On 6/21/2012 2:32 PM, Buddy wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:16:37 -0500, Steve Turner
wrote:

Just a curiosity question - why do you suppose the #5 1/4 plane is
smaller than the #5?
Very nice collection. Do you use all the planes?

The 5-1/4 is usually referred to as a "Junior Jack" plane (and the 5-1/2 is
sometimes called a "Jumbo Jack"). Apparently these planes were often used in
schools to train younger students, for which the regular No. 5 "Jack" plane was
just a tad too big. I love the 5-1/4; it's basically a longer No. 3 (and
except for the base they share all the same parts), and one of the tasks I use
it for most is to make a final pass over boards that have been edge-jointed on
the power jointer to make them glassy smooth prior to edge-gluing them together.

Yes, I use ALL of my planes (even the No. 2!), and it's hard to even say which
ones I use more often than any others. I reach for the 4-1/2 and 6 quite a
bit, but they all get a good workout.

--
Any given amount of traffic flow, no matter how
sparse, will expand to fill all available lanes.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/