"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
it sounds like its a cute plane you can't actually hold?
That 601 sure is purdy, but I gotta' ask:
In what situation would you actually reach for a Bailey #1, instead of a small block plane? Even a #3 strikes me as a bit non-essential.
The #1 iron is actually narrower than most block planes. It also has a chip breaker which most block planes do not.
Mine is used for smoothing on small parts. Occasionally on small areas with real twisted grain. Sometimes it is also used on a corner joint where the face of one piece is slightly proud of the adjoining face.
Some folks feel they only need a #4 or a #7 bench plane to accomplish every task. It is possible and if that is their choice, fine. My choice is to have a full range of planes to accommodate my mood at any given woodworking moment.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Don't have a #1, but I have a small coffin style infill that is 6.5" long with a 1.5" iron that is very useful for small areas of tear out where I don't want to go over the entire surface again.
I use my #3 quite frequently on smaller pieces, and if I had a #2 that would be nice as well.
No, I trust most people want to be honest.
Besides my wife writes down the car tag and does a background check. (just kidding)
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Ah, of course.
It's funny: I have quite a few really small woodie smoothers, including coffins, and I use them all the time, but somehow when I see a metal bailey-type plane, I just automatically think of rougher work, no matter how small.
Weird.
Patrick Leach had them manufactured and sold them himself. I think he sold it for at least $450. Stanley never manufactured a 601 so it is technically not a reproduction but rather an "imagining" of what a 601 would have looked like. I saw one once at a tool show being resold by someone else and it was a very well made little thing, but I didn't even ask the price. I don't know how many Patrick Leach had made but it might be as many as 50 or 100.
To those #1 owners......
Beyond the cool/cute factor (arguably significant ) what advantages if any do these hold over a standard block plane? Does the tote offer greater utility? I've got a decent selection of standard and low angle blocks with adjustable mouth openings and never seem to be lacking for the right tool for the job.
Edit - Missed Jim's response to a similar question above.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
I have had my Lie Nielsen for well over 20 years (April of '92). Kids loved it as it fit their hands well. I use it on occasion when I need it