Plane advice

[Bill Lyman]

I believe David Charlesworth said that a 5-1/2 Jack was the only plane he had. It would be my choice for my first plane.
The key to successful handplaing, of course, is sharpening. For that I recomend David Charlesworth's DVD "Handplane Sharpening" https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/pla...&node=4245

[Derek Cohen]

David has many planes. He likes the #5 1/2 as a smoother. He prepares his boards with machines. This does not fit in with the OP's original issue.

Everyone here wants to suggest planes, when the real issue is jointing/flattening strategy ... then choose a plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Shaun]

Everyone here wants to suggest planes, when the real issue is jointing/flattening strategy ... then choose a plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Correct.  I've no delusions, nor desire, of completely flattening a board with hand tools. That is a journey in to the pit of misery for me, as I have a terrible sense of straight lines and angles.

My ultimate goal is just to knock high spots off to get rid of rocking and get it clamped well on to a sled.  It also seems like a good opportunity (excuse) to expand on my hand tools, as everywhere else I have added them in to the mix, my final results have gotten better.

I probably left a lot to be desired while asking my original question, but I think I was still flailing about with the idea at the time.

And this is probably changing gears, but what are everyone's thoughts on a low angle jack?  I feel like if it could get me where I want with this particular situation it would also give me a tool that would work well for other things, specifically a shooting board.  However if this sort of picking a tool that is okay at a few things, but not really great for anything I would rather go a different route.

I sincerely appreciate all of the input everyone has given me!

[MichaelMouse]

David has many planes. He   likes the #5 1/2 as a smoother. He prepared his boards with machines. This does not fit in with the OP's original issue.

Everyone here wants to suggest planes, when the real issue is jointing/flattening strategy ... then choose a plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The Lee Valley 4and 5 Customs are a good option.  Common pitch, adjustable mouth to begin with.  Get one cambered blade, one straight.  Later, if working heavy curl and fancy, get a toothed blade and/or York pitch.  I like mine.  

[jppierson]

IMHO a low angle jack buys you nothing for what you want to do. The low angle is meant for wild grain and minimizing tearout. What you want to do is hog off the high spots by planing cross grain using a cambered iron in the standard angle frog plane of your choice be it a scrub, or 4 - 5.5. Check out Rob Cosman on how he initially sets a board up for flattening. He uses his bench as a reference surface, then puts the board down (usually cup side down) then attempts to rock it to identify the high spots, flips it over, knocks off the high points, then repeats until the board no longer rocks. Once it is sitting flat that should meet what you are wanting to do before using the planer.

[bandit571]

Well, there is one item nobody mentioned....both the #4 and the #5 take the same width iron....2"

I go with a #5 first.....Have both a #5 with a cambered iron AND a #5 with a straight edge iron....

IF the board being jointed is a bit long....I can just use a Jointer plane.....#6, #7 or #8 ( I have all three)...Shorter boards usually get a #5, or a #5-1/4 as a jointer. 

Smoothers?    A  few #4s and #3s are in the shop.....prefer a #3....after all that work with the big planes, it is nice to use the #3....


Check into a couple of my build-along threads...and see the planes in use.

[Derek Cohen]

And this is probably changing gears, but what are everyone's thoughts on a low angle jack?  I feel like if it could get me where I want with this particular situation it would also give me a tool that would work well for other things, specifically a shooting board.  However if this sort of picking a tool that is okay at a few things, but not really great for anything I would rather go a different route.

Hi Shaun

A LA Jack can indeed be used. This is a very versatile plane design. However, to be optimally effective, you do need to recognise its strength and weaknesses.

Very briefly, there are two ways to control tearout: either one uses a closed up chipbreaker in a bevel down plane with a common angle bed, or one uses a high cutting angle. The latter may be achieved via either a BD plane with a high angle bed, a backbevel converting it to high angle, or with a bevel up plane, where the bevel is high enough. In the case of a LA Jack, add 50 degrees as a secondary bevel for a cutting angle of 62 degrees. For some, this is a less complicated route than using a chipbreaker.

In my opinion, a LA Jack is optimum at two cutting angles: either very low (25 degree bevel) for shooting end grain or planing across the grain (traversing), and at very high angles (50 degree bevel) for planing interlocked face or edge grain. The down side here is that you actually need three blades: 25 degrees with a straight edge for shooting, 25 degrees with a slightly cambered for traversing, and 50 degrees with a slightly cambered edge for smoothing and jointing. 

It is important to note that a “slight” camber on a BU plane is actually greater than on a BD plane. This is due to the geometry involved (low vs high beds). I wrote an article on this quite a while back, here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTec...lades.html

That article was inspired by a “discussion” (
 ) I was having at the time on a forum with Larry Williams. The topic was whether a LA Jack could be used for coarser shavings ala a cambered #5. And of course, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. What is needed is a stronger camber for the blade. Where the BD jack may use a 10 - 12” camber, the BU jack would need a  8 - 10” camber. Just do not try and use these set up with the grain. 

The bevel angle for using the BU Jack as a scrub plane is 33 degrees (say 35 degrees). This will create a common angle (45 degrres). The down side of this is that the plane is at the mercy of the grain, unlike a plane with a double iron, where the chipbreaker can be set close. Still, for rough work, this is not a big consideration when working with safe woods.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[AHill]

Thinking longer term here, I'd recommend a Veritas Low Angle Jack. It's very versatile. With an additional blade(s), you can multipurpose the plane. One blade with a slight camber for roughing out the high spots. One straight blade for smoothing. Use the straight blade and turn the plane on its side and it becomes an excellent shooting plane (trimming end grain). A higher angle blade to tackle figured woods. Lie Nielsen has a similar plane that also gets good reviews, but I like the Norris adjuster and the set screws to retain the blade on the Veritas plane.

(I posted this before I read Derek's post. He said it all better than I.)

[AHill]

IMHO a low angle jack buys you nothing for what you want to do.  The low angle is meant for wild grain and minimizing tearout.  What you want to do is hog off the high spots by planing cross grain using a cambered iron in the standard angle frog plane of your choice be it a scrub, or 4 - 5.5.  Check out Rob Cosman on how he initially sets a board up for flattening.  He uses his bench as a reference surface, then puts the board down (usually cup side down) then attempts to rock it to identify the high spots, flips it over, knocks off the high points, then repeats until the board no longer rocks.  Once it is sitting flat that should meet what you are wanting to do before using the planer.

"Low angle" is the bed of the plane - not necessarily the angle of the blade when cutting.  A standard Veritas LA Jack has a 12 deg bed with a 25 deg blade, which is 37 deg cutting angle.  Yes, that is low, but you don't have to stick to the 25 deg bevel on the blade.  You can hone a secondary bevel of 33 deg to get a cutting angle of 45 deg like a conventional bevel down bench plane.  The beauty of a LAJ is the ease of changing blades.  A Stanley type bench plane uses a chip breaker that will need to be swapped out and adjusted each time you switch blades.  Most LAJ planes you can swap a blade in in less than 30 sec.

[bandit571]

I do indeed have a LA Jack....Wood River #62.....Seems to be a tear-out machine.  I use mainly Ash in the projects I have been doing...best use for it was either across the grain....or, as a jointer....and, it had issues doing the jointer work....too bloody heavy for such a short plane, hard to keep upright as a jointer....I kept winding up with a beveled edge, instead of a 90 degree edge.  

I have enough planes of various sizes and widths....rather than futz around changing the blade....I simply grab the next plane I need.  Set one plane back in the til, bring the next back from the til....takes 10 seconds..if I go slow.  prefer the "Low angle" stuff where it belongs.....in a block plane...like my 60-1/2 Stanleys ( yes, I have 2 of them).   

I size the plane being used, to the work that needs done.   Why use a #8 jointer plane, on a board only 1/2" x 12"?   When a #3 or a M-F #11 ( same as a Stanley #5-1/4)will work very nicely.   I have a Corsair #C-5 Jack Plane....WIDE mouth...iron is ground to an 8" radius...perfect for any scrub work needed.   The Millers Falls #14 ( Stanley #5 size) has barely any camber, maybe a little right at the corners....use it to flatten panels I glue up....then clean up with a Stanley #3, Type 11....

   

YMMV