# Plane for smoothing walnut slabs



## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

I have some small walnut slabs (maybe two feet by 14-15 inches) that are just too big for my thickness planer. My router sled is able to flatten them, but creates a good amount of tear-out, and it would take a TON of sanding to sand it out. So I was thinking of investing in a middle-of-the-road hand plane like the Stanley low-angle jack plane to clean up the slabs after a couple very light passes with the router. 

My question is: Will this work? I know that there are specialized planes for just about every job under the sun, so I'm sure this isn't the "best" plane for this specific job, but will it get the job done? Thanks!


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

Sure.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

mackman said:


> I have some small walnut slabs (maybe two feet by 14-15 inches) that are just too big for my thickness planer. My router sled is able to flatten them, but creates a good amount of tear-out, and it would take a TON of sanding to sand it out. So I was thinking of investing in a middle-of-the-road hand plane like the Stanley low-angle jack plane to clean up the slabs after a couple very light passes with the router.
> 
> My question is: Will this work? I know that there are specialized planes for just about every job under the sun, so I'm sure this isn't the "best" plane for this specific job, but will it get the job done? Thanks!


 Would go with a No 4 plane. Great all around plane and the jack may be a bit large for the slabs you have if I understand the dimensions correctly.


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## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

JohnTC said:


> Would go with a No 4 plane. Great all around plane and the jack may be a bit large for the slabs you have if I understand the dimensions correctly.


That would be this one?  The "smoothing" plane? I would have thought the jack plane was a better "all-arounder", but if it's actually the No. 4, I won't mind saving $40!


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## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

There is a learning curve to sharpening the blade, learning to adjust the plane to get the desired results, technique in using the plane, etc..

A smoothing plane would be the way to go, but don’t expect good results without putting in some effort.


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


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## Brian72 (Jun 10, 2018)

I'm very new to hand planes but I've had good results with this. I use a lot of rough cut lumber. I got a toothed blade for heavier removal then switch to the standard blade for smoothing.









Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

mackman said:


> That would be this one?  The "smoothing" plane? I would have thought the jack plane was a better "all-arounder", but if it's actually the No. 4, I won't mind saving $40!


That's the correct size, but I don't have experience with that exact No 4. It'll probably work great for you. I have older Stanley Bailey planes I got on ebay, flea markets, or garage sales. The second plane on the right is the no 4 and in the middle is a 4 1/2 that I love because it is great if you have big hands.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Here is a video by Paul Sellers on hand planes to get you started.


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## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

Thanks for your help everyone! I'm pretty excited to order my plane and get started, especially after watching that video!



JohnTC said:


> Here is a video by Paul Sellers on hand planes to get you started.
> Sharpening and Setting the Bench Plane | Paul Sellers - YouTube


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Like others have said, there's a learning curve to using a plane, so practice on some scrap for a while before you start on the project piece.

You may also run into trouble with tear out while using a hand plane: it depends on what the grain is doing. A very sharp iron, with the cap set close to the edge, and thin shavings with a small mouth opening will work on most things, though.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

If I were going to spend $245 on a single hand plane, I would think about buying a drum sander. Sure, a drum sander costs a lot more (say, 4x more), but it would add a lot of capability and versatility to any shop. A drum sander requires far less skill to achieve acceptable results in much less time. 

I don't want to knock hand planes. A skilled woodworker can do amazing things with hand planes, but acquiring hand plane skills takes a lot of time, effort, patience, and practice. I have a long way to go before I will feel confident enough to use my hand planes for production work. 

I do not own a drum sander yet, but I could find a lot of good uses for one.


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## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

Tool Agnostic said:


> If I were going to spend $245 on a single hand plane, I would think about buying a drum sander. Sure, a drum sander costs a lot more (say, 4x more), but it would add a lot of capability and versatility to any shop. A drum sander requires far less skill to achieve acceptable results in much less time.
> 
> I don't want to knock hand planes. A skilled woodworker can do amazing things with hand planes, but acquiring hand plane skills takes a lot of time, effort, patience, and practice. I have a long way to go before I will feel confident enough to use my hand planes for production work.
> 
> I do not own a drum sander yet, but I could find a lot of good uses for one.


That's why I'm spending $90 on a smoothing plane and not $250! A drum sander was also my first thought for these slabs (first trying to rent time on one locally, then buying in a year or two), but that doesn't sound nearly as fun as planing it myself. Of course, I may change my tune if I'm not able to make it work, but I think a $90 plane is the right call: I'm not dumping hundreds of dollars into something I may not enjoy, but I feel I'm also giving myself a fighting chance with a plane that's at least of middling quality.


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## RichardMc (Aug 29, 2018)

mackman said:


> I have some small walnut slabs (maybe two feet by 14-15 inches) that are just too big for my thickness planer. My router sled is able to flatten them, but creates a good amount of tear-out, and it would take a TON of sanding to sand it out. So I was thinking of investing in a middle-of-the-road hand plane like the Stanley low-angle jack plane to clean up the slabs after a couple very light passes with the router.
> 
> My question is: Will this work? I know that there are specialized planes for just about every job under the sun, so I'm sure this isn't the "best" plane for this specific job, but will it get the job done? Thanks!


First must know how much material you need to remove...twist, bow, etc. Is the slab of various thickness from end to end and side to side? If your slab just needs smoothing the no. 4 is fine especially if super sharply honed. If there is a fair amount of material to remove you will need to use winding sticks to determine where you need to reduce the most material and start with a scrub plane. I have a few no. 4s, one of which is dedicated to be more a small jack/scrub plane and therefore reserved for small work such as your slab. This dedicated no. 4 has the iron ground with the corners rounded off quite a bit. It takes off considerably more material than a standard no.4 honed for final polishing. Such a dedicated no. 4 is reserved for rough work it need not be an expensive high end plane. Reserve your Norris or LN smoother for smoothing and purchase a used Record or Stanley type to use as described.


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## Brian72 (Jun 10, 2018)

mackman said:


> That's why I'm spending $90 on a smoothing plane and not $250! A drum sander was also my first thought for these slabs (first trying to rent time on one locally, then buying in a year or two), but that doesn't sound nearly as fun as planing it myself. Of course, I may change my tune if I'm not able to make it work, but I think a $90 plane is the right call: I'm not dumping hundreds of dollars into something I may not enjoy, but I feel I'm also giving myself a fighting chance with a plane that's at least of middling quality.


I should've been more clear. The point I was trying to make is a jack with multiple irons is a good starting point. I don't have a dedicated shop so for me, different hand tools have been great. I can tackle many projects without making a complete mess and dragging power tools out. I also find it very enjoyable and they work quite fast too. To me, it's much more satisfying.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

RichardMc said:


> First must know how much material you need to remove...twist, bow, etc. Is the slab of various thickness from end to end and side to side? If your slab just needs smoothing the no. 4 is fine especially if super sharply honed. If there is a fair amount of material to remove you will need to use winding sticks to determine where you need to reduce the most material and start with a scrub plane. I have a few no. 4s, one of which is dedicated to be more a small jack/scrub plane and therefore reserved for small work such as your slab. This dedicated no. 4 has the iron ground with the corners rounded off quite a bit. It takes off considerably more material than a standard no.4 honed for final polishing. Such a dedicated no. 4 is reserved for rough work it need not be an expensive high end plane. Reserve your Norris or LN smoother for smoothing and purchase a used Record or Stanley type to use as described.


I think he said he planned on using a router and sled first and then finishing them with a plane instead of sandpaper. Should have excellent results and a great way to get started with hand planes. He may rarely buy sandpaper after using a hand plane. lol. Can do it all with a plane, winding sticks, and marking gauge, but that will come as his skills increase.


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## J D Snow (Aug 21, 2018)

Hand planing is fun, productive work. Does require lots of practice... long learning curve! Once you've hand planed one of those slabs you'll reap the reward of incredible satisfaction. Just something about it, for me anyway. I got loads of respect for my second-hand Records and Stanley baileys, all sizes. You can find so many on ebay for incredibly cheap. My favorite, Stanley 4 1/5, I got for just $25 or maybe $22, can't totally recollect. Needed alot of TLC but that was fun, too. Spent half day on restoration while at the same time learning all the ins and outs of the tool. Paul Sellers has great you tube videos demonstrating proper skill, technique and restoration. My power planer been collecting dust for over a year now.


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## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

JohnTC said:


> I think he said he planned on using a router and sled first and then finishing them with a plane instead of sandpaper. Should have excellent results and a great way to get started with hand planes. He may rarely buy sandpaper after using a hand plane. lol. Can do it all with a plane, winding sticks, and marking gauge, but that will come as his skills increase.


That's the plan with the router. I'm glad you think it'll work out, and I really hope you're right!


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## mackman (Mar 2, 2016)

It took me a while to get the hang of it, and I'm sure it'll get better once I get my diamond plates in, but for now, I honestly couldn't be happier. It really is an experience to hear, feel, and see the shavings come off and leave smooth wood underneath.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

mackman said:


> It took me a while to get the hang of it, and I'm sure it'll get better once I get my diamond plates in, but for now, I honestly couldn't be happier. It really is an experience to hear, feel, and see the shavings come off and leave smooth wood underneath.


Looks great Mack. Jealous!


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