Hi all:
Ever the frugal Yankee, I've been picking up increasing chatter that Anant hand planes (made in India, that hotbed of Western style woodworking) present a servicable middle ground between low end cheapies (heck, even modern Stanleys) and high end planes like Lie-Neilson, Veritas, Clifton, and the like.
I am aware that well-tuned antiques come in closer to the L-N side of the spectrum. In fact, I own and enjoy several antique users.
I'm interested in the Anant line however because it offers a few "speciality" planes at very good prices. The modern equivalents are VERY expensive, as are the antique originals, assuming you can even find them in the wild.
Hartville Hardware sells an Anant low angle block plane with an adjustable mouth; an apparent copy of the Stanley 60 1/2.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product...earch_id=63811
Woodworker's supply offers an Anant bullnose plane that looks to be patterned after the Stanley 92.
http://www.woodworkersupply.com/cgi-...ARTNUM=829-834
And finally, Highland Hardware offers an Anant model that is a dead ringer for the Stanley no. 10 cabinet maker's plane; complete with a full width iron and cut out sidewalls.
http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com...3&1=425&3=4658
Notice that if one wants all three, they'd have to order from three suppliers, each with their own shipping costs. Why can't a single distributor carry the entire line?!
Don Kugelberg mentioned in another thread that he has had good experience with an Anant bench plane (what, a No. 4 Don?), after tuning, of course. Don, can you elaborate and does anyone else have any comments on the Anant line as a poor man's route to these speciality planes?