Hand Planes For Neck

[Inisheer]

I've searched through the forum and it seems like the consensus is that #5 planes are pretty much the standard for guitar use. You need at least 14" long from what I've read. Is this correct? Do you need a #5 plane or will smaller ones work too? I would be using it to make neck blanks and plane the edges smooth. Also, there is a sale at Woodcraft right now for this Groz #5 bench plane. Does this look like it would work for making neck blanks or do I need a better one? I have seen many people recommend ebay for buying used stanley's or similar. Any input?

[ryanb]

Do you need it ... I would have to probably say no. There are a lot of ways to do any job. In general, the longer the plane, the easier it is to make flat surfaces. There are other ways though ... like attaching sandpaper to a long straight board or level ... or a granite surface plate or glass sheet. For some jobs you need a short plane too ... like a block plane or even finger planes. It all depends on the job you are trying to do.

If this will be your only tool for squaring off blanks and straightening edges, I would recommend that you do go a little on the longer side, like the #5 or so. Heck, for that price, I would buy the Groz myself if I didn't already have one that size. (BTW, the Groz planes will definitely work fine for guitar building.) Whichever one you pick, spend some time getting it well sharpened and adjusted, and spend some time practicing with it. Planes take some skill and practice to use effectively.

[jnewman]

I had no trouble doing it with a #4 plane, but a very good one with some minor skill in its use. I had literally invisible glue lines both in a neck through neck blank and then gluing the wings on to the neck blank.