The Jack Plane as Your Only Plane
The Stanley #5 plane is colloquially called the Jack plane because it is a competent plane for many different tasks. I have often stated that it can be the only plane you use and this fact is a great solace for those just starting out with hand tools. Just one plane to buy and figure out takes a lot of stress out of the equation and quickly gets you working wood.
Using this single plane you can go from rough sawn lumber to a finish ready board and when you add an extra blade sharpened with a curve you make that work even faster!

In this 50 minute HD video, (edited from a Apprentice Live Session) I show how specifically a Bevel Up Jack plane (but a regular Jack works too) can be used to take a rough sawn board all the way to sparkling smooth finish ready surface.

The wide open mouth and heavily cambered blade are the secrets to success when heavy wood removal is needed