# Which would you buy first, Chisels or Hand Planes?



## adpostel (Nov 30, 2017)

OK, OK, I know I do a ton of reading and research before making my decisions on buying things, so I hope I'm not bugging ya'll. I don't like to spend my money making mistakes. I am sort of new to woodworking, but have a desire to get into the hobby a little deeper. 

I am of above average mechanical ability. My first trade was a precision grinder and precision honer. I have built several Hot Rods and Race Cars and am an avid fisherman. So my mechanical abilities are more than sufficient. Here are the tools that I currently own.

New to me Table Saw (Older Craftsman)
DeWalt Router
2 circular saws
several drills (Looking for a Drill Press)
Ryobi Compound Mitre Saw
HF bench top disc/belt sander
Bosch Orbital Sander
Air Powered Finishing nail/staple gun

and several other tools. These are just the more specific woodworking tools that I, personally, own. I will also add that I have access to a full tilt woodworking shop less than a block away from my house. There, I can use a jointer, planer, band saw, all the clamps I could ever need, etc... 

So what I lack are some of the "woodworking" hand tools. I have scoured CL and Ebay, and while some vintage things catch my attention, sometimes I rather pony up for some better quality newer tools that I know I'll have for a long time. I usually end up in the middle range of tools, price wise, as well as quality. So I am feeling like I need some chisels or maybe some hand planes, or maybe both. But we all know, if you read anything on the internet, you can easily be lured to break out a credit card and buy all Lie-Nielsen stuff. I really like Lie-Nielsen's quality, but the price tag might be cost prohibitve. 

All of my questions on Chisels were answered on my other thread. Thank all of you for your input. But now I am thinking I should start with a plane or even a few planes before I go to the chisels? Is there a sensible answer to this question? Everyone's input is appreciated. I am coming to ya'll to save me from myself, LOL.....


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Chisels. I find I go to them more than I go to planes.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

The hand plane is among the hardest hand tools to master. A project can be ruined with a hand plane or a belt sander until you’re comfortable and knowledgeable with the tools. 
A hand plane is a machine rather than a simple tool like a chisel or a hammer. There are moving parts and several adjustments to be made. A hand plane in the right hands can do beautiful work and limit your needs for a lot of sanding. In the wrong hands a plane can damage the project. 

As a 22 year old I hurt myself with a chisel. Crazy huh. It might be my worst woodworking accident to date. I’ve always been very safety minded. But a slip with a chisel is little different than a slip with a knife except you get more of a deep puncture rather than a sliced cut. I’ve always had a lot of respect for chisels after that one mishap.


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## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

Chisels are essential in any shop and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a working set. Two inexpensive brands that get good reviews are a set from Aldi (grocery store discounter) and Buck Brothers from Home Depot.

Hand planes are specialized tools and there’s no end in the number of them you can own. A block plane is the most useful and you should buy one. A smoother is the next most common, but you need a reason for owning one. By itself a smoother isn’t all that useful, it’s the last step in preparing boards for use after a scrub plane to quickly thickness the board, a jack plane to begin a smoothing and dimensioning, a fore plane to flatten and finally a smoother to finish it. Oh ya, don’t forget the jointer for the edges so you can glue boards together.

If you want to use hand planes for joinery, well now that’s another whole set of planes. Rabbit planes, shoulder planes, plough planes, etc.

If you are using planes for moldings, well there is no end in the number of shapes (planes) you can own, dozens? Hundreds?

Get the chisels. 


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

I don't see how it matters a single bit. You are obviously more interested in the collecting of tools than in the actual use of them. In that case, it has no significance which you get first. If you are actually USING the tools for specific projects, then you get the tools that you NEED first.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Planes one week, chisels the next .......*

Or vice versa, it won't really matter. I bought some really cool old handplanes off ebay. I used Evaporust from Harbor Freight to soak them in and they turned out great. The iron/blades and the body and all the parts in the soak tub and the next day you have like new parts.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Stanley+handplane&_sacat=0

Then your next move is to learn putting and edge on a blade. You Tube will have numerous approaches. If you need a sharpening guide, then that would be a good purchase. They work on the diamond hones OR the wet dry sandpaper stuck to a glass plate. 

Socket handle chisels are among the best.Here's some on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_od...ey+chisels.TRS0&_nkw=Stanley+chisels&_sacat=0


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

My recommendation is to look up Paul Sellers on you tube. He is a master craftsman, and uses primarily hand tools. His videos will answer most of your questions...if you watch them all. He has a way of teaching that is relaxed and very exact, and would be worth the time spent. There are close to 200 videos.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Hand planes are for dimensioning and smoothing stock. If you're happy with the tools you have for doing that, start with chisels.

Chisels are for shaping and (occasionally) cutting holes in stock. If you're happy with the tools you have for doing that, start with hand planes.

Basically, look at the work you're doing (or want to be doing)and get what you need to do that.

That out of the way, here's the advice I'd give to a complete newbie:

Start with chisels. Why? Because if you buy pre-dimensioned stock and finish it with sandpaper, you don't really need hand planes. On the other hand, you need chisels for cutting dovetails and mortises, and they'll let you do a lot of other shaping work too. With some work they can cut dados, grooves, and rabbets. Just keep your hand away from the pointy end.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

mmwood_1 said:


> I don't see how it matters a single bit. You are obviously more interested in the collecting of tools than in the actual use of them. In that case, it has no significance which you get first. If you are actually USING the tools for specific projects, then you get the tools that you NEED first.


This is the obvious answer if you are a user of tools. 

George


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## AmishElectricCo (Jan 3, 2018)

There is no right or wrong answer here. You buy the tools you need depending on the project, although that works in reverse also. Which projects you take on are very much dependent on the tools you have. Catch-22.

I'm a fellow newbie as well, and in the same boat as you. I'd love to tackle the world and spend every night out in my shop...if only this stuff didn't cost money. As someone who has recently bought both a new hand plane and chisels, I think you have overlooked a critical piece: sharpening.

The first things I bought were diamond stones and a sharpening jig. You will need good sharpening equipment for a number of tools that you'll buy down the road - all of which will need to be tweaked before they're in good working order. There's no such thing as "ready to go out of the box." Even the very best top dollar tools need sharpening. Just something to consider. Personally, I spent a few bucks here, but it has been very much worth it. 

:vs_cool:


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

You can also use the old fashioned eenie meany miney moe approach..My mother told me to pick the very best one and you are not it.. 
Works for me..


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

adpostel said:


> OK, OK, I know I do a ton of reading and research before making my decisions on buying things, so I hope I'm not bugging ya'll. I don't like to spend my money making mistakes. I am sort of new to woodworking, but have a desire to get into the hobby a little deeper.
> 
> I am of above average mechanical ability. My first trade was a precision grinder and precision honer. I have built several Hot Rods and Race Cars and am an avid fisherman. So my mechanical abilities are more than sufficient. Here are the tools that I currently own.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't spend a lot of money on chisels. Unless you are wanting carving chisels I find any cheap chisel including harbor freight chisels hold an edge and work as well as some expensive German chisels I have. I probably have about 50 chisels from many different makers and the only one that is better than the rest is a homemade one I made out of a old jointer knife. I know it's difficult but you need to learn how to properly hone a chisel to make it enjoyable to use.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Dude. Just go to Home Depot and get a set of Buck Brothers chisels off the shelf. $20. Be done with it. Use them to learn how to chop a mortice, do dovetails all the other stuff one uses things like chisels for. Learn how to sharpen them. If you want better chisels later, decide what you don't like about these and pick a new set.

Just get out in your shop and start dong your thing.

Stop overthinking it. Just do it.


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

I just Re read your first post. ( My first trade was a precision grinder and precision honer. ) Since you already have experience, I would recommend a variety set of chisels 1/4", 3/8",1/2",3/4" and 1" to start, and because you have experience in honing to a keen edge...Buy what you can afford. I found my first chisels worked ok for pounding on a construction project, but were too short for bench work. I learned from that. For bench work you need length for paring away shavings, and the extra length helps you to register for a straight slice. In any case a chisel only works well if it is sharpened to a keen edge. I prefer wood handled chisels because of how the feel...especially when using them for long periods.

As far as Hand planes... I started with a #4 Stanley/Bailey smoothing plane, and as others have indicated, I also had difficulties getting it to work well in the beginning. I overcame those difficulties after reading as much as I could find about how to tune the plane...And it worked better. By having a better understanding of the mechanics of the tool helped me greatly. The biggest leap forward that helped me was ultimately learning to sharpen the iron to a precise keen edge. Without a precision edge, it doesn't matter what plane you use...It will never work well. Since you already have the honing experience, And already know how to produce that keen edge, you should have no problem sharpening any plane iron. I see many say a block plane for your first plane...I would say if you want a block plane as your first plane, get a low angle block plane. It will do everything a standard block plane will do, only better. A low angle block plane does better on end grain, once you master the tool. 
I would recommend starting out with a #4 stanley/bailey plane because it is the most versatile plane ever made. It has the right balance, weight, adjustments, and is the most copied plane design in history. It will work on rough wood and finished lumber. It can be quickly adjusted to suit just about any need you encounter, and will also work on end grain with a keen edge. I have made many wooden hand planes, and from what I have learned from that is ...Without a keen edge...No plane is worth a damn!

For more information Google Paul Sellers, the information he provides is precise and he has great video examples. I doubt there is better examples today!


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