Thanks fellers.
What I’m looking for now is a recommendation on the type of plane used for dressing the edge of a red oak board, ~ ¾” thick. My knowledge regarding different plane types and their specific usage is limited. For example, I understand that there are bevel up and bevel down planes, knuckle planes, edge trimmers, low-angle bock planes, thumb planes, jack planes, roughing, flattening and smoothing planes, etc., but I am not sure what type of plane I should find for my intended usage. Perhaps a Stanley 60 ½ would be a good choice.
hookeye: Thanks.
Rem141r: Yes, I have considered several power planes but it will be awhile until I’m able to make it up to OR, so I don’t really need one at the moment. Shipping is cost-prohibitive anyway.
Wabi: slabs have been air-dried for several years, but my latest inquiry is does not involve the big slabs. I’m looking for advice on a smaller plane I can use for dressing the edges of boards, & sharpening jig recommendations.
Orion2000: ditto
bryon: Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.
kingston: Thanks. The 220 might be just the thing I need. & the Veritas guide looks good.
hillestadj: Thanks, looks good as well.
Kellywk: Thanks. That jig looks good.
Sheister: Your low-angle block plane recommendation is what I determined I probably need, hence my Stanley 60 ½ idea. I do have a good collection of stones, but I have been meaning to find a few Jap water stones. I have looked at the King stones. Thanks
What I've found is that the type of plane is secondary to how sharp the blade is. Another factor is how you use a plane when flattening a piece... Especially with figured wood and very hard wood like oak and black walnut you should be using shearing cuts instead of plow cuts... this will cut down on tear out and leave a clean surface more often than plowing through the wood and possibly being caught by the grain and stopping in the middle of a stroke.... Practice on a scrap piece if you can until you feel the cut and get the depth adjusted just right before starting in on an expensive or special piece of wood...
My Stanley 60 1/2 (and several older versions of it that I rescued) gets a lot of work, but only for roughing edges. Just not suitable for a long, flat surface and especially on figured wood. In a case like that, you need enough mass to be able to get it moving through the surface cut and a long enough shoe to keep it flat relative to the rest of the surface.
At times what really works great is a large cabinet scraper like a Stanley #80 . But then you need to learn how to sharpen a cabinet scraper blade, which is completely different than sharpening a plane/chisel blade...
Bob
