Official Luthiers Forum!

I am going to buy plane for taking top and back plates to thickness. I admit, I am am not familiar with the various types of planes and what they do best. Etc. low angle, block so on. I can do stuff on the power machines, but want to go to the step of learning hand tools and how to use them.

Having one, I'm a pretty big advocate of the bevel-up planes. Lee Valley (Veritas) makes a line of them, as does Lie Nielsen (I believe). They're the ones you can swap the blades in to change the cutting angle (which allows you to match the blade to the wood with one plane rather than buying a different plane for each angle).

I have this one and all the blades:
Lee Valley Smoother

That said, if you're short on cash you can put more elbow grease into something like a Stanley #5 and get a great plane out of it, though less versatile.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

A #5 or #5 1/2 (or equivalent size) is a great all-round plane for guitarmaking. You'll also want a block plane eventually, but the #5 will take care of thicknessing and jointing for you. I've been very tempted by the bevel up planes, and that's probably what I'd buy if I got a new one. For now, I'm more than happy with my vintage Record and Union #5 1/2 and #6.

I'd second Todd's rec of the LN 4 1/2. What a great plane!

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

thanks.

Don't be afraid to learn how to tune up up a plane, it will teach you a lot about what makes them tick; not a bad idea since you "...want to go to the step of learning hand tools and how to use them". Good irons, cap irons, proper mouth openings, frog angles, level soles etc. all make a difference, and tinkering with these things will be quite revelaing. Tuning a plane is a lot like tuning an instrument in that it teaches you to 'listen' and make necceasary adjustments as you go.

IMO, a higher frog angle may work well with tougher woods, but a standard angle works with less effort in soft woods.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Lie Nielsen fanatic here. I do all my thicknessing by hand becuase a thickness sander isnt practical here in my shop. Over time I learnt not to miss the sanders as there are many acoustic advantages to hand thicknessing tops and backs. Also, your shop fills with pretty curls of wood rarther than DUST!

I like a No.5 for jointing, but I would probably get a 5 1/2 if I had my money again... even for long Hawaiian guitar center seams... there isnt much advantage to a longer plane.

I also use the No.5 to thickness the plates, followed by a No.3 for the finall gradutating.

I use toothed blades on all my planes for getting in the ball park, then follow with a finley set regular blade and then if its really curly koa or interlocked I would use a scraper plane.

Lie Nielsen planes are ready to go straight out of the box with a light hone of the blade first. Re-furbishing is somewhat tedious and for the time and quality of the finished product, Lie Nielsen tools are the best bet.