Hi All...I've got several hand planes that have been bouncing around packed away in moving boxes for the past 20 years or so. I recently dug them out in the process of setting up shop in my new house, and I'd like some advice from the SMC gang regarding what to do with them. To give people an idea about what I'm talking about, I've posted pictures and captions here.

With one exception, these planes were inherited from my grandad. (The newest one of the lot was left behind by the ex-wife. That's a whole other thread for another time. ) These planes are nowhere near sharp or tuned, especially the older ones, and aside from chewing up the edges of a few pieces of scrap lumber to try them out, I've never used them, since they're unusable in their current condition.

I've always leaned in the "more power" direction, but I can tell from reading here on SMC that a well tuned plane can be a pleasure to use. I'm no stranger to sharp edges -- I'm pretty fanatical about my kitchen knives -- but I don't know anything about tuning, sharpening, or setting up a plane. I've recently purchased the makings of a scary sharp system (including the Veritas MK II), and had impressive results in just a few minutes with my beater Sears chisels, but having never seen or used a well-tuned plane, I don't fully know what the goal is, let alone how to get there.

Which leads me to several questions:

Are any of these planes worth cleaning up and making usable? Are any of these worth the expense of paying someone else to fix up for me? (I'm guessing there are one or more people here at SMC who do this type of thing for fun and profit.) Would I be better off buying a good used one from someone who knows how to properly set up a plane? Perhaps trade a couple or three of mine for one decent used one? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance -

- Vaughn