Jack Plane

[Roughcut]

Im still a bit of a noob and i've got a long way to go yet with mastering good technique with hand tools.
Could you please give me advice on what to look for in a Jack Plane?
What im really asking for is how do I know if a Jack Plane is performing in a good way or a bad way?
Now I have seen Youtube videos on "tuning" planes to achieve a flat sole and honing the plane iron.
And I have read of the top end planes available which are perfection straight out of the box.
But what test should I perform with my plane so I know that I have set up my plane correctly and it is operating efficiently?
I have a cheap £20ish Jack Plane at the moment as im only a diy'er, after a bit of fiddling and honing I can achieve consistent long shavings on softwood with a thickness of 0.1mm or 4 thou.
Is that reasonable to expect from a £20 plane or should I be looking for thinner shavings?

 

[bugbear]

Im still a bit of a noob and i've got a long way to go yet with mastering good technique with hand tools.
Could you please give me advice on what to look for in a Jack Plane?
What im really asking for is how do I know if a Jack Plane is performing in a good way or a bad way?
Now I have seen Youtube videos on "tuning" planes to achieve a flat sole and honing the plane iron.
And I have read of the top end planes available which are perfection straight out of the box.
But what test should I perform with my plane so I know that I have set up my plane correctly and it is operating efficiently?
I have a cheap £20ish Jack Plane at the moment as im only a diy'er, after a bit of fiddling and honing I can achieve consistent long shavings on softwood with a thickness of 0.1mm or 4 thou.
Is that reasonable to expect from a £20 plane or should I be looking for thinner shavings?

That's pretty good. The really important thing is that it's doing the work you require of it.

The usual goal of a jack plane is to bring a workpiece pretty near to size and shape, with final accuracy coming from a longer plane, and final finish coming from a smoothing plane.

So taking a super-thin shaving isn't really a requirment for a jack plane, and is a disadvantage for fast work.

BugBear

 

[DUNK_WALES]

What make of plane do you have? How wide and long is i?

 

[Big Gaz]

As long as you are getting a clean thin shaving across the whole of the planes cutting width, with no scratches or grooves in the finished timber. Then the plane is performing.

If you are getting any scratches or grooves in the finished work then you may have a nick in the bladed or an uneven grind/bevel.

If the timber is not smooth and the grain is ripping up, no matter what direction the wood is being planed then the mouth may not be closed enough or the blade may not be sharp enough or the wood may just be very swirly and difficult grain and you may need a specialist plane or a different plane iron angle.

If the overall flatness of the timber across its length is not good then the sole may not be flat enough, but this is dependant on the length of the timber ad the length of the plane bed. Typically the flatter the plane bed/sole and the sharper the edge, the finer the shaving that can be achieved. When changing from a dull plane to a sharp plane it surprising how the shavings change. Previously whole shavings become patchy as the sharper blade with a finer cut finds the bumps and valleys the previously dull blade misses.

 

[Roughcut]

Thanks for the replys.
Im currently using one of these Jack Planes: http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-n ... lane/27711
Cheap and cheerful but it's not great. I bought it a few years ago and has not had a lot of use, but im starting to get interested in handtools more now, rather than just using the power tools as I mostly did in the past.
I have recently acquired some secondhand planes (record 043, stanley 92, stanley no.4, stanley 13-030) and have been impressed how easy they are to set up and use.
Might see if I can get hold of a second hand Stanley no.5 soon.

 

[Big Gaz]

With a little fettling old planes can be great, its just cost over time balancing act. If moneys tight but you have the time, then go for old planes. They can start to get expensive when you start adding new chip breakers, new irons, new handles etc... As long as the plane is not too damaged go for it.

 

[Vann]

Thanks for the replys.
Im currently using one of these Jack Planes: http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-n ... lane/27711

Interesting description:
"Precision Cast Carbon Steel " so at least it won't break if you drop it (though I'm not sure what "Precision Cast" means).

"Milled & Ground Body" now that's where precision would be useful (but then IIRC modern Stanleys claim to be precision machined, and mostly they're not).

"Wooden Handle & Guidance Knob" The illustration appears to have a plastic and rubber tote and plastic knob :duno: :-s (sorry, not trying to rubbish your plane, only the seller's description)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Roughcut]

Thanks for the replys.
Im currently using one of these Jack Planes: http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-n ... lane/27711

Interesting description:
"Precision Cast Carbon Steel " so at least it won't break if you drop it (though I'm not sure what "Precision Cast" means).

"Milled & Ground Body" now that's where precision would be useful (but then IIRC modern Stanleys claim to be precision machined, and mostly they're not).

"Wooden Handle & Guidance Knob" The illustration appears to have a plastic and rubber tote and plastic knob :duno: :-s (sorry, not trying to rubbish your plane, only the seller's description)
Cheers, Vann.

Rubbish away, you're not offending me mate.
It's a £20ish plane, it really does make you wonder how some of these companies make money on products like this?
I bought the plane a couple of years ago only intending for using it for the odd job (trimming/easing doors, planing down rough timber etc. for diy).
Yes it has got plastic handles, but I wouldn't really expect hardwood handles at that price, the casting around the mouth is a bit rough and the plane iron doesn't hold it's edge for long.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone buying one as probably could get a reasonable second hand Stanley for £30-£40.
Im never going to be a master cabinet maker so investing in a Clifton, Norris or Lie-nielson would be a false economy because it would spend 99.9% of it's time sitting on a shelf in a draughty garage doing nothing. :lol:
I don't mind spending a bit of time fettling tools as im not under any time constraints as im only a diy'er.
Im still on the big learning curve at the moment and at a point where im enjoying messing around and tweaking handtools to understand how they work and how I can get the best from them.
Still got a long way to go!........... :lol:

 

[Webby]

Thanks for the replys.
Im currently using one of these Jack Planes: http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-n ... lane/27711

Interesting description:
"Precision Cast Carbon Steel " so at least it won't break if you drop it (though I'm not sure what "Precision Cast" means).

"Milled & Ground Body" now that's where precision would be useful (but then IIRC modern Stanleys claim to be precision machined, and mostly they're not).

"Wooden Handle & Guidance Knob" The illustration appears to have a plastic and rubber tote and plastic knob :duno: :-s (sorry, not trying to rubbish your plane, only the seller's description)
Cheers, Vann.

Rubbish away, you're not offending me mate.
It's a £20ish plane, it really does make you wonder how some of these companies make money on products like this?
I bought the plane a couple of years ago only intending for using it for the odd job (trimming/easing doors, planing down rough timber etc. for diy).
Yes it has got plastic handles, but I wouldn't really expect hardwood handles at that price, the casting around the mouth is a bit rough and the plane iron doesn't hold it's edge for long.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone buying one as probably could get a reasonable second hand Stanley for £30-£40.
Im never going to be a master cabinet maker so investing in a Clifton, Norris or Lie-nielson would be a false economy because it would spend 99.9% of it's time sitting on a shelf in a draughty garage doing nothing. :lol:
I don't mind spending a bit of time fettling tools as im not under any time constraints as im only a diy'er.
Im still on the big learning curve at the moment and at a point where im enjoying messing around and tweaking handtools to understand how they work and how I can get the best from them.
Still got a long way to go!........... :lol:

I agree and confer with that statement

 

[morfa]

Old tools don't always need fettling. Not that I've got much to go on, but I just bought this no 4 off the ebay of flea and it's perfect, out of the box. Not even needed to sharpen it yet. It's my first decent plane and I'm dead chuffed with it. Best thing? It cost me £18. Chosen fairly randomly as well.

 

[Webby]

Old tools don't always need fettling. Not that I've got much to go on, but I just bought this no 4 off the ebay of flea and it's perfect, out of the box. Not even needed to sharpen it yet. It's my first decent plane and I'm dead chuffed with it. Best thing? It cost me £18. Chosen fairly randomly as well.

View attachment 2012

Well done

 

[Roughcut]

Old tools don't always need fettling. Not that I've got much to go on, but I just bought this no 4 off the ebay of flea and it's perfect, out of the box. Not even needed to sharpen it yet. It's my first decent plane and I'm dead chuffed with it. Best thing? It cost me £18. Chosen fairly randomly as well.

View attachment 2012

That sounds like a real bargain.
I've only recently started taking a proper interest in handtools and what is available.
I have been pleasantly surprised at what is available on the secondhand market (fleabay etc.) and I have bagged some fairly decent bargain tools in my opinion, for less than the price of one decent brand router cutter.
Although I do buy tools to use, I don't buy them to put on the mantelpiece and look at how pretty they are. :mrgreen:

 

[Richard T]

This is my current #5 Jack - an old Record.

I think it was £14 from the boot sale.

I've put a more substantial iron in it and cambered it to a 10" curve.

This is for use as a fore plane and very good it is too. The 10" camber seems plenty to me but Chris Schwartz advocates an 8" camber in this WWS episode: http://video.pbs.org/video/2172600556

As described, the jack plane is for leveling rather than smoothing - the smoothing being done (as said by BB above) by other planes with lesser cambers; jointer and smoother.
I can't comment on the plane you have as I have never used one but if the iron will not hold an edge for long, there are better irons to buy that will fit without any major work to make them fit.
Otherwise, I would strongly suggest an old record such as mine with a good iron would knock spots off a new cheapy
every time. And be cheaper if you look around.

 

[Webby]

Cambers oh no total confusion has set in now .........i just want a straight one lol that works with a bit effort my side like pushing lol
I am a beginner 60+ years here lol