I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolution
of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. One interesting plane that
was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. It had a sole make of
laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The blades
inserted easily.
Apparently the thinking behind it was that cheap knockoffs of traditional
designs simply did not work well. And expensive, quality planes were beyond
the price range for many woodworkers. So this is supposedly a quality plane
made for a reasonable price.
Sounds like it might work. I just never heard of it or seen it. Maybe it is
only available in Europe and not the US.
Any comments or direct experiences anybody?
On Nov 5, 10:37=A0am, "Lee Michaels" <leemichaels*[email protected]>
wrote:
> I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolutio=
n
> of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. =A0One interesting plane=
that
> was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. =A0It had a sole mak=
e of
> laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The blades
> inserted easily.
>
> Apparently the thinking behind it was that cheap knockoffs of traditional
> designs simply did not work well. And expensive, quality planes were beyo=
nd
> the price range for many woodworkers. =A0So this is supposedly a quality =
plane
> made for a reasonable price.
>
> Sounds like it might work. I just never heard of it or seen it. Maybe it =
is
> only available in Europe and not the US.
>
> Any comments or direct experiences anybody?
Lee,
Is this the one you saw?
http://www.amazon.com/RALI-Compact-Swiss-Plane-105PRO/dp/B000FV88S0
rali planes seem to review like this:
they work about as well as a moderately well tuned up stanley/bailey
plane, but no better and not much you can do to improve things. if you
buy rali's resharpenable blades and their sharpening jig you can get
the blade sharper than the disposables, which does help a little. the
big advantage to rali planes is the total simplicity of setting up, so
if you don't mind the expensive consumables and have no intention of
learning how to tune up/maintain planes and don't need really good
performance it might be for you.
Lee Michaels wrote:
> http://www.amazon.com/RALI-Compact-Swiss-Plane-105PRO/dp/B000FV88S0
>
> That is the company, RALI. I saw the full size plane on the show.
They appear to have block, smoothing, and rabbeting plane. They're not
particularly inexpensive. The availablility of carbide blades is
interesting though.
I noticed that the sides are fastened on with screws, making them
impossible to use on a shooting board.
The handles are plastic, which offends me for some reason.
Chris
"Dave - Parkville, MD" wrote
On Nov 5, 10:37 am, "Lee Michaels" <leemichaels*[email protected]>
wrote:
> I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolution
> of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. One interesting plane
> that
> was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. It had a sole make of
> laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The blades
> inserted easily.
>
> Apparently the thinking behind it was that cheap knockoffs of traditional
> designs simply did not work well. And expensive, quality planes were
> beyond
> the price range for many woodworkers. So this is supposedly a quality
> plane
> made for a reasonable price.
>
> Sounds like it might work. I just never heard of it or seen it. Maybe it
> is
> only available in Europe and not the US.
>
> Any comments or direct experiences anybody?
Lee,
Is this the one you saw?
http://www.amazon.com/RALI-Compact-Swiss-Plane-105PRO/dp/B000FV88S0
That is the company, RALI. I saw the full size plane on the show.
I work for a Swiss company and travel there once or twice a year. I've
gone out looking for tools a few times but never came across any good
shops. The company is sort of out in the sticks. I think someday I'll
come across that set of chisels and be a very happy man.
On Nov 5, 7:37=A0am, "Lee Michaels" <leemichaels*[email protected]>
wrote:
> I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolutio=
n
> of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. =A0One interesting plane=
that
> was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. =A0It had a sole mak=
e of
> laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The blades
> inserted easily.
>
> Apparently the thinking behind it was that cheap knockoffs of traditional
> designs simply did not work well. And expensive, quality planes were beyo=
nd
> the price range for many woodworkers. =A0So this is supposedly a quality =
plane
> made for a reasonable price.
>
> Sounds like it might work. I just never heard of it or seen it. Maybe it =
is
> only available in Europe and not the US.
>
> Any comments or direct experiences anybody?
First saw them some 7 years ago at the woodworking show(s) in chicago. Gave
it a glance, moved on to the new, better, shinier, prettier, etc... stuff.
jc
"Lee Michaels" <leemichaels*nadaspam*@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolution
> of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. One interesting plane
> that was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. It had a sole
> make of laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The
> blades inserted easily.
>
> Apparently the thinking behind it was that cheap knockoffs of traditional
> designs simply did not work well. And expensive, quality planes were
> beyond the price range for many woodworkers. So this is supposedly a
> quality plane made for a reasonable price.
>
> Sounds like it might work. I just never heard of it or seen it. Maybe it
> is only available in Europe and not the US.
>
> Any comments or direct experiences anybody?
>
>
>
On 5 Nov, 15:37, "Lee Michaels" <leemichaels*[email protected]>
wrote:
> I saw something on the DIYnetwork last night. It was showing the evolutio=
n
> of hand tools from hundreds of years ago to now. =A0One interesting plane=
that
> was showed was a new hand plane made in switzerland. =A0It had a sole mak=
e of
> laminated steel. It also had a variety of disposable blades. The blades
> inserted easily.
Rali, they've been around for years (10-20 ish).
IMHO, they're no use for woodworking or neandering at all. The blades
are sharpened at the wrong angle and the planes aren't especially
rigid at holding them. When I can buy a cast iron bodied plane for
tuppence anyway, great new innovations in stamping it from sheetmetal
just don't have much to offer.
One thing they're _possibly_ useful for is that they also offer a
carbide blade, and this can make a useful block plane for work on some
man-made laminates that are so abrasive a carbon steel iron doesn't
last long in use against them.