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I'm looking to get a new hand plane for use specifically on thicknessing and smoothing my tops. In recent years, I've done my thicknessing almost exclusively on a drum sander and finished by hand with a block, but I'm itching to get back to the feel of a well tuned plane. I've used a 4 1/2 before and really loved the way it felt. In doing a little homework, though the Low Angle Smoother/Jack also looks promising. So before I drowned myself in more info, I thought I'd seek the advice of you folks.
Thanks in advance.

j. Brown

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Quartered spruce with minimal to no runout planes perfectly with a well sharpened standard angle 4 1/2 or 5. No need to reinvent the wheel if you already have one. Or if you do, good excuse to get a low angle and experiment yourself

Depending on your preference, how big you are etc, anything between a #3 and a #5 1/2 (in the nomenclature of Stanlyology...) should be just about perfect for this. If you liked the feel of a 4 1/2, why don't you just get one like that for starters? Spruce is such a breeze to plane, no need to get a fancy LN or anything like that, as a well tuned up old Stanley Bailey from eBay will perform equally well and cost a lot less. I like the #4 1/2 size too BTW, mine is a Bedrock 604 1/2 model, which mainly has a somewhat sturdier frog design than the Bailey. I have Hock iron and chip breaker in it, but again, for spruce, just a standard Stanley iron should be sufficient, unless it is all ground up, rusty, or otherwise mistreated. As always, learning how to keep these things properly tuned and sharp is what really counts, the rest is mostly appearance and perceived advantage (IMO )

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Fujihasa? (guessing here)10 in smoothing plane paid 43$ last week plus shipping Think they are 47$now .Takes a .001 pine shaving right out of the box .japan woodworker.A cheap smoother with a radiused curved can do a lot of grunt work on spruce/cedar/redwood top vy quickly to flatten a top, or a used ece/primus scrub wood plane can also make quick work of the top. You can also get a good# 5 sargent or stanley off e- bay and with a little cleanup and tinkering get a dedicated plane for tops..Many ways to go.

+1 for keeping the plane edge sharp. I salvaged a Millers Falls (I forget the number) block plan from a relative. After studying how to properly put an edge on a plane blade with "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" by Leonard Lee (I recieve no consideration from Mr. Lee for the plug) I've had great success--even with softwoods.

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Adam

+1 for Todd.6 yrs ago bought a pre ww2 stanley #5 at a antiques store in sedalia mo. hock blade from woodcraft.Works like a charm.Old stanleys/millers falls /sargent can be had used for under $30 on e - bay. Ditto on time vs money,If you have lots of time, and no $ this is the way to go.Have also found good deals on old stanleys/millers falls at yard sales estate sales and craigslist.Most planes were bought for $5 or less.

Nah, forget the Stanleys and the Lie Nielsens, an A13 smoother handcrafted by my friend Kark Holtey is the only way to go ...

I have two Stanley 4-1/2's. One has a Hock blade that cost me more than both planes. Been working on some quartered white oak and getting some nice see through shavings. Scary sharp is your only option. Good luck.

There is a point of diminishing return which I think this well surpasses.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

If the LN 4-1/2 is where I end up, the only question I have then is 'to corrugate, or not to corrugate?'

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Not that I could even consider purchasing this beautiful object, Just how much do these go for? (cringe)

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!

I assume it comes ready to use right out of the box!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Wow O.o

I want one of those just to stare at.

I bought a few old Stanley Bedrock's off of Ebay that I am currently restoring (I'll post pics in another thread tonight or tomorrow). One is a 605 Jack and a 604 smoother. I have heard many say, including Todd, that these old Bedrock's are some of the best planes ever made. It's what the Lie Nielsen bench planes are modeled after. I thought the best way to learn hand planes was to restore a few. I bought each of them for about $100 each and they needed serious restoration. It was a fun project and I learned very much about hand planes, although it took a considerable amount of time and money spent on supplies to do the restoration, but it was worth it. Anyways, that's an idea for you.

I will agree with everyone that an absolutely frog hair splittin' sharp blade is necessary. I use Japanese water stones (250, 1000, 8000 grits) with the new Veritas honing guide (awesome!): http://www.veritastools.com/products/Page.aspx?p=144. If the blade is nicked or needs a lot of honing, I grind it on the belt sander for a few minutes while in the Veritas honing jig. I get seriously sharp blades in 30 minutes to an hour or so, depending on how much lapping of the face is necessary.

just realised that I made a typo with Karl Holtey's name .... he is of course KarL , not "Kark" ....