I’ll make a few actual recommendations at the end, but for most people this is the wrong question. The right question is, how can I get someone to help me set up my first plane.

If I had a choice between a cheap plane, and someone to help me set it up, vs an expensive plane, and no help. I’d take the cheap plane and help every single time.

If you do not know anyone who can help you, there are a lot of people out there teaching setup and sharpening. I’d reduce my plane budget and pay for the class.

I’ve been working with hand tools for about 7 years now. Before that I had no experience at all. For the first 2 years I built very little and mostly hoarded tools. I moved house about 5 years ago, and got a better space and started putting in a little more time. I did not know any hand tool woodworkers. Everything I learned came from YouTube and books.

Not long after that I had enough money that I paid for a weekend course on sharpening and setting up tools at Rowden Atelier. They do not seem to offer the same class at the moment, but there are plenty like it out there. I’m in Ireland, so I paid for the class, flights, a rental car and accomodation. It was worth every penny. I can think of several things that really levelled up my woodworking. This was the first thing that gave me a major step up.

Over the course of two days we set up a block plane, a bench plane and 2 chisels. They also demonstrated sharpening scrapers, saws, and other tools. The big deal was that at the end of the weekend I had a bench plane that someone who really knew what they where doing said was working well. And it was. I still use that plane today. Its one of my favourites.

When I bought my first joinery saws, I saved up and bought brand new Lie Nielsen. I always found sawing very difficult. I wanted to know that when something went wrong, the problem was me, and not the saw. I advise getting yourself to the same position with your first plane. Know that the problems are you, and not the tool (there will be plenty of problems). It will accelerate your learning dramatically.

Plenty of people will advise you to spend the money on a brand new top of the line plane to avoid hitting those issues. That is not terrible advice. A lot of the issues you can run into with a vintage or low end plane are very unlikely on a high end plane. You can still run into problems with the expensive planes. I’ve seen new high end planes that were not flat enough and that had machining errors. Its rare, but it happens. A beginner is going to have a very hard time figuring that out.

Even if your brand new plane is perfect out of the box, you still need to know how to sharpen well. My first few years of hand tool use were essentially a succession of “oh so THAT is what sharp is like”, and not actually being there yet. At the end of those 2 days, I finally knew what sharp was.

And then there is simple user error. I’ve accidentally put the chip breaker ahead of the plane iron, and not understood why I was not getting a good shaving. I’ve put irons in backwards. I’ve had lever cap screws too loose and not understood why my plane kept failing to take a shaving after a few strokes. A brand new plane wont help with any of that.

My major piece of advice is find out how you are going to get help first, then figure out what plane you are going to get.

Second thing to look at is the condition of the back of the plane Iron. Not much of an issue on a brand new plane, but if you are buying vintage, do not buy without getting a good look at it. If it does not look pretty much flat when you are buying it, you could be in for hours and hours of pain getting it flat enough to get it really sharp. You can use the ruler trick, but as a beginner you can mess that up. If you have access to a grinder, pitting just at the end can be ground away. Look for an iron with enough length left that grinding past it wont be an issue. When you see someone on YouTube flattening a vintage iron in 15 minutes, you are seeing someone who had the knowledge to buy a vintage iron that did not need much work.

Third is the sole. Most vintage planes don’t require the sole to be lapped. But some do. For a first plane, I would advise trying to find something that you will not need to do that on. Pitting or cracks around the mouth are a hard no. If you can shop somewhere in person, do, and bring a decent straight edge to check the sole. If its twisted, leave it. If there is a big low spot around the mouth, leave it. If you buy a new plane, and either of those are an issue, return it.

If the iron and the sole are in good shape, most other problems wont be such a big deal to sort out. You have a plane you will be able to put to work quickly. With all that out of the way here are some specific recommendations.

Buy a No. 4. Its the most common size out there for a reason. You might decide in time you prefer a 4 1/2, or a 5, or a 3. But you will get a lot done with a 4 out of the gate. If you are a new woodworker, most of your projects will be relatively small. You do not need a jointer. My second plane would be a no. 5 and I’d camber the blade a lot. But for the first. Buy a number 4.

If you have the budget. Buy Lie Nielsen or Veritas. They are going to be great right out of the box. Lap the iron just a little on a fine stone, sharpen and most of the time you are good to go. You will never feel the need to upgrade that plane. Its a forever tool.

If that is out of budget, take a good look at the WoodRiver/Quangsheng planes. They are very good for the money. The finish is not as nice as the top grade planes, but its not that far off. The irons come pretty flat, a little more work to get a really flat back, but again, very doable. I have a 5 1/2 Quangsheng and its a great plane. The adjuster is a little stiffer than I would like. The iron holds a good edge. If buying Quangsheng, buy from a well known trusted retailer. Quangsheng make a lot of planes for a lot of retailers and brands. The price varies considerably, because they make to the level of quality they are asked for. A cheap plane from them is not really the same tool as the more expensive plane from them. In the UK, I trust Workshop Heaven.

Finally, the cheapest option in terms of money, but potentially very expensive in time. Buy a Vintage Record or Stanley. There are lots of fans of other makes, but you will find more resources and help for a Record or a Stanley. Buy one with the completely flat frog face, but make sure it has a lateral adjuster. The flat frog face itself is not that important, but it means its of an age before the general quality of planes started to decline. I slightly prefer the record planes, but there is not much of a difference. If you get it and getting the back of the iron flat is proving too much of a chore, just buy a modern Iron. For those in the UK Ray Isles produces replacement plane irons that are only slightly thicker that the original irons, so you will not have to mess about with the frog position, or filing open the mouth. If you get a vintage plane tuned up well, the difference between it and a top of the line plane will not be that much.

To wrap up I’ll address a common suggestion for beginners. A low angle jack plane with multiple irons. These are simpler planes, there is less to set up and learn, which is a big plus for a beginner plane. I feel that a chip breaker makes a big difference when you are dealing with difficult grain, and you may as well get a plane with one on day one. To get the most out of a low angle jack, you need to be able to sharpen to your chosen angles, and that can be asking a lot of a beginner on day one. They are not a bad choice of first plane, but they would not be my choice.

Lastly, if you are not getting the results you hoped for from any plane you get. Ask for help on the vintage tool patch during the week! Everyone will be happy to help!

First Plane

The Lie Nielsen No. 4. The priciest option, but a wonderful tool.

First Plane

The Veritas No. 4. This has some bells and whistles you don’t get with the Lie Nielsen. An adjustable mouth. Set screws on the side make repeatable setup easier. I do not own any of the Veritas bench planes, because I just do not like the aesthetic. If it works for you, its slightly cheaper than a Lie Nielsen with more features.

First Plane

Quangsheng No. 4. A modern bedrock style plane. Pretty well made. The worst thing I can say about it is that I find it hard to keep the ductile iron body rust free. Substantially cheaper than a Veritas or Lie Nielsen.

First Plane

Record No. 4. I’ve on average found Records have a slightly tighter mouth, slightly less slop in the mechanisms, and slightly heavier castings than Stanley planes. But the difference is very small, not worth worrying about.

First Plane

This is the style of frog I would look for on either a Stanley or Record. Not that important in and of itself, but if it has this style frog, everything else will probably be pretty good too. If its a Stanley, make sure it has a lateral adjust lever.