Plane advice please

[Wuffles]

My planes are all from car boot sales and have been brought back to life like something from a Boris Karlof black and white movie involving electricity, some sheets and pyrotechnics.

I'm about to buy one new and need a little advice.

It's to replace one that genuinely cost me £1 and has done the job pretty well for a while. From what I can tell it's a block plane and I use it to soften (break?) edges on wood before or after assembly rather than attack something with a router and make it look too round.

If I were to replace this with a new block plane, would I want a low angle or a standard block plane?

I'm looking at either the Quangsheng standard angle or low angle from Fine Woodworking in the UK.

I've also used them (I don't want to offend anyone here, although I do have form) for knocking down glued in tapered wood dowels and Kreg pocket hole angled filler thingies too. Is this the right tool? Or should I be looking at one of them there Chisel Planes to stop pulling out the material around where I am trying to flatten.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Holmz]

I would suggest (because I like the look of them) The Rali plane.

 

[Wuffles]

Looks disposable.

 

[Doug S]

I have the quangsheng standard angle block plane and really like it, great value for money. I normally use a Japanese style saw with no set to cut off plugs.

Doug

 

[Wuffles]

I have the quangsheng standard angle block plane and really like it, great value for money. I normally use a Japanese style saw with no set to cut off plugs.

Doug

Yes, I have a Stanrey Japanese style saw, but I'm talking about things smaller than I could use that on. You know, like a mil. I could of course sand it, but where's the fun in that, I already have sanders, I want to buy a new thing.

 

[Cheese]

I've used a chisel plane on Brazilian cherry plugs in maple stair treads. If you aren't careful, it too will take small chunks out of the plug. What worked best for me was the Stanrey Japanese saw and an RO 90.

 

[Wuffles]

I've used a chisel plane on Brazilian cherry plugs in maple stair treads. If you aren't careful, it too will take small chunks out of the plug. What worked best for me was the Stanrey Japanese saw and an RO 90.

Right on. It's not the plug that suffers though when I attack it with a plane, it's the run-up section to it. Probably me, but the plane is designed to remove material below the sole, which on the run-up to the plug can be the stuff you don't want to remove. Make sense?

 

[Cheese]

Wuffles,
I set my plane blade just a touch high say .003-.004" by using paper as a shim. You still have to be careful though and not dig into the surface that's ahead of the peg. [eek]

 

[Wuffles]

Wuffles,
I set my plane blade just a touch high say .003-.004" by using paper as a shim. You still have to be careful though and not dig into the surface that's ahead of the peg. [eek]

Yes, I think the lack of adjustment on my £1 plane isn't helping things.

I'll drop the chisel plane idea and carry on as I am then, hopefully it'll be better with a decent plane.

I don't want you to feel like I'm cheating on you with another forum, but hypothetically, let's suggest I asked the same question there and someone were to suggest a standard block plane would be fine for my purpose, would that be the general consensus here? Hypothetically.

 

[GhostFist]

I heard mention of Rali planes, I use them constantly. I own Their jack, rebate, bull nose, and block planes. The blades are super sharp, double edged and disposable. DON'T CRINGE!in means I can have a "beater edge" and a fine edge on the same blade and the blades are cheap enough to justify not sharpening. Plane bodies are rugged enough to throw in your tool bag/box without worrying about ruining the pretentious finish on them. they are also super easy to adjust! In short, GREAT on site rugged planes.

 

[Holmz]

I am no plane expert, but a low angle plane seems to be used for end-grain, which I think Tenons and dowels are an example of.

I could envision a pull saw getting it close.

If you run the plane at an angle, like an airplane landing in a cross wind, it has an effect upon the cutting action. It effectivly lowers the standard angle towards a low angle.

 

[Cheese]

Well as long as we're speaking hypothetically...and you're not cheating...

Yes!

As of now, I just use the chisel plane for cleaning up glue. The Stanrey and RO for plugs.

 

[Wuffles]

I heard mention of Rali planes, I use them constantly. I own Their jack, rebate, bull nose, and block planes. The blades are super sharp, double edged and disposable. DON'T CRINGE!in means I can have a "beater edge" and a fine edge on the same blade and the blades are cheap enough to justify not sharpening. Plane bodies are rugged enough to throw in your tool bag/box without worrying about ruining the pretentious finish on them. they are also super easy to adjust! In short, GREAT on site rugged planes.

Wouldn't go down so well with the Veritas honing guide and brick wall of waterstones I am now sporting though Ghostfist. You know what I mean? I'm invested now man.

I am no plane expert, but a low angle plane seems to be used for end-grain, which I think Tenons and dowels are an example of.

I could envision a pull saw getting it close.

If you run the plane at an angle, like an airplane landing in a cross wind, it has an effect upon the cutting action. It effectivly lowers the standard angle towards a low angle.

Roger that, understood now I've seen lots of glossy pictures of sexy block planes, all the hand models in the photos have been instructed to do just that, so I shall try the same once I have something decent.

Well as long as we're speaking hypothetically...and you're not cheating...

Yes!

As of now, I just use the chisel plane for cleaning up glue. The Stanrey and RO for plugs.

I'll stick to the scraper for the glue then. I had to hedge my bets, things have been lost in translation before with you crazy foreigners. Like that time I asked for some fags in Texas. Which was much like the time I politely asked if I could slap my Wife on the fanny.

 

[GhostFist]

Wuffles, I have Veritas planes as well and all the sharpening hoopla to go along with them, I just keep them for shop use. Day to day and on the road I use the rali's.

 

[Linbro]

I have a Quangsheng standard angle block plane, and think that it's incredible value for money. To my eye, it's very well built, and easy to use/adjust.
For breaking/easing edges, you cant beat a nice sharp block plane.
Coincidentally, I ordered their low-angle jack plane yesterday, should be here Friday.

 

[flair woodworks]

No opinion here on the planes mentioned, but my go-to tactic for flushing plugs is to use a fine-tooth saw laid on a business card, then finishing the job with a sharp chisel and a skewing motion.  I am adept with hand planes, by the way.

 

[mouppe]

Get a low angle block plane with an extra blade that you can sharpen to a higher angle such as 35 degrees. Now you will have the best of both worlds- low angle for the end grain of your dowels and tenons, and a standard angle for your long grain chamfers.

I use a Lie Nielsen 102. $115 plus $30 for the spare blade.

Many people, myself included, find standard angle block planes are uncomfortable in the hand.

 

[Wuffles]

Get a low angle block plane with an extra blade that you can sharpen to a higher angle such as 35 degrees. Now you will have the best of both worlds- low angle for the end grain of your dowels and tenons, and a standard angle for your long grain chamfers.

I use a Lie Nielsen 102. $115 plus $30 for the spare blade.

Many people, myself included, find standard angle block planes are uncomfortable in the hand.

I'd slept on it and come to a similar conclusion. The one I was going to let into my life comes with a selection of irons, so I could go for the low angle giving me 37, 50 & 62 degrees vs the standard giving 45, 58 & 70.

I don't know enough about it all to know what I'd use each of those for, but it seemed a better solution.

No opinion here on the planes mentioned, but my go-to tactic for flushing plugs is to use a fine-tooth saw laid on a business card, then finishing the job with a sharp chisel and a skewing motion.  I am adept with hand planes, by the way.

I meant to clarify, when I say dowels I mean tapered plugs, so it's not end grain.

Wuffles, I have Veritas planes as well and all the sharpening hoopla to go along with them, I just keep them for shop use. Day to day and on the road I use the rali's.

Yes, the day I found myself setting an angle and switching from stone to stone reminded me greatly of the day I threw out that mouldy old piece of 120grit paper I used to everything and bought loads of grits for my RO90. Sort of expensive but satisfying. Exactly like my Wife.

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Dan

For what its worth, I switched from a normal block plane from Stanley to a Veritas low angle block plane (expensive I know) and it is perfect. I did not realise this until I went to Peter Sefton's on Saturday that the Veritas kit has dropped by up to 40% and so it is not such a dent on the wallet.

For your plugs, as someone above has suggested, get a fine Japanese pull saw which has no set. I use cheap and cheerful ones made by Irwin and buy them at Screwfix:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-mini-dovetail-pull-saw-22tpi-6-165mm/21885

As you use the saw press the blade flat against the work piece and you should get a perfect cut (just a light sand needed) and no marks on the surrounding area.

Peter

 

[Holmz]

No opinion here on the planes mentioned, but my go-to tactic for flushing plugs is to use a fine-tooth saw laid on a business card, then finishing the job with a sharp chisel and a skewing motion.  I am adept with hand planes, by the way.

You my friend are making it into a low angle by going askew.