The planes you will use the most are the No. 3 or 4 smoothing plane, the No. 5 jack plane, and the No. 7 or 8 jointer plane. The No. 4, however, is a shop workhorse that touches almost every surface. It can maintain a flat surface and leave a perfect cut, and it does it quickly. Additionally, it can square and bevel edges and shape convex surfaces. However, if the length and width of a workpiece exceed those of No. 4, No. 7 can get the work done.