Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm saving up for some good tools and I've gotten to planes. I know for a fact that I need a block plane and a palm plane, but are there any others that I should consider? Also, I'm still shopping for the planes themselves so some brand suggestions would be appreciated. Don't worry about the price, I want some quality tools that will last for quite a while. And a good book/dvd on how to properly sharpen and take care of my planes, chisels, etc would be awesome.

Dan-
With hand tools it's an unfortunate fact that even the mediocre ones last practically forever! And, often, are not fun to use.

There are lots of discussions about planes- many of the 'two people, three opinions' variety. Lots of good info.
A couple of recent ones:
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=24670
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=24692

LIE-NIELSEN and VERITAS (LeeValley Tools) seem to be the favorites for new metal planes. You will get advice about older Stanley planes, but many of these have 'collectible' value so tend to cost more than I think they are worth, but that's just 'me'. If you do buy something used, I'd advise a good (online) tool dealer, not eBay.
For larger planes, wood planes are liked by some- look for Primus/E.C.E. brand.
For 'block' plane, the Veritas apron plane is a nice tool. The Veritas block plane is a bit over-sized for me. A 60½ is a more handy size.

If chisels are still on your list, the LMII ones which I bought in the 70s (before LMI existed- from Lewis Luthier Supply, which was bought by LMI) are excellent paring chisels, assuming the quality is the same as in the olden days.

Sharpening-Leonard Lee's book on sharpening is good, but the best thing is a teacher at your elbow.
Lee's book:http://www.leevalley.com/shopping/AddViews.aspx?p=45874
I like Arkansas stones but there are lots of other choices for sharpening.

Cheers
John

Thanks for all of that John, I really appreciate it.

As far as sharpening, I have the dvd below purchased from Lie Nielson but sure you can get it somewhere else also. Watched it a few times and its really clear and he goes very slow. Would recommend

Hand Tool Techniques Part 1: Plane Sharpening
David Charlesworth