There’s a kind of joy in using a good hand plane. Don’t get me wrong, powered planers are fast and efficient, but they’re also big, noisy, and you pretty much have to have some decent chip collection or dust extraction. Woodworking by hand is a bit different. A well set-up hand plane puts you in touch with the wood. If you’ve never done it you should give it a try. What about all those numbers and names, though? Which hand plane should you buy? Well, here’s a quick guide to the types of hand plane and what all that stuff means.
What do hand plane numbers mean?
The numbers tell you the size of the hand plane …kinda. It’s perhaps more accurate to say they tell you that one plane is bigger than another. For example, a No.1 plane will be the smallest in the standard bench plane range, maybe 5-1/2” long, and a No.8 plane is often the largest, let’s say 2 feet long. The challenge is that there are no fixed rules. So while one plane maker might have a No.4 plane at 9-3/4 inches, somebody else’s will be 10 inches long. Does it really matter? Not as far as I know. If it did, I guess they would have done something about it by now.
To confuse things even further, some manufacturers throw in a No.4-1/2, a No.10-1/2, or a No.60-1/2. You might think that based on what I’ve said so far, the No.60-1/2 would be huge. Nope. Sometimes the number is associated with the type of plane. Like a low-profile block plane or a rabbeting plane. Golden rule? Check the description – take nothing for granted!
What are Jack, Bench, and Smoothing planes, and where does the frog fit in?
It’s a similar kind of thing with hand plane names as it is with numbers. The smallest hand planes are usually called bench planes. Then No.4 are called a Smooth or Smoothing plane. No.5 is a Jack plane. No.6 a Fore plane, and No.7 and 8 are Jointer planes. Although any of them might be called a bench plane, and I’ve seen No.4 called a Jack plane. If you search online for how they got these names, you’ll find a variety of explanations. Some of them might even be true! Does it really matter? Same as my previous response 😉
Oh, and the frog? That’s the bit in the middle that holds the blade (also called a plane iron), clamp, and adjusters. I don’t know how that got its name either.
Which hand plane should I buy?
Now that’s the key question. If you get into hand woodworking in a big way, you’ll end up with numerous hand planes, but I would say most woodworkers will get by with a couple. You want a Jointer plane for leveling and squaring up rough lumber, then a Jack or Smoothing plane for general work. That said, I have an ancient No.5 Jack plane given to me by my father that I use for just about everything. It’s not as easy to get a piece of wood flat as it would be using a Jointer, but you won’t get much change out of $150 for one of those, and I’ve got other things to spend the money on.
So what about brands? Stanley developed the original patterns for a lot of hand planes that many other manufacturers still follow. They’re a good mid-range maker. I like American-made WoodRiver hand planes, but they are a bit more pricey. Lie-Nielsen are planes to lust after, known for exceptional quality and engineering, but will cost you an arm and a leg. If you’ve never used a hand plane before and just want to give it a go, Amazon’s basic model is dirt cheap and will probably produce decent results with a bit of fiddling and fettling.
You can check out what I’ve been talking about below. There’s some useful information, whether you’re thinking of buying or not.
Amazon Basic No.4 Smoothing Plane
WoodRiver No.5 Bench Plane (or Jack Plane)
If you liked this post, you might also find the one about sharpening plane blades and chisels useful. If you didn’t, send me a note and tell me why 😉
Main image courtesy of Amazon
