Veritas and Lie-Nielsen low angle jack planes vs. Stanley #62

[Mark Keller]

Hi All. I’m wondering if anyone owns and has used the Stanley low Angie jack plane and how it compares to the Veritas and Lie Nielsen. It seems it can be found for about half the cost of the more expensive ones. I’d appreciate your input.

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome to the Creek Mark! Glad you've joined us!

I haven't used a new Stanley 62. But I do have one of their new block planes. (It was my first hand plane.) It required a fair bit of fettling (tuning up). But after I did so, it works well enough to keep it.

One of the reasons the Veritas and Lie Nielsen are more expensive is because they don't need any fettling. In my experience with both brands, you can use them as-is, right out of the box. The soles are flat, the mouths are "right", the frogs are "right" and the plane irons are flat. I usually hone the bevel, but that's just me. On a less important (to me) note, the fit and finish of the Veritas and Lie Nielsen are far better than it was on my new Stanley.

Going off topic with what you didn't ask: I learned a lot about "hand plane mechanics" by fettling that Stanley and several used Stanley's I've bought since then. I'm glad I did. But I usually buy new now when I can afford it, to save the time. But you don't have to buy new. You could look for a vintage (old) Stanley, which will probably be a better plane than a new Stanley after you fettle it, for about the same amount of work and less money.

Best of luck!
Fred

[Charles Bjorgen]

I bought one of these from Amazon after the new line was released. Several initial reviews suggested that the plane had some problems but frankly, mine as delivered was problem free. I tried some cuts with it right out of the box and it was surprisingly good. Price at the time was $109.00. Today, it’s listed at $105.00 on Amazon although I note that prices for this plane seem to vary widely depending on the source.

I ultimately sold the plane to a high school woodworking student for $65 after finding a LV Low Angle Jack Plane on Craigslist. The new Stanley might be worth trying though if you don’t want to commit to a higher price.

Hi All. I’m wondering if anyone owns and has used the Stanley low Angie jack plane and how it compares to the Veritas and Lie Nielsen. It seems it can be found for about half the cost of the more expensive ones. I’d appreciate your input.

[Phil Mueller]

Hi Mark,
Take a look at this thread: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....167-Stanley-62

I would agree with the opinions from this thread on the cap iron..it’s cheap material and can be very difficult to tighten it enough to keep it from coming loose. And again, the adjustment is very sloppy. Once dialed in and locked down though, it’s a decent plane for the money.

[Jim Koepke]

But you don't have to buy new. You could look for a vintage (old) Stanley, which will probably be a better plane than a new Stanley after you fettle it, for about the same amount of work and less money.

The vintage Stanley #62 is likely more expensive than the new version. It is also a weaker casting. My advise is if you want a plane as a user, avoid the vintage in this model. That was my main reason for purchasing a Lie-Nielsen #62.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

The vintage Stanley #62 is likely more expensive than the new version. It is also a weaker casting. My advise is if you want a plane as a user, avoid the vintage in this model. That was my main reason for purchasing a Lie-Nielsen #62.

jtk

Thanks Jim. I (obviously) didn't know that. Sorry Mark was only trying to help and extrapolated too far.

[steven c newman]

Been using the Wood River #62 for a while....seems to be decent enough....

[Andrew Seemann]

The vintage Stanley #62 is likely more expensive than the new version. It is also a weaker casting. My advise is if you want a plane as a user, avoid the vintage in this model. That was my main reason for purchasing a Lie-Nielsen #62.

jtk

What I have found is that for common planes (e.g. #3-8, #75, #78, block planes, and some others) used planes are almost always cheaper than new. These are the planes that Stanley made by the boxcar load and tend to be relatively easy to acquire. Fortunately for us, these tend to be the most useful and used planes. Admittedly #6, #7, #8 can be a little harder to find.

For the more specialty planes like skew rabbets, edge trimmers, and similar, and especially ones that were originally uncommon but are now popular like #62s, jack rabbets, #212s, etc, it seems like the newer planes by LN, LV, Stanley, and others can actually be a better deal. Collectors seem to have driven up the prices of the originals to be comparable or even higher than new, and for the ones with more fragile castings, like skew rabbets and jack rabbets, the modern alloys are much stronger.

[Jim Koepke]

Been using the Wood River #62 for a while....seems to be decent enough....

It wouldn't surprise me to find the Wood River to be a better quality plane than the Stanley. Neither of these planes have been in my hands so my 'surprise' is merely a guess.

On the economical end of things are the Wood River or the current Stanley offerings.

On the high priced end are the LV and LN offerings.

At the time of my purchase there were only the high end offerings. My reason for buying was mostly for the shooting capabilities. For face and edge planing a bevel down plane with a chip breaker works perfectly well for me.

A bit further out on the purchase decision in the present market is how the customer service for the product is handled. LV & LN are well known for standing behind their products.

How well does one fare if they need service from Stanley or Wood River these days?

How long after the sale?

How well does the resale value hold up?

All things to consider.

jtk