Almost a very cool Stanley No. 7

[Jeff Fuchs]

So, tonight I received the No. 7 that I purchased on ebay. The sole was flat, the japaning was in great shape, everything looked really good – except that the plane is in two parts. It looks like it was broken during shipping. I contacted the seller so I can get a refund. Bummer that a very nice plane was packed poorly and will never make wood shavings again.

[Chris Griggs]

Bummer Dude!

[Scott M Perry]

That sucks.

[Jim Koepke]

That is a bummer.

There needs to be a lot of packing to keep those bumps and drops from causing that kind of problem.

jtk

[Brent VanFossen]

Wow. That is really too bad.

[Mel Miller]

You have to wonder just what they do to packages in transit. That box doesn't look too bad, but I've seen others that looked like they ran over them with the truck.

[Adam Cruea]

With the sellers I've purchased from on Fleabay, I've let them know when it was shipped what they could do better to ensure it got there in one piece.

The biggest mistake most make is that they ship the plane shipped with all the screws in with no bubblewrap around the body. That allows for too much stuff to go clanking around if the plane changes from a warm climate to a cold climate and vice-versa, and the bubble wrap can take a lot.

Honestly, I just bought a #8 from Supertool (Patrick Leach) and it was packed superbly and almost completely torn down for shipping (the only thing assembled was the blade/breaker, everything else was wrapped by itself).

[edit]And scrolling past the OP. . .that just makes me want to cry like a baby.

[steven c newman]

I had a DE6c arrive that way, like the OP's that is.SDC12764.jpgSDC12775.jpgThat is the way the box looked on arrival. Pretty ain't it? Got the refund, bought a new baseSDC12825.jpgand telling the seller to "pack it like eggs". I had cleaned up the rest of the parts to almost like new. The handles? Gutta Percha tote came off in three chunks, knob was in just two pieces. Had to make new ones. Got things back togetherSDC12847.jpgStill has the DE iron. frog was a Union style, but it came with the plane. New wood is walnut. Rebuild took a little bit of time, elbow grease, some woodworking, and just being mean enough to make it work. Price refund was enough to buy a new base. Maybe that would be the best route for the OP, buy a replacement base to match.

[Johnny Kleso]

I received more No.3 cracked on the side than No.7s but I know your pain..
You get a great deal pulled out from under your feet..

[Gary Hodgin]

That's tough. Hope you can find another great deal.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Now you've got a jointer-chisel-plane. Perfect for maintaining a flat surface whilst working right into a corner! (I kid, but I have seen folks try and sell off smoothers broken like this as some sort of rabbet/chisel plane thing . . .

The biggest mistake most make is that they ship the plane shipped with all the screws in with no bubblewrap around the body. That allows for too much stuff to go clanking around if the plane changes from a warm climate to a cold climate and vice-versa, and the bubble wrap can take a lot.

The couple of planes I've put up for sale on eBay I took apart, and I'm surprised more folks don't - it's the only way I've found to fit larger planes in flat rate boxes, and it makes packing so much easier - you can wrap the parts so much easier and slide them in a smaller box as most sole castings are shorter than they are wide. I made it clear in my listings that the plane would arrive dissassembled, and why, and what size box that let me fit it in. I wish more folks did that, I'd certainly be more willing to take an eBay chance on someone who went that extra bit.

If I was buying a larger size plane, I'd almost be looking for someone with a higher shipping cost, on the theory that it meant they weren't going to try and shoe-horn it in too small a box. I'd certainly be wary of anyone that planned to charge me flat rate shipping for a number 7!

Of course, I did a chance on my Millers Falls jointer, which went for a really low price with no bids, and with the cost the seller charged me for shipping, I wasn't expecting it to arrive in one piece. I think he just weighed the thing before he boxed it up and guesstimated without taking into account the size of box you need to ship one of those things. (and a conveniently sized box isn't always readily available) It ended up arriving in a huge box, sitting diagonally with plenty of peanuts and space around the entire thing. I kind of felt bad because I think he probably ended up losing a fair amount on the shipping, given the weight and it being an oversize package, but that's what you get for not planning ahead. It's why anything I sell on eBay I always have it boxed and weighed before hand so I don't burn myself.

[george wilson]

Trouble is,a lot of stuff is sold by nimnuls who haven't the slightest idea what they are doing,or any idea that thin cast iron can crack.

I also hate the number of "salesman's samples" that seem to appear. Anything small becomes a salesman's sample to increase the price!! This idiot put a Swiss watch maker's hammer in as a salesman's sample. When I told him it was a standard Swiss watchmaker's hammer,his reply was "I've never heard of a Swiss watch maker!!! I asked the moron if he ever heard of Rolex. He was a con artist as far as I'm concerned.

I hope you can find a replacement base for the plane. Good luck.

[Tom Henderson2]

My condolences to the OP; what a bummer to open the box and find that! I hope the seller was reasonable about it all.

This brings up the question of the best way to ship large planes.... I've always thought that removing everything from the plane body was the way to go; rolling the body up in several thicknesses of corrugated paper. Bubble wrap the other parts individually, and maybe even shipping the loose parts in a separate box.

Any thoughts? I have a couple planes I'll be selling before too long an was contemplating packaging options, so this thread is timely.

-Tom in Ventura

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I don't know if there's specifically anything wrong with shipping a plane assembled, but you just often need a large box to do it, and to keep it a reasonable size (if to save on packing material if nothing else) it can be kind of a whacky size to find for larger planes, something long enough that's not obscenely wide.

But for the few I've shipped, I've always disassembled them, filled the "void" inbetween the walls of the sole casting with some bubble wrap, and then wrap the casting in some bubble wrap, pad out the box with lots of newsprint, small screws in baggies, (I like to use a the small ones that tiny electronics parts like resistors come in, and label them if I can) knobs and handles wrapped in a few layers of plain newsprint, blades wrapped in cardboard sleeves, and then all those little parts wrapped in bubble wrap. If there's enough room, I put the small parts in a small box in the main package, otherwise I tape them to the side of the package or the wrapped up casting so they're easy to spot in the box.