On 11/03/2019 18:33, wrote:

In a nutshell, I'm thinking about getting a manual plane; something
to make a rough edge cut flat and smooth, without throwing clouds of
dust everywhere.

Once nice and sharp and well adjusted, there is a certain satisfaction
in a hand plane that you don't get form the powered version.

The first question, then, is: should I buy one new?

Yup. Probably two in fact. A good general purpose "No 4" or "No 4 and a
half", and a small block plane.

The second question is: for a given size and with the use I have in
mind, does brand/quality matter that much?

Brans not too much, quality helps. Having said that the cheap chinesium
ones are ok if you spend a bit of time sanding off the rough edges etc,

Its often better to go for an older Stanley or Record from ebay rather
than the new version.

The third question is: for shaving wood in the range 1ft to 3ft in
length and typically no more than an inch wide (edge to be planed),
what size (length) of plane is best?

No 4 is probably the the nearest to an "all rounder". If you particulat
need to edge joint boards then a slightly longer one might be better -
but they are significantly more expensive.


--
Cheers,

John.

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