I'm trying to find a video or article that discusses how to modify or camber several Stanley No. 5 plane blades so I can achieve different cutting needs without having to own multiple planes. I remember the resource explaining the concept of camber and how different radii on the blades affect their functionality, but I didn't grasp it completely when I first encountered it. I'm interested in minimizing my tool collection, but I'm having trouble locating that specific resource again. I would really appreciate any help in finding it! Thanks in advance!
4 Answers
Chris Schwarz has some great content on this topic! Check out Lost Arts Press for videos, blogs, and articles that go into detail about setting up and using planes, especially the No. 5. Totally worth a look!
He really breaks it down well. His tips on the different planes are very practical.
I have three blades for my No. 5 planes. One is straight for jointer work, another has a noticeable camber of about 8-10" for hogging off wood when dimensioning, and the last one is super sharp for smoothing with slightly eased corners. I've found this setup works great for covering all my needs without multiple planes.
It's interesting how versatile it can be! I mostly rely on my No. 5 too, just switch out the blades as needed.
This is really helpful! I didn't realize how effective a single plane could be with the right adjustments.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! These are definitely along the lines of what I was looking for.
I've also seen suggestions for using multiple blades. I set up a No. 4 with two blades – one for rough dimensioning (with an 8" camber) and one for smoothing. It makes a huge difference and keeps things simple.
Awesome! I’ll look into that right now. I've been super curious about this topic!