I got a $100 check in the mail yesterday, a Christmas present from my grandparents. I am a little torn as to what to spend it on. Here are two options I am considering:
1. Veritas Shoulder Plane
The more I use planes, the more useful I find them. As my furniture making skills have advanced, they are great for finessing a joint or smoothing a rough finish, and a lot less noisy than their power tool equivalent. This costs a little more than $100, but I could always add to it. Unlike a traditional plane, a shoulder plane has a cutting blades that goes from one side to the other, allowing it to shave tenons and (wascally) rabbets. More than a few times lately I’ve wished I had one.
2. Woodworker II Blade
I already have one of these blades, but it needs to be sharpened, which would leave me without a blade for awhile. I got the existing one second-hand, thrown in with my table saw, and really love it, though it does have a few chipped teeth. I suspect it might be out of flat, too. I probably would use the saw blade more than I’d use the shoulder plane, though.
If you had to choose between the two, which would you choose and why? Or is there something else I should be considering?
Gabe Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 3:50 pmVisit Gabe
That is a tough choice. Hand planes are nice to have but I have never really been into using them. My friend Josh uses them quite often and does amazing things. For me I always just use sandpaper or chisels and seem to get good results.
On the other hand it is important to have a sharp table saw blade. By having two you can get a sharpening rotation going. With a sharp blade you can get cleaner cuts and then you don’t have to use the hand planer to get rid of blade marks.
A 13″ surface planer is on my wish list. I am thinking about getting a DeWalt but they are pretty pricy. I want to use it to make a butcher block counter top in our kitchen. And also I have been thinking about a larger scale sculpture that it would be helpful for as well. Do you like your Delta?
Dave Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 6:23 pmVisit Dave
I like my Delta 22-580 a lot. I just changed the blades on it recently, and I’ve had the planer for almost 2 years now. The blades are double-sided, so they can be used twice, essentially. They’re also very, very easy to change out, with no fiddling with height adjustment or anything. They are disposable and can’t be resharpened. A pair is about $50. It runs well, and the surface it produces is great. I used to be pretty careful about what I’d put in it, but now I’ll just throw stuff in there to see what comes out. A real workhorse.
Gabe Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 7:15 pmVisit Gabe
I another woodworking tool that you might be interested in getting is the pocket hole jig; brand name Kreg jig. I used to use it alot at Sticks and recently bought a set. It is just good solid way of joining furniture parts together. Better than biscuit joining!
Gabe Says:
December 21st, 2006 at 8:12 pmVisit Gabe
I went and looked at planers again today. Dave, is yours the 2 speed one? Do you use the different speeds and do you think it is helpful? The Delta TP 400LS is a little more reasonable in price. I am just wondering how much “planer” I really need. But I do want something that is going to get the job done. The DeWalt DW 734 also looks good.
Dave Says:
December 22nd, 2006 at 6:40 amVisit Dave
Yes, I have the 2-speed one. There is a small difference in cut quality between the two speeds, but not night and day. I think the bigger factor is the blade width, and how much replacements cost.