Beginners tools: Planes

This is a subject that has been discussed many times on this blog.
Many people are asking me the same questions.  They ask if they should buy a new or an old plane, what size it should be or if they are better with a bevel-up of a bevel-down one.



Those are not easy questions and the answer may be different from one person to the other.  Let's discuss all this.

• Buying an old plane versus a new one.

If you do not have the budget for a new one, you already have your answer.  For those of you that can afford a new prime quality plane, go and buy one.  This plane will become your benchmark when looking at old ones.  I think that you need at least one good plane in your shop and it should be your first purchase unless you can find an old one that have been tuned-up by a knowledgeable woodworker.
Those old Stanley and Record usually need a lot of work and knowledge to be of any use in your shop.  You can look at how I've restore and tune an old Stanley no. 3.

Don't get me wrong, an old plane properly tuned-up can do the same work as a prime plane except for very demanding work where a thick blade helps a lot.  Out of the three planes above, the old Record is the one that is used the most in my shop, by far.

• What size should I buy?

If I had only one plane in my shop it would be a no. 5.  With a plane of that size you can do pretty much everything.  It will not be perfect for everything but it will work.  A smoother (no. 4) can do a lot of work as well but, outside of smoothing, it's not very convenient for jointing or flattening a board.  It can be done but it takes much more skill.
Once you have a no. 5, the next step is to get a no. 4 and a no. 7 (or 6).  With three planes you are fully equipped.

• Should I buy a bevel-up or a bevel-down plane?

As you will get more knowledgeable in woodworking you will discover that those two kind of planes are not to be used for the same task.
A bevel-up plane is superior for end grain work if the blade has an acute bevel and if you are planing a board where the grain is rising.  For all other kind of work the bevel-down plane will be better.  I have a blog on this.  Again, don't get me wrong.  Any of those planes will do the job.  I've work for years having only a BD smoother, a low angle jack and a low angle jointer.