My Go To Hand Planes

As a hand tool woodworker, I spend a lot of time using my hand planes.  I very much enjoy using hand

planes.  I know shavings aren't the end goal but I just love seeing shavings spill out of the plane.  I have settled on three hand planes that do the majority of my work (Figure 1).  I certainly have other hand planes, but these three are the ones I use the most.  I think I have now been working with this set up as is for one (probably closer to two) years.

Figure 1 My go to hand planes as of 2020

It melds with both what Paul Sellers talks about as well as Chris Schwarz talk about.  I am documenting my journey.  Where possible, I'd like to acknowledge where I learned something.

My three planes are a Craftsman No. 4, Lie Nielsen No. 5, and a Lie Nielsen No. 3.  

I use the No.4 with its more cambered blade to do the bulk of wood removal.  By using it for the bulk of the removal, it helps to allow the other blades to retain sharpness longer.  This old Craftsman No. 4 I got from Hyperkitten and I think I paid $25 for it.  It looks almost unused and is a delight to use given how light it is.  All I needed to do was sharpen the blade and it was good to go.  I have a fondness for Craftsmen tools.  When I was a teenager in the 1980s, working on cars was a right of passage.  Before I obtained my own car tools, I used my dad's 1950s vintage Craftsmen tools.  As such, the brand has a fondness in my heard.  Some day I might try to get a No. 3 and 5 Craftsmen as well.  I like how light it is and the thin carbon steel is really easy to sharpen.  

The No. 5 jack plane is just that, a jack of all trades.  I can smooth and make things flat.  For most of my work, this plane does it all.  I will admit, I do like the refinement of the screws on the blade adjustment knob.

The No. 3 is what I use for smoothing.  I like the smaller size.  For a long time, I was using a 4-1.2 for smoothing.  The No. 3 and its smaller size seems to work a bit better for me.

All in all, I am quite happy with the set up.  I'm not really looking to change anything with the exception of maybe going to all Craftsmen brand.  I am curious as to how a No. 2 plane would work as a smoother but this isn't something that is pressing.  Time will tell.