I, personally, like to have a slick and a plane handy. I would suggest trolling "junk shops", garage sales, or you might even have a store that carries used woodworking equipment. A used Stanley #3 or #4, shouldn't cost much, and is a better plane than a brand new one, unless you are going to spend big money for a Lie Nielsen. The L-N planes are awesome, though.;) I have a Stanley No. 10, it is from 1887, which is kinda cool, it is a good plane for cleaning right up to a shoulder. You can also use a wooden rabbet, I have a 3/4" and 1". I enjoy using these as well. There are members that have used tools for sale in the tool forum as well. One often overlooked set of tools is sharpening equipment, if your tools aren't sharp, they will not be any fun to use and you will get frustrated. I second taking a workshop, I learned a lot from the one I took. Good luck and keep asking questions.
Dave
