Guy LaRochelle wrote:
I am totally clueless when it comes to hand planes but I would like to
learn about them and to use them. There seems to be a thousand different
styles. Is there an assortment of planes that are the most needed and most
widely used to get started? If so could someone steer me in the right
direction? Regards. -Guy
Really depends on what you want to do with the plane once you have it.
Personally, I'd suggest starting with:
* assorted quality sandpapers ranging from 60 grit to 2000 grit with as many
grits in between as possible
* a flat piece of glass, granite, marble, etc.
* a honing guide, such as the Veritas
(assuming you don't already have a sharpening setup... there's more than
one way to do this of course, but this is cheap and easy... for more
details, look into the Scary Sharp(tm) method)
Once you're capable of sharpening the iron, you're ready for a hand plane.
I'd probably start with a #5. If no #5 is readily available, a #4 is also
a good starting place. I hand surface semi-rough lumber with nothing more
than one of each, but I have to re-adjust them to do different jobs
constantly.
I suggest eBay or Patrick Leach or such for Stanleys. Try to get an old
one. Older is better, but you're after a user, so it doesn't matter if
it's ugly as long as all the parts are there. The new ones from Stanley
are pretty crappy, so an old one is definitely better than a new one. Both
will need some attention.
If you got a rust bucket, and if you have a battery charger, you can use the
magic of electrolysis to clean it up. Whether you bought an old Stanley or
a new one, the sole will probably need some (or a lot of) flattening, which
can be done on the same piece of glass/granite/marble, with the same
sandpaper you use for sharpening the iron. (This job sucks! Luckily, it
only needs doing once.)
Or spare yourself all the trouble and spend some bucks on a new one from
Veritas or such. Those $220 planes seem a lot cheaper once you've used up
an entire pack of 60 grit paper flattening the sole on an old, rusty plane.
Once you get it cleaned up and the iron is sharp, the rest is pretty easy.
Just fiddle with it and make curlies come out.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/