I’m working on a project with a 19x26" panel that I realized after gluing still has a bit of a twist in it across the three boards. In the past I’ve simply sanded down panels, but I think this one is going to require a plane. Thing is, I’m still fairly new to woodworking and don’t have any planes yet so I’ve been doing my homework on which to get.
I generally avoid buying junk tools, especially Chinese junk so that rules out a bunch of the options. Plus, I assume I’d find it difficult to tune up an old one since I’m not knowledgeable enough about them yet. Because of that I’ve ended up going straight to the top and considering either Lee Valley or Lie-Nielsen.
Given that my immediate task is to flatten a panel I was thinking either a #5 or #5-1/2 high angle jack plane knowing that I’d likely expand the collection in the future with a smoother as well, but for now I’m only looking for a first one.
Does that make sense for me? If so, any tips on deciding between the #5 and #5-1/2? The #5 is a bit cheaper, but it seems like the slightly bigger #5-1/2 would be good if I followed it up with a #4 in the future. Specifically I’ve been looking at:
It's not so much that I'm just starting out, but more that I've been putting off buying a plane while I built out the rest of my shop and always found a way to get something done without buying one. But I think I'm now at the point where it's time to make that jump. But I also recognize that I don't yet have the knowledge to know what I'd be buying used, which gives me pause on going that route lest it turn into a project itself.
I was thinking that I'd like something initially I could use for planing other projects too so that's why I was leaning towards a #5. Do you think it's worth starting with a #4 even if I wouldn't be primarily using it as a smoother?
I got by with a #4 and a block plane for the first few years. You can't really go wrong with an older Stanley. Generally, as long as they aren't too pitted, any plane will do the job. Cheaper ones will be more of a pain to sharpen, older ones will take more clean up, but it's more important to be decent at sharpening than it is to buy a fancy new plane. A properly sharpened cheap plane will outperform a dull expensive plane.