jointer (#7 or 8), then you can get pretty specific with which you choose. For leveling my work bench, I used a #6 fore plane to get things fairly flat, followed by a #7 jointer plane, then a finally used a #4 smoother tuned for very light cuts to smooth it out, and finally removed any tooling marks with hand scraper. Others might do it differently. Cian Perez's website has dozens of helpful links

I'm a fan of good quality used planes as opposed to newer imports that cost more and aren't made as well. If you want top shelf, look into Lie Nielsen, Veritas, or Clifton.


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