Hey all;
I need a block plane, and can't afford the one I want (Veritas). It seems
like they Stanleys aren't that bad, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a
more experienced opinion on their recent offerings. Also, what is the
actual difference between the 12-220 and the 12-920, other than 50%?
Thanks,
Colin
On Oct 26, 4:29 pm, "Colin B." <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Hey all;
>
> I need a block plane, and can't afford the one I want (Veritas). It seems
> like they Stanleys aren't that bad, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a
> more experienced opinion on their recent offerings. Also, what is the
> actual difference between the 12-220 and the 12-920, other than 50%?
>
> Thanks,
> Colin
Stanley sometimes gets a little beat up on this group, but I have to
say that the 12-920 has served me well. I bought one about 15 years
ago when I didn't understand much about planes. As my skills as a
woodworker increased I slowly started to amass an arsenal of planed
with a mix of LN, Steve Knight and various users. I also realized that
sometimes a plane needs tuning. It seems ridicilous to have to tune a
new plane but after I spent a few hours fettling the Stanley, most of
which went into flattening the bottom, I can now pop off curls that
almost match the Lie-Neilsens. For the last six monnths I've been
doing a lot of boat building and this has become the most used tool in
my shop. My only real complaint is the factory blade dulls somewhat
quickly. Maybe some day I'll hot rod it with a Hock blade. Someone on
this group once said the best way to think about Stanley is you're
getting a plane kit that you have to finish.
On Oct 26, 4:29 pm, "Colin B." <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Hey all;
>
> I need a block plane, and can't afford the one I want (Veritas). It seems
> like they Stanleys aren't that bad, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a
> more experienced opinion on their recent offerings. Also, what is the
> actual difference between the 12-220 and the 12-920, other than 50%?
>
> Thanks,
> Colin
The rusty #18 knuckle cap I bought at a flea market in 1978
for $3.50 has served me well in almost daily use, even after
I laid out the bucks for an LN low angle.
...
> Get the Veritas (the low angle with the adjustable mouth).
...
> If you really can't afford that, get an _old_ eBay Stanley and fettle
> it.
I'll second both of those opinions! If at all possible, save up and
buy the Veritas - you definitely won't regret it. Even if you get out
of woodworking at some point, you'll be able to sell it for probably
90% of what you paid, if you take even half-decent care of it (i.e.
don't store it in salt water).
In addition to old Stanleys, I'll add that old Sargent and Millers
Falls planes can be good deals also - I'd definitely rather have one
of those (greater than 60 years old) than anything made in the last 50
years (unless it's from LV or LN). I'd also recommend a low angle
plane - generally easier to push on most wood, and can work well for
end grain. If you do eventually want to use this plane on figured
wood and want to use a high angle, you can resharpen your existing
blade or get a separate blade to swap out.
You can be more confident of getting a good deal by going through a
reputable used tool dealer. I'd try brasscityrecords.com, or here's a
thorough list: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/tools.html
(No affiliations)
Good luck,
Andy
Per the Stanleytools.com web site:
90-220 is a basic 21 degree cutting edge block plane with adjustable iron
using a brass knob.
90-920 is also at 21 degrees, adjustable iron using a brass knob. It also
has an adjustable mouth which for end grain use can be used to reduce, or
widen the mouth of the plane. (an explanation beyond that I will leave for
someone else.) This adjustable mouth is not just a gimmick to take your
money. A setting of the mouth to the about the thickness of a piece of
paper will help in some situations. Other times it needs to be wide open.
90-960 is the same as the 90-920, but the blade is low angle, sitting at
13-1/2 degrees. This makes this blade WAY better at fine tuning miter cuts
on case work, or trim work, around doors and windows. Not as much needed
today because of motorized miter chop saws are so good. This is the one I
would recommend.
Phil
On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:55:03 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
> Someone on
>this group once said the best way to think about Stanley is you're
>getting a plane kit that you have to finish.
Hopefully, the new ones will stay finished once you expend the effort.
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------
On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:29:13 +0200 (CEST), "Colin B."
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I need a block plane, and can't afford the one I want (Veritas).
Don't get a new Stanley.
Get the Veritas (the low angle with the adjustable mouth). Don't even
get the Veritas "apron plane".
If you really can't afford that, get an _old_ eBay Stanley and fettle
it.
If you can't find a Stanley worth having, get an Anant, a Lucky Golden
Hedgehog or something that is at least dirt cheap. Then get the Veritas.
If you buy a new Stanley though, you're paying an appreciable fraction
of a real plane (the Veritas) and buying a piece of throw-away crap.
Colin B. wrote:
> Hey all;
>
> I need a block plane, and can't afford the one I want (Veritas). It seems
> like they Stanleys aren't that bad, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a
> more experienced opinion on their recent offerings. Also, what is the
> actual difference between the 12-220 and the 12-920, other than 50%?
>
> Thanks,
> Colin
>
I got my Stanley about a year ago and I
wonder how I ever survived without a
block plane. I like the idea of a small
plane that I can reach for at any time.
I went through the same decision-making
you're going through, and opted for the
Stanley over the Veritas for the same
reason. I regret that now.
There's nothing wrong with the Stanley,
and I got it from Lee Valley. However,
in the 12 months intervening, I've
realized that the extra $50 would have
been worth it in quality. I have other
Veritas tools and I can't say enough
about them.
Going through the same process again,
I'd have scrimped to get a higher
quality tool. Any plane I get from now
on will either be a Veritas or a L-N.
--
Tanus
This is not really a sig.
http://users.compzone.ca/george/shop/
"Phil-In-Mich." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Per the Stanleytools.com web site:
>
> 90-220 is a basic 21 degree cutting edge block plane with adjustable iron
> using a brass knob.
>
> 90-920 is also at 21 degrees, adjustable iron using a brass knob. It also
> has an adjustable mouth which for end grain use can be used to reduce, or
> widen the mouth of the plane. (an explanation beyond that I will leave
> for someone else.) This adjustable mouth is not just a gimmick to take
> your money. A setting of the mouth to the about the thickness of a piece
> of paper will help in some situations. Other times it needs to be wide
> open.
>
> 90-960 is the same as the 90-920, but the blade is low angle, sitting at
> 13-1/2 degrees. This makes this blade WAY better at fine tuning miter
> cuts on case work, or trim work, around doors and windows. Not as much
> needed today because of motorized miter chop saws are so good. This is the
> one I would recommend.
>
http://www.leevalley.com/shopping/Instructions.aspx?p=33287
http://planetuning.infillplane.com/index.html
http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Woodworking_Tools/Veritas_P___S/veritas_p___s.html#Mouth
Or standard works on woodworking. They're right, too.
I've got a Stanley and a Lie-Nielson. They work well, I just feed the
cheaper plane a rougher diet.