Jack In A Box

I've given a lot of thought to which bench planes I'd want to stock in this toolchest. My krenov smoother is an easy choice, as there's no greater satisfaction than using a tool made with your own hands. Wooden planes have a different nature than th…

I've given a lot of thought to which bench planes I'd want to stock in this toolchest. My krenov smoother is an easy choice, as there's no greater satisfaction than using a tool made with your own hands. Wooden planes have a different nature than their steel cousins, they're inherently musical in nature. A few taps here and a few raps there and they'll sing for you like no other. That's not to say metal planes are deficient in any way. A bronze Lie Nielsen no.4 has it's own particular charms. The manganese bronze will react to the particular body chemistry unique to its owner and over time a tarnished patina will form. Painted on by each touch, deepening in character with each shaving. The krenov and the no.4 are more than enough for general smoothing and final finishes, the difficult question is what to do about a jack? A Lee Valley bevel up jack is widely regarded for its versatility, but I find norris adjusters to be a little finicky and the lack of ability to adjust depth on the fly sometimes interrupts the zen-flow that comes with planing boards. My preference is for bevel down planes, though a no.5 or no.6, whether a vintage stanley or a plane by LN or LV would add a considerable amount of weight to the toolchest. The answer is now clear, i should build a wooden jack plane.