<< I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a used
hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are some of
the things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good plane and not a
piece of junk? Thanks. >><BR><BR>
The best start is Garrett Hack's book, The Hand Plane Book. If you are doing
this to simply save money, there is a good chance you will buy a plane twice.
Better ff spending right the first time. So here is the best route:
1. Learn how to sharpen tools
2. Get any cheap plane or chisel, just to practice
3. Start with a block plane, then a no. 5 plane, then a 4 for smoothing.
4. Decide if you want wood or metal. For wood check out Steve Knight Toolworks,
for metal, Lie Nielsen or Lee Valley.
Restoring old planes is really fun, and honestly not that hard, but one of the
first things you will have to do is get a good blade,such as a Hock. Thre are
reasons we pay so much for good bench planes, and it isn't vannity. But if you
larn to sharpen well, even a por plane will perfom tolerably, assuming you stay
with straight grained woods.
>"Chris" <[email protected]>
> << I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a used
> hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are some of
> the things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good plane and not a
> piece of junk? Thanks. >><BR><BR>
DarylRos wrote:
> The best start is Garrett Hack's book, The Hand Plane Book. If you are doing
> this to simply save money, there is a good chance you will buy a plane twice.
> Better ff spending right the first time. So here is the best route:
> 1. Learn how to sharpen tools
> 2. Get any cheap plane or chisel, just to practice
> 3. Start with a block plane, then a no. 5 plane, then a 4 for smoothing.
> 4. Decide if you want wood or metal. For wood check out Steve Knight Toolworks,
> for metal, Lie Nielsen or Lee Valley.
> Restoring old planes is really fun, and honestly not that hard, but one of the
> first things you will have to do is get a good blade,such as a Hock. Thre are
> reasons we pay so much for good bench planes, and it isn't vannity. But if you
> larn to sharpen well, even a por plane will perfom tolerably, assuming you stay
> with straight grained woods.
Garrett Hack's book is nice, but there's a wealth of free info on this
subject in this NG, just Do A Google Search. Add looking up planes at
wwww.supertool.com and you've got a pile of info. If you want to buy
USED planes LV and LN sell new, otherwise they're great. I don't know
if Steve sells used planes of his, but I can't see how he get anybody to
give them up so he could re-collect them. Antiques tores and flea
markets are a better bet for finding planes. Ease of finding depends on
area and desire to use eBay. I like to SEE and feel the plane before I
buy, so that makes my choice easy. YMMV. Where are you and maybe
somebody can point you the right way. The bottom line is that wood
parts are replaceable, metal parts need to be w/o cracks or horrible
pitting. You'll need a battery charger.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
Chris wrote:
> BTW, what's the battery charger for??
Those planes and other metal toys are going to be rusty. Do another
Google search and you'll have more info on how to replace rust with
metal. I haven't been in Ottawa in 30 years, but you should be able to
fins old metal and wood Stanley and Sargent planes without too much
difficulty. Look carefully at the sides and the throats (hole in the
bottom) to make sure ther's no splitting or cracking. Have Silvan
explain how to make new totes (back handles) for the planes. %-) I
hear he's been busy recently. If you have any questions, feel free to
e-mail me.
Dave in fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
Dear Chris,
> I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a used
> hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are some of
> the things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good plane and not
a
> piece of junk? Thanks.
See if you can get a copy of this magazine,
http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/issue.php?updateid=27
BTW, this is a blatent plug, I wrote the cover article.
Thanks,
David.
Every neighbourhood has one, in mine, I'm him.
Remove the "splinter" from my email address to email me.
Newbies, please read this newsgroups FAQ.
rec.ww FAQ http://www.robson.org/woodfaq/
Archives http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search
Crowbar FAQ http://www.klownhammer.org/crowbar
Thanks for the info so far. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, so I've got the Lee
Valley store right at my doorstep. I was thinking of buying new, but in an
effor to save some $, I thought I would look for a good used plane first.
BTW, what's the battery charger for??
Chris
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >"Chris" <[email protected]>
> > << I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a
used
> > hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are some
of
> > the things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good plane and
not a
> > piece of junk? Thanks. >><BR><BR>
>
> DarylRos wrote:
> > The best start is Garrett Hack's book, The Hand Plane Book. If you are
doing
> > this to simply save money, there is a good chance you will buy a plane
twice.
> > Better ff spending right the first time. So here is the best route:
> > 1. Learn how to sharpen tools
> > 2. Get any cheap plane or chisel, just to practice
> > 3. Start with a block plane, then a no. 5 plane, then a 4 for
smoothing.
> > 4. Decide if you want wood or metal. For wood check out Steve Knight
Toolworks,
> > for metal, Lie Nielsen or Lee Valley.
> > Restoring old planes is really fun, and honestly not that hard, but one
of the
> > first things you will have to do is get a good blade,such as a Hock.
Thre are
> > reasons we pay so much for good bench planes, and it isn't vannity. But
if you
> > larn to sharpen well, even a por plane will perfom tolerably, assuming
you stay
> > with straight grained woods.
>
> Garrett Hack's book is nice, but there's a wealth of free info on this
> subject in this NG, just Do A Google Search. Add looking up planes at
> wwww.supertool.com and you've got a pile of info. If you want to buy
> USED planes LV and LN sell new, otherwise they're great. I don't know
> if Steve sells used planes of his, but I can't see how he get anybody to
> give them up so he could re-collect them. Antiques tores and flea
> markets are a better bet for finding planes. Ease of finding depends on
> area and desire to use eBay. I like to SEE and feel the plane before I
> buy, so that makes my choice easy. YMMV. Where are you and maybe
> somebody can point you the right way. The bottom line is that wood
> parts are replaceable, metal parts need to be w/o cracks or horrible
> pitting. You'll need a battery charger.
> Dave in Fairfax
> --
> reply-to doesn't work
> use:
> daveldr at att dot net
On Sat 20 Dec 2003 08:02:42a, "Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:6EYEb.124111$%[email protected]:
> I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a
> used hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are
> some of the things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good
> plane and not a piece of junk? Thanks.
Here's the bookmarks I've got so far for planes. The Stanley plane dating
pages, second from top, is a great resource.
I got lucky a while ago and picked up four old planes at and estate sale
from an old woodworker. Beautiful pieces. Since then I've kept an eye on
the sales and travelled to several but nothing like that one has turned up.
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze2nwp6/stanley/Stanley.htm
http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0.htm
http://www.yesterdaystools.com/tuninga1.htm
http://www.thckk.org/sargent.html
On Sat 20 Dec 2003 12:37:16p, [email protected] (Charlie Self)
wrote in news:[email protected]:
> If my sig works right, you might find some help there.
> http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
Yep, that's a keeper. Thanks, Charlie.
Dan
Dan responds:
>
>> If my sig works right, you might find some help there.
>> http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
>
>Yep, that's a keeper. Thanks, Charlie.
Glad it helps. I apologize for the lack of photos, but one is the limit for
AOL: I've got somewhere between 20 and 30 to go into that eventually, but it
awaits getting this house sold, making a move, setting up my own web site and
similar fun things for, I hope, very early next year.
Charlie Self
"Man is a reasoning rather than a reasonable animal."
Alexander Hamilton
http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
Charlie Self wrote:
> but it awaits getting this house sold, making a move, setting up my own
> web site and similar fun things for, I hope, very early next year.
I went through Bedford Friday. It's still there, waiting on you.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Charlie Self wrote:
>>I went through Bedford Friday. It's still there, waiting on you.
>
> One hopes, particularly this time of year, as it is far too cold to sleep
> outdoors, even in the balmy southland. Sort of south, anyway.
We're the "in between" state. Yankees (which you are currently, seeing as
how you reside in the wrong Virignia) call us "hillbillies" and seem to
think that Virginia and WEST Virginia are the same state. (Which they used
to be, I'll grant you, but you took most of the real hillbillies with you
when you broke ranks in 1865.) People from North Carolina on south call us
"Yankees" and demonstrate a decided exiguity of historical knowledge.
(Well, we only joined the Confederacy reluctantly, I'll grant that as well,
but we *did* join, and Richmond *was* the capital and all, but nevermind,
yes, we're Yankees. Just don't tell that to people in Vermont.)
Anyway, if it makes you feel any better, I was in Savannah, GA last night,
and it was only 30 degrees. More balmy than here, but hardly balmy enough
for sleeping outdoors unless you're a teen to 20-something whose blood
courses with homones.
(Though on the up side of that... I got a 15,000 BTU propane heater for the
shop to supplement the electric. It was the only indoor-safe heater they
had, and it's indoor-safe enough to use inside a tent. Daddy won't have to
freeze his ass off the next time we go on a Cub Scout camping trip.)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Silvan writes:
>We're the "in between" state. Yankees (which you are currently, seeing as
>how you reside in the wrong Virignia) call us "hillbillies" and seem to
>think that Virginia and WEST Virginia are the same state. (Which they used
>to be, I'll grant you, but you took most of the real hillbillies with you
>when you broke ranks in 1865.)
Hell, I'm ALWAYS a Yankee...born and raised in NY, just outside the city. My
mother, though, was from Louisa County, so that gave my uncles the right to
call me "Damn Yankee" until I got out of Parris Island. I never said a word
about it. It just stopped.
And, IIRC, WV didn't break ranks in '65. It was '63, and Uncle Abe yanked this
place off as punishment (you can take that as a joke, or not, depending on your
view of WV).
Virginia as a colony extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, so Statehood
was a definite come down.
Charlie Self
"Man is a reasoning rather than a reasonable animal."
Alexander Hamilton
http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
Charlie Self wrote:
> right to call me "Damn Yankee" until I got out of Parris Island. I never
> said a word about it. It just stopped.
I guess your uncle is smarter than I am. Then again, you've told me how out
of shape you are, so I think I can still out run you, you damn yankee
you. :)
> And, IIRC, WV didn't break ranks in '65. It was '63, and Uncle Abe yanked
> this place off as punishment (you can take that as a joke, or not,
> depending on your view of WV).
'63, '65, doesn't matter, you still crawled into bed with Uncle Abe. :)
> Virginia as a colony extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, so
> Statehood was a definite come down.
On the bright side, we unloaded California. Good riddance! :)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Silvan writes:
>> but it awaits getting this house sold, making a move, setting up my own
>> web site and similar fun things for, I hope, very early next year.
>
>I went through Bedford Friday. It's still there, waiting on you.
One hopes, particularly this time of year, as it is far too cold to sleep
outdoors, even in the balmy southland. Sort of south, anyway.
Charlie Self
"Man is a reasoning rather than a reasonable animal."
Alexander Hamilton
http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
In addition to the advice of others here, consider getting a plane other
than Stanley. Sargent was a prolific competitor of Stanley, and you can
often find Sargent planes for less than the comparable Stanleys (due to
weirdnesses of the tool colector mentality). Also consider Ohio Tool,
older Craftsman (usually made by Sargent), and other less well known
makers.
-- Andy Barss
I noticed 1 thing, I was tuning a bailey # 4 C yesterday, low knob, pat date
circa 1903, and when I set the frog back in, there was no slop forward or
backwards, or side to side.
Seems the "newer" Stanley # 4 has more slop you have to work with when
setting the frog.
JMO
Thanks, Tony D.
"David F. Eisan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dear Chris,
>
On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 14:02:42 GMT, "Chris" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a used
>hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one).
Read any of the _many_ guides to Stanley planes, particularly
Patrick's Blood and Gore, Jeff Gorman's site and the type dating
study. Garret Hack's plane book is excellent, but most of the
immediately necessary content can be found for free on the web or this
newsgroup.
Go to eBay. Find yourself a Stanley #5 with a brass adjusting knob and
without blue paint. Get one that appears complete and not too tired,
from a seller who has a regular trade in the things. Don't get an old
one (they get expensive, owing to rarity) or a battered one (the hobby
of tool collecting comes later).
Then buy a new Samurai iron for it.
Now sit down with Google, rags, and a screwdriver or two. Strip it
down, wipe it clean and re-assemble it.
By this time, you should have a perfectly functional bench plane. Do
_not_ "tune" it, just get the basic adjustments right (frog position,
iron position). Don't get side-tracked into "tuning", sole-flattening,
mouth-closing and the rest of it.
Learn to use it. This is more important than having the right brand.
You buy a #5 because it''s common and useful, but it's not as common
as a #4. #4's grow on trees and under workbenches. before you know it
you'll have a breeding colony of them - they're the wire coathangers
of the woodworking world.
The Samurai iron is because they're good (best you can get),
affordably cheap and best of all, they arrive sharp. Right now you
want a user, not a sharpening exercise. Stanley's own irons are
rubbish, and you'd have to sharpen them (perhaps from a really pitiful
state) before use. Hock irons aren't sharp from the factory (and I
don't like them anyway) and Clifton irons usually need the mouth
tweaking before they fit an old body. Keep the old iron though. If
you were lucky enough to find a Sweetheart Stanley, then that's an
excellent user iron - but you'd still need to learn to sharpen it.
For a block plane (which I use more often than a bench plane) go to
Lee Valley and buy a new Veritas low-angle block plane. I know no old
plane that can be restored into a condition anywhere near as good as
these, straight out of the box. An excellent piece of work.
If you can't afford it, go for their "apron plane". Less useful
though, as it doesn't have the adjustable mouth.
If you're going for an old block plane, go for a knuckle joint from
eBay. The "old pattern" (read Blood & Gore) works better, but may have
a cracking problem. The later pattern works well too. All of
Stanley's other block plane designs are rattly pieces of junk with
adjusters that have all the precision of firetongs. Modern production
and Record even more so. If you need a new iron, Hock carry a range
that fit most designs. Old low-angles are harder to find than normal
block planes and carry a price premium.
If you've a rusty plane, then use electrolysis to clean it (web
search - has anyone seen that rusty2l.com site lately ?)
Other planes you should collect as you see a bargain are:
#4 1/2 - Wider and heavier than the #4, it's a useful smoothing
plane.
#4 - Always useful, and available for almost no cost if you keep your
eyes open. May be tuned into a smoother, or butchered into a scrub
plane.
#271 - miniature router plane. Very useful for working grooves or
hinge mortices.
#78 - (or the Record #778 is better) a big rebate plane, useful for
cleanup work on big work
#92 - cabinetmaker's rebate plane, that also serves as a cheap
shoulder plane. English-made are accurate, American are rough (modern
ones near useless, old ones are better).
#80 - cheap and commonplace scraper plane.
Other planes tend to be specialist. Ones I'd recommend to consider
are:
#112 scraper plane (the new Veritas). Finally, an affordable #112 !
One of Steve Knight's woodie smoothers.
#7 (or other long plane). If you're going to edge joint longish
boards, then you start to need one. A #6 is long enough for most
things other than big furniture projects, unloved and often cheap.
--
Smert' spamionam
replying to Chris, B wrote:
> Hi,
> I am just starting to get into woodworking and am looking at buying a used
hand plane (likely a #4 bench plane if I can find one). What are some of the
things I should be looking for to make sure it is a good plane and not a piece
of junk? Thanks.
> Cheers, Chris Ottawa, ON
x (me2) that's what i'm talkin' bout 2. i feel ya'.
B Seneca SC, USA
On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 16:42:35 GMT, [email protected] scribbled
>Chris wrote:
>> BTW, what's the battery charger for??
By battery charger, he means this:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302721229&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441888875&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395348027&bmUID=1071981533709&assortment=primary
A car battery charger, so you can do electrolysis & get rid of rust.
Not the chargers for small battery tools.
Luigi
Replace "no" with "yk" for real email address
Yep, low knob Stanleys had a frog seat almost as good as a Bedrock.
--
Ross
www.myoldtools.com
"anthony diodati" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I noticed 1 thing, I was tuning a bailey # 4 C yesterday, low knob, pat
date
> circa 1903, and when I set the frog back in, there was no slop forward or
> backwards, or side to side.
> Seems the "newer" Stanley # 4 has more slop you have to work with when
> setting the frog.
> JMO
> Thanks, Tony D.
>
>
> "David F. Eisan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Dear Chris,
> >
>
>