Jointer planes - questions, questions


JimB1

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Haven't posted for a while, been busy with work and life in general but I have still been in the shop and building things off and on. This year I will be signing up for at least two semesters at the handtoolschool.net and I pretty much have my kit setup for that (or I will after the Somerset Woodworking show :) ) 

The one thing I am lacking though is a jointer plane. I generally have been using my electric jointer and planer when I need to do those tasks. I do also use an old #5 Stanley for small pieces and the occasional touch up if I just need to clean up a slight twist or something. I have older Millers Falls #4 and Stanley #3 planes that I use for general smoothing tasks. I went to the Lie-Nielsen tool event in Brooklyn a few weeks ago (bought the large router plane and a couple of chisels ;) ) and and was checking out their 7 1/2 bevel up plane but didn't really like it nearly as much as the #7 and #8, seemed too light in the hand to power though rough spots and clogged up a lot compared to the BD models (Though I did like the bevel up jack a lot) but they had recommended that if I was only planing 4' pieces or so that the #6 was a good choice if I didn't want to go whole hog up to the #7 or #8. I have also been thinking about the Veritas #6 and their bevel up jointer that I am hoping to try out at the Somerset show next month. I am wary of getting vintage pieces (even though what I am using now all are) just because the prices on vintage 7 and 8 jointers are near the prices for new ones from Wood River or Veritas and if there is an issue, I am stuck with it (though Lie-Nielsen and Clifton are more expensive in most cases) 

So I guess that is where I am on this, price is a consideration (tax time is coming :( ) so I need to stay around $300 so that puts me at:

  1. Find a good vintage one from someone reputable that doesn't need a lot of work $200+ 
  2. Wood River #7 $300
  3. Veritas #6 BD $250
  4. Veritas #7 BU $300
  5. Lie-Nielsen #6 $375
  6. Bite the bullet and save up more to get the Lie-Nielsen #8 that may be a few more months. $475 (ouch!)

So what would you do here? 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

-Jim

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I can recommend option 4. Option 6 is a heavy plane. Try moving that around for a couple of hours and you can get rid of any gym membership.

Surprised you haven't listed the LN #7 as that is a better option than the #8 - #7 being a little shorter and a little lighter.

 

I needed a #7 in a hurry and the LN wasn't in stock when I bought my LV#7 - but I have no regrets.

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I have the Wood River #6 and its very useful as a jointer, and a quality tool. I personally dont feel the need for a larger (or more expensive) plane, but i think that comes down to preference. I also like that its useful in other tasks like rough flattening (though i usually use a jack for that).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

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You can get a good #7 or #8 on eBay for $100 if you're patient.  That's all I paid for my #8 and it was clean and sharp.  You'll end up losing a few auctions before you win, but just wait until it is right about to end and bid what you're comfortable with plus $7 or so to make it randomly higher than someone else's max bid and wait to see if you won. 

Read Patrick Leach's site and you'll see what to look for:  good mouth, no cracks, handles in decent shape (tote horn can be repaired but if it is good then the plane was probably well cared for).  Some guys will post action shots of it planing nice shavings which always is good. 

If you mostly do smaller stuff than a #6 will be more affordable.  Most of the authorities online see it as some useless in-between size so they sell for less, despite being very capable as a jointer or fore plane depending on how you set it. 

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3 hours ago, TerryMcK said:

Surprised you haven't listed the LN #7 as that is a better option than the #8 - #7 being a little shorter and a little lighter

Well, the #8 was actually a little easier to use to me. I liked the #7 but for me if I am going to spend that kind of cash, the extra $50 for the 8 is a no brainier. The sheer mass of it made it glide over rough areas that the #7 took a little more work to deal with. 

At least that was my impression and I have tried them back to back at three LN tool events over the last two years to verify that it wasn't my imagination. Believe me, I wish I had thought the opposite, it would save money. :)

I am just not all that sure I'd be doing really long pieces or lots of jointing to justify that outlay of cash but I have wasted money on lots of less useful things in the past so...

-Jim

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For what it is worth, I just purchased a Stanley No. 7 for $80. It is coming in the mail today and will be taking it out for a spin. I will let you know if that was a bad decision.

You can even find copies of the vintage Stanley planes for even less (i.e. Stanley made, but a different product line). Even assuming I have to fully restore the No. 7, the sole can be machine flattened for ~$80, a Veritas PM-V11 chip breaker + blade for another $80. That should make dead flat with arguably one of the best blade steels available for ballpark $300. I may not have to do any of these things and be good to go right from sharpening up the blade.

My line of thinking is that I can upgrade it incrementally without a huge investment cost up front. That is just my preference; I like to tinker and upgrade. I suppose it comes from me building computers from scratch and knowing exactly what components are going inside. If I find that I use the No. 7 all the time and don't feel like investing in modifying it and "need" a LN, I can always sell the Stanley and buy an LN when I have the money for it. No harm, no foul.

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I would save up and go with the LN # 7, thats what I have and really like it. I think the #8 is a bit overkill. I at one point owned a Veritas BU jointer and hated it. But in all fairness, I am not a huge fan of any the Veritas Bench Planes, they just don't feel nearly has good in my hand as the LN's do. I also tried the LN BU #7 and did not like it either, I thought it was way to light for a jointer plane. I just don't care for the Wood River Brand, not when you have a good American made option. You are going to have this plane forever (maybe longer). Buy what you want the first time and you will never look back, take it from someone who learned the hard way!

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a new WoodRiver no.6 but it's back ordered so I won't get it until June apparently. :(

Anyway, they had it for 15% off today so the price was $165 and I used a 10% off coupon which covered shipping plus another $6 off so about $159 total with shipping which seems like a really good price to me and all the reviews out there say they are very good with just a little tuning. 

I think for my usage, a no.6 should fill the need quite well. 

Thanks for the help

-Jim

 

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