What can you do with a No. 6 plane?
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Lots of people hate the No 6 plane. Others just don't know what to do with it. It all comes from confusion about what the plane was intended for and what it's actually good for. In this video, I'll explain why the 6 may be the worst of Stanley's bench plane line, but only for its intended purpose as a "fore" plane. If you use it as a short jointer or a panel plane, then its excellent and cheap.
My grandfather was a joiner. During the great depression he would carry his toolbox around the city looking for work. He carried a Stanley Bailey type 13 No. 6 as a jointer, not a No. 7. The weight savings was significant when you had to tote the thing around every day. I still have his planes and they work perfectly.
Great story, thanks for sharing
The weight and the length (bulk). As far as I am concerned, if you need a 7, you are into some very long stuff. I've got like 10 planes in the 7 or 8 range. They are stupid time consuming to flatten, ridiculously to be mobile with, and completely unnecessary for most applications. They are just beautiful machines that you will rarely use.
Damn he had a type 13 and a number 7!?
It does a nice job of keeping the #7 and #5 1/2 from smacking into each other in the plane drawer. 😆
Ha!
LOL! As "The dear woman in my life" used to say, "Well, there is that".
I feel like a #6 makes a really good dedicated shooting board plane. It's got mass to make it through the cut, you can set it up for a fine shaving, and the larger body makes a great bearing surface for keeping things square.
I think this is the only video on TH-cam that shows someone using a no 6 rather than “restoring” one
Great video. I love my no. 6. I built electric guitars as my main woodworking hobby, and it is perfectly suited to joint neck blanks, flatten bodies, and plane in neck angles for certain models (like carved top Les Paul styles). I'd never heard of a panel plane or seen a direct comparison between a 5 1/2 and a 6, but it turns out I use it just like that. In truth, I got my 6 mostly because it felt better than any of the no. 5s the dealer had that day. But I'm super glad I did.
My brother picked up my No.6 at the dump. I cleaned it up and it lives on its side on my shooting board. It is 110 years old and works perfectly.
I'm glad your brother rescued it. It's sad and actually kinda angering how much stuff is thrown away. 😔
"So what the hell is this thing *fore*?"
Good one. I should have thought of that.
@@RexKrueger Better luck next time Rex.
Today a #6 I was bidding for on eBay ended up selling for over $200. I quit bidding around $60. Not sure they're a good cheap option anymore
The #6 is s jointer. The size of jointer depends on the length and width of your lumber. Who cares what Stanley said. I don’t personally own a #6 but there is quite a bit of difference between a 51/2 and a 6. Almost 4” and that is exactly how much difference there is between a 6 and a 7 jointer. A 22”-26” jointer are made for 5’ lumber and longer. So if a person is try to true say a 24”-36” lumber a #6 would be the plane.
I have a No. 6 and it is my go to when it comes to flattening panels. The blade is a bit cambered and it does a great job. I follow up with my smoother.
I was thinking of buying a No. 6 for flattening the top of a $30 workbench that may or not have been inspired by you... thanks again for that video and this one as well.
Ha! A 6 would be cheap and perfect for that!
The No. 6 was a favorite among shipwrights who used it for fairing the edge of a plank and cutting in the bevel for the caulking.
Makes sense
Your jointer plane is your longest plane available, mine it's a #6.
Two years later I've come across this again and saw my own old comments below that I had forgotten. I've been making table tops since then and I have found that my #6 is the best of all my planes for flattening the board. I have a #4, #5, #6, and #8, plus a block plane and various specialty planes. The #6 is very good as a panel plane, and a good jointer for smaller boards. My #5 is from 1918 and it works fine, but I've not found a consistent good use for it yet.
I use my no. 6 for a shooting board plane.
I never understood the criticism of the #6. It is my go-to plane for most situations, especially flattening panels and jointing. I have a corrugated version, BTW. It also has the sweetest/smoothest adjustments, the frog mechanism has some springiness to it that makes for easy and very precise fine tuning.
Agreed!
I wonder if it's an American thing regarding the 5.5, I got given two of them. Initially a union then recently an old record, the record is in superb condition.
As for the 6, I almost bought a stanley 6 as it was cheap but then managed to bag a stanley 7 for a really good price at the last minute on ebay! Made in USA one.
They're fore flattening tabletops, or panels like you said. I love the no. 6, it's super versatile. I used to flatten live edge slab tables all day long with it and yes it is a workout but I loved it.
I love my number 6. Got 2 blades: one is cambered, the other one is flat. 6 is heavier, which is an advantage for me, because my movements along the hardwood are way smoother and accurate. It performs better on a shooting board as well with more inertia than #5, bigger reference side, more comfortable to hold with my hand. I don't disagree with the video at all, i just want to show another opinion on things. Actually, my #6 is my favourite plane and my #5 and #4 are used just because i like to setup my planes differently, so i can just change the plane without interfering with settings all the time. Long story short, after #6 i step down right to #3 most of the time. I'm not a small guy as well, and i became even bigger thanks to the #6.
That sounds like a totally legitimate approach. There are so many ways to get the same thing done. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the 6!
I have been contemplating purchasing a 5 and 1/2 for quite a while but haven't wanted to spend the money. I have a lie Nielsen 6 sitting in my draw that I have used occasionally as a jointer as I do not own a designated jointer 7 or 8. Thanks to this video now my number six will be used as the 5 and 1/2 that I haven't purchased
I have a 1906 #6 plane. I use it to level the fret boards on cigar box guitars. It's marvelous. Sentinel Guitars.
@MichaelKingsfordGray
Wow! You're a poet and didn't know it. Not sure what's stuck up your ass this morning but I hope you can work it out.
I came late into woodworking. I am 67 (a mere pup) and last year I bought three old Stanley planes on eBay. A No 6 Fore, a No 4 Smoothing, and a No 9½ block. They were all rusty, blunt and covered in crud. I cleaned, painted, polished, and sharpened the irons on all three and they are as razor-sharp and user-friendly as I suppose they were when new. I love them all. I use the No 6 as a kind of Jack+. At the same time I was given a cheap and nasty No 5 Jack of indeterminate make that was not flat, out-of-square, and with a plastic tote and knob! I've also cleaned that up and sharpened it (it has a genuine Stanley iron) and it is my intention to use it as a cambered "scrub" plane. I was also given an old (birch I think) wooden jointer that has longitudinal splits in the body. I shall fill them with epoxy, clean it up, and then sharpen the antique Ebenezer Thomas (Sheffield) iron. I think my selection of "new" planes will serve me well.
I think you're right. Good luck with your collection! As to the No 5, don't worry about it being flat. It doesn't need to be.
Alan George Barstow throw the Stanley irons in the bin and buy hock replacement iron and chip breakers
The price has gone way up on ebay collector planes in 4 years. Good and bad I suppose. Wish I bought all mine when they were cheap but the demand must be higher to raise price so maybe more people are getting into wood working.
I love my 6. I am using it much less since I bought a 5 though, but I keep going back to it on my shooting board. I like the combination of it's length and wight to get through the end grain and give me a perfect edge
"They are more or less exactly the same size" :)
Almost precisely.
I use my 6 as a jointer. I currently am focusing on acoustic guitar building, and a 6 is plenty long enough for joining those plates without being so heavy as a 7 or 8. I also really struggled to find a 7 or 8 with a non corrugated sole, which really matters to me. My plates are sometimes only 2 millimeters thick, so a plane without a solid sole simply won’t function very well for my work. I also built a wooden fore plane in high school. I’m currently altering it to work better, but I used a square iron in it as my only plane for almost two years. Once I’ve upgraded it, it will be a wonderful fore.
Rex I was having a rummage around my dad's garage with him the other day and he pulled out a Stanley No 6 that he kept from his pattern makers apprenticeship 50 year's ago I don't think he's used it since .
I was given a Wood River no. 6 last Christmas. It's great and I use it most days. I can't remember the last time I picked the no. 51/2 I've had for 44 years. I have a no. 8 I sometimes use but the 6 is my go to. I does give me a bit of a workout but it's such a pleasure to use it's worth it
As a full time working professional woodworker, I love your videos! It's taken me almost 50 years to get to my personal Holy grail. I can build anything I want without plugging anything in, If I choose to do so. I love ALL of the tools you show us...Kudos, sir! 👍
Exactly my goal and I am well on the way to that. It’s funny now when I realize all that you can do without power tools. Don’t get me wrong I use them but I get far more satisfaction out of my hand tools.
With a 4, 5 and 6 you can tackle anything. A 7 or bigger is great for edge jointing provided the undulations in the board aren’t too great or it will just skip over the top but for levelling a table top they’re too much.
I bought an old #6 as my first plane. In short, it can joint boards like a #7 and smooth panels like a #5-1/2. Cool!!!
I heard that it used to be used as a compromise plane in portable toolboxes by mobile workers. You can use it as a jointer but you can also get a good surface with it. Saves carrying around two different planes which obviously saves weight.
I've heard that too, and it could be true. The 6 makes a decent jointer and it is lighter than a 7 or 8.
@@RexKrueger It is true. That's why my grandfather had the one I inherited. It's a 418 Sargent still in great shape.
@@vincentcoppola9832 Thanks for that. See my comment about my Sargent. It's a good compromise size
If there was no NO 7 plane, nobody would question NO 6's size. No 6 is the longest plane I would use as a jointer, panel plane try plane or any other types of larger plane. It works beautifully and as effectively as a No 7 or 8.
Makes sense to me. Seem to me that the wood planes got to be larger to get the required mass. The "equivalent" cast iron planes as Rex shows them have longer sole plates, already. So the 6 should be the same length and quite a bit heavier than the wooden jointer planes.
I have a 6, 7, and 8. I rarely use the 7 at all, although I know it's way more popular than either of the other 2. I *REALLY* like the 6 though. I'm NOT a big guy, and it's no light plane, but I just like it's jointing abilities, and I can go right to the 8 for long stuff.
ive used a #6 on door edges my entire life, works great. is there one that is better? lemme know
Just subscribed, really enjoying your videos! Feels like you put a lot more thought and research into your vids than most woodworking guys, and yet the style remains very casual and practical. Digging the 'woodwork for humans' series as my wood shop is presently a pair of sawhorses I have to haul down to my apartment building's courtyard along with my tools. Cheers!
Well sir, YOU are my target audience for that series. Keep watching and let me know how I can make your woodworking better and more approachable.
I also use my number 6 all of the time.
Funny, I just picked up a #6 to use as a better jointer than the #5 I have because it's less $. I jointed the planks on my workbench with the #5, so longer is better. And it will work better in my new shooting board than the #5. Maybe the next plane will be something I make.
Making your own planes is really rewarding. I recommend it!
Aw...I have a 3C, 4, 5 and 7 (Record, Clifton, Stanley) but I do have a wooden Marples Fore plane which is a great tool. A while ago I lined up the metal planes and thought...I'd love an old 6 to make up the set and have them in a rack on display (like an old John Wayne film with Winchester rifles)...but I can't find one anywhere! The video was great to watch, I thought I knew a few things about woodworking tools, but learned a whole lot more today!
I find the extra weight of the no. 6 to be a help when I'm preparing rough stock, especially boards. a little bit of wax on the sole helps a lot with the friction and it does fine cuts too
There you go, someone who DOES like it as a fore plane. So many ways to do the work.
This! I have bought no. 6 couple of weeks back and now I use it for just about everything from rough stock preparation to smoothing. I can be set both for super heavy cut and for transparent shavings with no tearout. The extra width makes smoothing large pieces a breeze and the extra weight helps with knots while fore-planing. My no. 4 and old wooden fore-plane are just collecting saw dust since I got the no. 6.
The only downside to my no. 6 is that it is the only no. 6 I have :D -> I have to sharpen the iron often, sometimes even twice a day, because it now does just about every planing I need.
@@antonintopol228 I have a No 5 1/2 which I use for finer smoothing on boards. and a No 5 for edges, a 4 1/2 which is always super-sharp and lightly cambered for really fine smoothing, and a No 4 which is more or less a scrub plane
thanks for explanation , you relife my heart pal I just bought stanley n 6 but liked to buy n 7 .
now according to u I will use n 6 as n 7 , fore plane and panel plane . 😊👍
Awesome! Really glad you found it useful!
@@RexKrueger thanks a million👍
Thanks. I bet the price goes up on the #6 planes after this video.
Oh, I don't know if I'm influential enough for that to happen, but thanks for the compliment!
Either way, it's good for the people selling, and if people don't get one, life goes on. I know where I can get a wooden fore plane, which I didn't even know what it was before. Thanks
Some how I have bought four #5 1/2 one of them is form the late 1900s
I've had a Sargent VBM 18" long for nearly 50 years. Bought 2nd hand and obviously old in early 1970s. Hardly used. Had vast gaps in woodworking time since teens but retired, bought, gutted, rebuilt old house. The plane is brilliant for shaving width off a door. Also for flattening panels of softwood. But you need a heavy duty bench and vice to cater for the momentum resulting from pushing its mass through the material.
Looks to be £80 on Ebay which would go towards a track saw for MDF cabinets and wardrobes. Thanks for reminding me
I use my No. 6 for flattening tabletops and benches. I have tried to use it to joint long pieces of wood, but it doesn't seem to work well for that (it may not be the planes fault, it might be a technique issue).
Try to find s used no 7 and replace with a good blade e.g.wood river no 7 blade from woodcraft amazon etc
Thanks for the video. My father's go-to plane for hanging doors was his No. 6.
I originally got a 6 to use as a jack plane because they were cheap, and now I like it better than 5s which feel short to me.
Only $50 for a plane? The cheapest plane I've brought was $60. I don't go to garage sales though not that I imagine there would be many for sale at them
It depends a lot on where you live. Parts of the US are filled with tools and they're cheap. Other parts of the country and world; tools can be scarce and expensive.
I prefer my #6 to my #5.
Thank you Rex. You have answered some significant questions of mine. I will eventually have a number 6. Keep up the good work. That said I endorse the Capitalist model. I would not mind shameless sponsorship and a much more prosperous Rex. I know other haters feel differently so I accept your model. But the godfather of makers, Diresta, has no problem with making money as well as things and knowledge. Most cordially, W. David McGuinn.,
Just picked up an old 6 for cheap. No maker's marks on the body. The iron is the only thing that is stamped. Reads: Black Diamond Fully Warranted. Does anyone know the origins of this plane? Looked online but could only find info on "Diamond Edge" planes. Did Nicholson ever make planes??? Any help is greatly appreciated!
I noticed something about carrying a no 6 vs a no 7. Both planes are pretty heavy (with the 7 being slightly heavier), but with the 7 the heel is long enough to press on my fore arm when I pick it up. The 7 almost feels like a big extension of my arm when I pick it up. The 6, on the other hand, feels more unweildy, despite actually being lighter.
I got an old Bailey #6 free from a coworker who was getting rid of a bunch of brother's "weird old tools". I dunno what it's "for", and it's hard to explain why I reach for it when I do, as I tend to just try stuff in the moment as I'm flattening/planing. I feel like I like to use it after a scrub plane on something that needs smoothing but also a little bit of flattening still. But not enough flattening to need a jointer. I don't have a #5 1/2, so maybe I'd prefer that one over this if I had one. I like the longer toe compared to my 5s, which I actually tend to use as smoothers. I also think I sometimes wanna use it cuz...its my oldest plane. The knob on my #6 is really short and it has 3 patent dates on it. I just think it's neat someone made the thing so long ago, then it sat god knows where for a long time, and all I had to do was carefully use very fine steel wool and 3 in one on it, flatten it a bit more, and sharpen the blade and it works like new.
I just picked up a no 6 for $44 dollars at an antique store. I dont have anything larger then that yet.. But my plan was using with a shooting board.
Also just got in "country furnature" with original dust cover.. I saw you reccomend that book in another video. Wow! What a great book jam packed with great illustrations and information!
I think it will make a good shooter!
I do a lot of reproductions from the south, mostly made out of syp, southern yellow pine. I have a Stanley no 6 setup as a smoothing plane for yellow pine. I also use it as a jointer on syp. I've got a Lie Nielson no 6 that I won't use on syp. I consider both important to my collection of hand planes. Thanks for your video.
How did l buy a 51/2 H stanley in Ohio when they weren't included in the american catalog? Meant to compete with the likes of Norris etc. In England?
2:18 Rex gets the message across but fore is not a contraction of before. Before is an extension of fore.
Fore means "forward in space, in front of" or "earlier in time" and has for 1000 years. Be- is an Old English adverb or preposition that survives at the start of a lot of words and by itself as Modern English "by" meaning near or about (it's not related to the verb "to be"). "Before" as a word is the combination of Be + Fore. Fore and Before are practically identical, the Be part serves as something of an intensifier without changing the meaning.
Before has largely displaced Fore today but the foreplane was named by our forefathers at a time when Fore was still commonly used for "earlier in time". As my use of forefathers demonstrates, this use of Fore widely survives in compound words: forerunner, forethought, foresight, forebode, forecast, foreshadow, foresee, etc. It also exists in the "in front of" meaning as forecourt, forecastle, foresail, foremast, etc. I decided to snip off from that list a little word particularly important and personal to men.
I love my number 6. It fills the otherwise empty spot in my plane till :D
I bought one as my first plane, once I saw how much cheaper it was than the 5 1/2 I was planning to get, on Rob Cosman’s recommendation, as it seemed close enough. Good to see I’m not alone!
This was useful. I found a Wards Master #6 plane at a local pawn shop for $35 in very good condition.
That's a solid deal! Good one.
Not all site use the 1, 2, 4, 5 naming.
Can you specify which is which?
If Stanley just copied the sizes from wooden planes, is that why there was a no1? It was the cast iron version of a wood block plane?
Idk why you'd need a plane much smaller than a 5-6 for most planing work, making dollhouses or birdhouses maybe... I never use my block plane or #4 theyre tiny and you can barely take anything off with them without a shitload of effort or spending all day making more passes... 🤷♂️
The heavy weight makes it easier to use, not harder, light planes are hard to use, they dont keep gliding, they wanna stick and stop and take a mot more muscle to keep them cutting.
2:52 ... More or less exactly the same... ??? Drybar? When you create phrases like that stand up comedy or politics is your destiny.
I picked up a 6. Problem when I put it back together. I’m not sure how the blade and curved blade goes together and which edge goes down.
Please help.
I can easily see jointing with a #6. I use a Wood River 5 1/2 for almost everything.
I bought a record back in the back in the 80s and that was a no a 55 and a half and I always just use that one for him planning everything and throwing up everything that was a that was like the best one in between that was just one I thought was the best to get your size getting a joint or anything like that and that was a little Rucker that was made by twelves from England and it's sort of a record made it plain before Stanley was even around and now Stanley's taking over but you can't even find wrecker you can't find too many Stanley planes in the stores but it's a lost art my father bought me a wooden jointer plane and that's really nice to have but I also made a scrub plane which is something you want to use before going to take off the rough stuff before you get down to using the jointer planer that was a great video
Nice video! I prefer the local antique shop to eBay for buying planes. The people listing planes on eBay don’t seem to understand the meaning I’ve Avg+ condition.... got stung a few times
It's a real crap-shoot online. I've often found antique stores too expensive.
Rex Krueger I don’t disagree with that. My number 6 Stanley fore plane was 75$ locally. My Miller Falls #7 Jointer was 60$ on eBay. The #7 needed a blade and chip breaker as well as serious refurbishing of a very badly dinged sole. The #6 needed a general refurb and was good to go. While more expensive I think it was cheaper in the long run. Just my 2 cents. Keep up the interesting videos!!
Nobody wanted the Walkman in the first place, either. Salesmanship.
wow, on Ebay those vintage Norris' are expensive!
What a nice man.....
Funny, I just got a #6 at a garage sale for $10 and was wondering what the heck to do with it! Excellent timing!
That's a good price!
Rex Krueger Yeah, that's the only reason I got it! Have a 4, 5 and 7 already but at that price, complete the set. Why not? Found out later it's a type 2 or 3 so over 100 years old too.
I just got started with a borrowed #6. Didn't know anything about it until today. This channel has inspired a love of hand tools. Planes especially.
Welcome to Wonderland :D
I have a No4 and a No7. Doubt a 5 ½ or 6 would improve things a whole lot!?
Anything over a 5 use a wooden planes their so much lighter....
$20 -$45 for a #6 on EBay! Certainly was five years ago.
Wouldn't the greater mass of the #6 be of use when doing rough work? A lighter plane hitting a significant rise in the would be more likely to stop if you are taking a large bite? I only have small (short/light) planes and have to spend a lot of time cleaning up rough edges.
In general, I don't find weight to help with rough work. A light, sharp plane with an aggressive camber cuts right through the junk. YMMV.
Great shooter due to it's weight and width!
Why was the 6 worried? Because 7 8 9... sorry for the dad joke.
Great info in this! Thank you Rex!
It’s the best shooting board plane that isn’t a dedicated, single-purpose plane, hands down
Is it worth owning a 6 AND a 5 1/2? Or are they too similar?
$ 50 is a lot to spend on a plane... Anyone at Boeing laughing their pants off.
Love my 6, use it on my shooting board etc cause my jack planes are union and Sargent and don't work well
I'm surprised to hear you say that. I have Union and Sargent planes and I'm pretty happy with them. I generally tell my students that they are good planes.
@@RexKrueger,
It would be interesting to find out what the bedding angles are on those planes.The difference between my Record #04 [approx. 50º] and my Sargent #409 [approx. 37º], which is noticeable. Yes, the steeper the angle, the better it is [less tear-out] in difficult grain but harder to push, & vice versa.
What about using a no.6 as a shooting plane?
I rather like my no. 6 but would gladly pay $50 for a 5 1/2.
I like the 6 over the 5 then i go to 4 but what i dont understand is the 5 and 1/4 its got a 3 blade
I use the six following the scrub in rough stock prep
I use my transitional version as a foreplane and joiner.
Interesting history there.
My first plane was a No51/2. I have two and use them in preference to mist of my other planes. I think only my block plane comes close to hours of use.
That's interesting. I used to use my block all the time, and now I just use my No 4. It never ceases to amaze me how many ways we can find to get work done. Thanks for sharing!
I use mine all the time to bring acoustic guitar plates to thickness. A bit of wax makes it slick to use. Btw, It looks like your No.7 needs some TLC.
It sure does. Need to get around that. Also, I used to build electrics, so welcome my luthier brother!
I use my No 6 to joint the plates on my guitars on the shooting board. I used a No 5 for this until I got the 6. The length is just about perfect for shooting the 22ish inch long top and back halves.
Thank you Bob, after reading your post I bought and old stanley no 6. It works perfectly for ukulele plate thicknessing.
I'm a Norwegian cabinet maker and I've been using a no. 6 since trade school (25 years) as an all round 'long plane'. I find it very versatile & useful. I don't even have a jointer plane, for that kind of work I have a jointer machine. If I need to flatten a board by hand I start with a small scrub plane before I use the no. 6 set quite coarsely to roughly flatten the surface. Then I set the no. 6 progressively finer before I switch to a smoothing plane or even a cabinet scraper and ziehklinge if the wood is curly.
And Rex : 3:58 - don't flatter yourself LOL
What is a "ziehkligne"? I'm very curious. And if 6-2 and 225 lbs doesn't qualify as big, then I don't know what does.
@@RexKrueger : I think it's called a card scraper in english - but not sure !
If you can only have one plane, it should be a No. 6
Are $20 Stanley planes still a thing? I'm not having any luck finding them that cheap. They all seem to have become collectibles. I've been looking at FB marketplace, craigslist, eBay but no luck.
Not unless you get super lucky locally. Prices online have been crazy. There is no way you'll ever get a plane for $20 including shipping. Most listings have almost that much in shipping alone ($13-16), especially for anything no. 5 and above.
Some people simply like longer fore-plane.
Do you have a link to where either Rob or David talk about setting up a 5 1/2 as a panel plane?
No, but it's pretty simple. Sharpen the blade with a very light camber like a smoothing plane. You're done!
I'm fond of mine - I picked it up for rather more than the $20-$30 mentioned, because it was in really excellent condition, in the original box with the instruction leaflet. I use it for jointing, mostly, but I'm not above picking it up for smoothing just for fun.
In the box? You don't see that very often.
@@RexKrueger 1964 model so not the best they ever made, but perfectly adequate. Quite possibly someone bought it then couldn't think what to do with it and set it aside. It lives on a shelf in my workshop but the box is carefully stored on another shelf out of harm's way.
I see loads of 5 1/2 at town markets in britian
I have a 5 1/2c it’s a nice tool
It's funny, I own a no.6 and I've more or less stopped using it since I got a scrub plane, an 8 and a 5 1/2 (which I bought because of Rob Cosman). It just sits in an awkward spot in size and function that makes it a niche use item for me now. The scrub handles stock prep so much better, the 8 handles jointing and the 5 1/2 is a new manufacture plane and is just too nice not to use. I reach for it mostly when my 5 1/2 is dull and I don't feel like sharpening. I think you've got the right idea here, it definitely could be a replacement for a 5 1/2 and it will work as a jointer in a pinch, though there is really no replacement for a No 8.
Agreed completely! My No 8 is in bad need of restoration. I need to get around to that. I can also see how someone with an 8 and 5 1/2 plus a scrub wouldn't need a 6. I mean, what would you do with it?
Rex Krueger could always gift it to someone 😉
I'd love to be able to get my hands on the 6 , 7 and 8 planes . One day :) I was lucky and found and restored a 4 and a 5 that had definitely seen better days
Keep your eye out for wooden planes. I really prefer wood for longer planes.