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.

It does a nice job of keeping the #7 and #5 1/2 from smacking into each other in the plane drawer. 😆

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.

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 think this is the only video on KZfaq that shows someone using a no 6 rather than “restoring” one

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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

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 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.

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

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 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.

Excellent video. I'm a little envious of your knowledge for these particular tools.

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.

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.

Thanks for the video. My father's go-to plane for hanging doors was his No. 6.

I have a 1906 #6 plane. I use it to level the fret boards on cigar box guitars. It's marvelous. Sentinel Guitars.

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

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.

Great info in this! Thank you Rex!

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!

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! 👍

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.

Rex , you are the Mac on anything plane related !

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

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!

I have a Luban 6. It’s actually Stanley 5 size. It works a treat in most situations.

thank you Rex

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 . 😊👍

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.

Thanks. I just found my grandfather's old #6. At first I thought it was a jointer but clearly the jointer is much larger.

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!

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.

I like the price sheet from yesteryear. Nice information.

Thanks Rex, l’m a no 6 fan too, and using it with two blade set ups, a cambered one for stock prep and one with just the corners off for panel smoothing gives you the flexibility for a lot of woodworking tasks. They do have that weight issue though so you’ll get a great workout!

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.

"So what the hell is this thing *fore*?"

Good info, thanks!

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.

great video

We have 2 number 6 /s one setup for softwoods at 25 deg and a second one for hard woods set at 35 deg 25 deg primary bevel and 35 deg secondary bevel. to keep the blade sharp for longer periods of time.

I wanted to get a jack plane, but the store I was buying from only had the No. 6 in stock. It's worked out fine for my purposes. Using it to flatten out a board to turn into a nightstand top. It can take down material and acts a bit like a joiner, keeping things level.

Interesting points. I wasn't aware of the panel plane. I heard somewhere that the #6 was mostly good as a worksite jointer - it's long enough to joint boards, but short enough to fit in your tool tote. That would have made it very handy back in the day when construction crews had joiners on the team. I don't remember where I heard that, though.

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

This was useful. I found a Wards Master #6 plane at a local pawn shop for $35 in very good condition.

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.

I found that to be rather interesting, some good in information there I did not know. Thanks for that, mate👍

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.

100% agree Rex, it’s too heave for fore work. Even the stanley jointers are too heavy.

A old wartime no. 6 was actually my first proper bench plane. I bought it because I was just getting started on building a proper workbench, and I needed something that would flatten and joint larger parts, without as much fatigue on my little 13yo self. It works super well, and I’ve never felt the need to upgrade to a 7. In all fairness though, I don’t do a whole lot of jointing work, mostly flattening panels or shooting thick boards

Like every plane it's sized for the wood to be fitted. It was considered essential in it's time when hand work was dominant and as now time spent was imperative. I love my electric joiner and planer, still use my hand planes on small items

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

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'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.

very interesting thanks. 5 1/2 are pretty easy to find in the UK. every car boot sale I go to I seem to see them

Great video and very Informative. I did my time as a shipwright (now an all but dead trade) It was common for a shipwright doing boat repairs to only carry a #4 and a #6 plane and a couple of spoke shaves. The #6 is for making spars.

Have a 6, but just got a 7 on FB and I like it better. I was using the 6 for shooting only, but the 7 can do that and flatten much better.

I love my number 6 and I use it a lot for bigger surfaces that I want to smooth when I don’t really need the bigger #7 or #8. I also use mine for shooting as the weight is just right as to not cause so much work. Of course a #62 would be a better shooting plane but I can’t afford one right now so my #6 works well for that. A 5 works too but I like the 6 better.

Good explanation, #6 most used plane in my shop. No, not a smoothing plane, but excels at smoothing large panels. Also great for jointing boards under 24” long and spring joints on along boards. Preferred over LA jack for shooting. But that’s me.

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.

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.

You need to show that jointer some love!

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

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.

I use the six following the scrub in rough stock prep

Your jointer plane is your longest plane available, mine it's a #6.

I use my no. 6 for a shooting board plane.

I got a 6 pretty cheap before getting an 8. It does fine work like you say, unless you regularly do really long or wide work like tables and doors. Now I have wood bodied planes in that size range for small money and am working on figuring them out.

Great content. Thanks.

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

I have 11 no.6 planes it is my favorite plane to use. Now out of those I have 3 that are my go to users. 2 of them are type 16s one is use for edge jointing and have very successfully jojnyed 8ft boards no problem. The other is set up as for a shooting board. The last is my favorite it's a all type 11 no.6 that is set up to take gossamer-thin shavings for panels. I think it's is way more versatile than a no.5 and it's the plane I usually recommend as a first plane to people

Thanks, that was very informative! Used Bailey planes are few and far between here in continental Europe, so when I saw a Record No 6 at the flea market, I pounced on it no questions asked. I use it as a jointer for small parts mostly; for fore plane tasks I prefer a 5 (don't own a 5 1/2) or a wooden scrub plane if needed.

As I am just beginning a woodworking hobbiest, the #6C is my longest and heaviest plane, to date. This makes this $12 flea-market find the perfect jointer for me. I have found a #6 sized wooden foreplane and after restoring this $15 find, find it to be a great foreplane. I would have to agree, from my limited knowledge, that the wooden plane makes a much better roughing plane (foreplane) than the metal version. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this plane.

I also use my number 6 all of the time.

Some how I have bought four #5 1/2 one of them is form the late 1900s

Great shooter due to it's weight and width!

Funny, I just got a #6 at a garage sale for $10 and was wondering what the heck to do with it! Excellent timing!

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.

I got a No. 6 because I wanted a No. 5 1/2 and a No. 7 ...... I use it very often, but my work means it's usually just one or to edges at a time, so I never have to push it around for too long. I like the momentum it has, but that's because I don't sharpen as often as I should.

N°6 is the only plane I have. I use it for everything. It's like a jointer more easy to use. A little bit heavy when it comes to flatten a little board but it does the work. I think I'm going to buy a n°4 1/2 for smoothing

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.

I can't remember if I saw this old video before I got my 6c but this is exactly why I got the 6c....might of been pretty cheap too and as for the weight I went to college (UK college) and I was one of the only people who used a 4½ as I just like the extra weight

No 6 plane mainly used for shooting flush door panel edges as length helps keeping straight and true

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.

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.

KMac Interesting! I've never actually seen a 5 1/2, however I do love my 4 1/2 which is fitted with a thick laminated blade (Japanese made) purchased back in the mid 80s. My 6 is mainly used on my shooting board where it's considerable heft is an advantage.

ive used a #6 on door edges my entire life, works great. is there one that is better? lemme know

No 6 fore plane ie the before plane is my first on large timbers great for knocking back , very underated today sad to say ,if you don't have arm's like tree trunks you can step down to a 5 1/2., the 5 1/5 I got for £10 UK with very little restoration luckily lol

Hey Rex, been loving your videos. I've been a power tool guy for a couple decades now, and finally have a dedicated shop space and started looking into hand tools. I went to an estate sale picked up a bedrock (old round side style)no 605 1/2, and a bailey no 6, for $48 bucks each. Both are in pretty good shape, some light rust and dirty. I'm cleaning them up now, and I'm on the hunt for a no 4 and a no 5. the 5 1/2 and the 6 are very similar as you say in this video. How would suggest I set them up/what task to use them for?

I think the most sensible thing I have seen them for is a rough thicknesser. Jack plane means it’s a jack of all trades, so it’s going to be no camber and of a utilitarian modification tool. Smoothing plane means it’s short enough for the bed to follow any large lack of jointing. Jointer planes means they are long enough that the long bed means that you make the entirety relatively uniform. This means that there is a categorical lack of planes designed to remove large amounts of material to get to rough thickness.

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

Rex do you have a video on how to sharpen your plane blades?

What a nice man.....

I have a 5 1/2c it’s a nice tool

Thanks. I bet the price goes up on the #6 planes after this video.

Great video, and funny timing! I avoided buying a #6 due to hearing how bad they are from older carpenters. Yet a couple of weeks ago, I came across a sweetheart 6C at a price that I couldn't pass up, and there was a second rusty chipped blade sitting in the corner. Scooped them up, and after a little vinegar and work on the stones had it up and running. Time will tell, but it might end up being my most used aside from the #4. I mostly am using hand tools in conjunction with power tools, so its either for roughing out, or working a desired texture afterwards. Since I'm not using it for long periods of time, the weight doesn't matter and it becomes a beast of a tool for flattening boards. I have a heavy camber on one blade for those scrubbing purposes. I have a slight camber on the other blade, because with the 6 I can quickly joint an edge without picking up multiple planes. It's short and light enough to work it like a jack plane, yet just long enough to get an edge as flat as I need for most purposes. Happy to have added it to my arsenal. Like you say, in a hand-tools-only world it doesn't really have a place, but oddly enough with the progression of power tools, I think this one has become relevant again. Good to see you offering multiple opinions on the subject. subscribed!