My apologies for my accidental redundancy. I managed to type Lee Valley when I should have typed Lie-Nielsen when I was referring to the well made current plane options. The OP's reference to Veritas already touched the Lee Valley base.
Member
My apologies for my accidental redundancy. I managed to type Lee Valley when I should have typed Lie-Nielsen when I was referring to the well made current plane options. The OP's reference to Veritas already touched the Lee Valley base.
Contributor
Generally it would be wise to avoid buying vintage tools that have been refurbished by amateur tool refurbishers/re-sellers. If you really must have vintage tools, then do your own due diligence and buy quality/condition. Or refurbish them yourself, once you have become informed.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Member
Agree on finding a well fettled plane....Originally Posted by Dave Parkis
Contributor
Might ask Chris where he got his refurbished planes at......as I have 6+ years of doing such work.
#3 or #4? Hand size would determine that. Start with the $5 Jack Plane.....a #3, or #4 Smooth plane, and you already have a block plane. Brand new, ready to go out of the box? There is a fellow on here that pushes the WoodRiver line of planes...
As for my own USERS..
DSCF0007.JPG
All I use are Stanleys and Millers Falls made planes From a few #3 sized planes, up to a couple of those #7 planes. There are THREE Low Angle Block planes in the top row. One is a Stanley( that empty slot shows it IS in use) and a pair of Millers falls.
#5s can be had cheaply enough, that instead of buying a bunch of blades, and messing around with setting each blade, I simply have a #5 for each job. Why stop to change out a blade and reset things back up, when I can merely set one jack plane down, and pick up the next one I need. The #7 is nice for long length boards..but if the board are shorter than the plane, it becomes a PITA to use. I can use the length of plane to suit a job.....from the #7 down to the 11" long #5-1/4plane. All depends on the size of the work I am doing. At one time, I did have a #8 Jointer....was too big for my shop....in fact, I have a Stanley 31, about the same size as a #8 that I rarely use.
Chisel plane? Build one, all you need is a block of wood and a decent sized chisel, or a spare plane iron.
I still have a standing offer: Send any plane(s) to my shop, I will refurbish them back to like new, and send them back as fast as I can. Cost is only for postage both ways, as I will reuse the shipping box they came in.
Member
That's a very generous offer, OP, this might be your best bet....I've had a few planes that needed quite a few hours work to get set up!
Member
Get a decent Stanley #5 and #4 (or #3) from a dealer or an Ebayer with experience with used planes. They aren't that expensive and it sounds like you can flatten and sharpen so I think you are set. You can probably get 8-10 good used planes for the price of a LN. That said, LN is pretty sweet. I'm sure Veritas is nice too.
Member
When starting out, I think getting one good plane is better than being frustrated trying to fettle an old plane. It will give you a good feeling of how a quality plane works, letting you do good work with less experience. Then restoring becomes a process of trying to get old planes to the same level.
Contributor
Usual myth.......getting a ready to go high end plane to start out will teach the beginner...NOTHING. Except to open a fancy box. Which anyone can already do.
Last edited by steven c newman; 03-23-2017 at 8:27 PM.
Member
Planes that have been through Stevens hands work very well.I have two number fours, a number five, a number seven and a number six he has helped me with. The man has a very, very good knowledge of planes.
[OP]
Member
All good advice. I'm trying to figure out what applies to me as I'm getting pointed in a few different directions.
Contributor
Be patient and your woodworking will tell you which plane you need. Watch for deals on quality tools, so you can make the most of your budget.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
The goal is to help establish a point of reference for subsequent acquisitions/refurbs.
There are other ways to do this -- if you have someone local with a set of well-tuned planes, or if there is some crazy-generous guy on forum who offers to tune your refurbs...
But either way, there will still be some learning you have to do yourself...
The planes I use the most:
1970's stanley #5 beater, with heavily-cambered Hock blade -- I love how well this works for flattening
old stanley #7 (Hock blade, minimal camber) -- flattening
LN #4 -- smoothing. Like it; works well.
I've also got a LV LAJ with flat blade for shooting and edge jointing.
Matt
Member
My #5 Beater is a 1920's type 13 Stanley with a Hock blade, it is a wonderful plane that I have used for 30 years. This brings up one more good point-You have both new and older planes in your collection. The OP should try both the old stuff and the new stuff before buying a bunch of tools. They have a distinctly different feel in use and he may prefer one over the other, or prefer (as you and I do) to have both.
In terms of the actual work it accomplishes, I would not want to trade my $12 (in 1980's) #5 for a New Lie Nielsen #5. For general purpose work, it is lighter and more nimble and more like driving a sports car than driving a truck when it is on the bench making shavings...ymmv...
Moderator
With due respect to your experience, I disagree with this statement. I learned a good deal from my Veritas and LN's. I learned how effortlessly a plane can and should work. That knowledge gave me valuable points of reference for all the parts of a plane.
I will say, though, that this has paled in comparison to being able to take an in-person class. Having someone diagnose your set up and efforts was priceless to learning how to plane properly (as if I'm doing it properly now...).
Member
..and we need to be careful not to make this seem like an overly complicated process. The best thing the Op can do is get a plane and start working scrap wood. he will figure it out with a little bit of persistence.
That being said, taking classes was one of the best things I did for my wood working. I remember little things from classes I took almost 30 years ago, and it is still pushing me forward in my woodworking.
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