Choosing Hand Planes

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:20 am

I wonder has anyone here ever bought a Lie Nielsen or one of the other "upscale" planes and not been happy with it?

I also wonder how many buy planes more or less as collector items. Oh sure they may use them but their focus is more on the collection angle than the actual tool for use.

I don't mean to imply there is anything wrong with being a collector I was just wondering how many base their buying decisions on product worth as a future collectors item or future resale value over use. This could apply to all tools not just planes.

jimsjinx · Post by **jimsjinx** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:34 pm

Here in the south, you can't keep old tools/planes on the shelf in an antique or junk store. They go from around $40 bucks to $80, depending on what it is and condition. Lot of folks collect the old "scratch" planes for making decorative mouldings/edges. The old English style planes with Sheffield irons are the high dollar ones. jimsjinx

holsgo · Post by **holsgo** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:18 pm

Well, I'm guilty of a full set. I didn't buy them for collecting but it did end up that they all do work well for their purposes
[ATTACH]11405[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]11406[/ATTACH]

The 8 is excellent for jointing with the Jointer gauge on the box in the second pic. The 6 is actually one of my favorites and I've been using it in place of the 5 for many tasks.
I have many more, all are better than sandpaper any day of the week. I have tongue and groove, a 45, 66 hand beader, and an assortment of complex, rabbet and beading planes. I can do most of these tasks faster and easier with a sharp plane than a router.

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:24 am

holsgo wrote:The 8 is excellent for jointing with the Jointer gauge on the box in the second pic.

could you tell us more about the Jointer gauge? I hadn't heard of one before.

thanks

holsgo · Post by **holsgo** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:35 am

You fasten it to the edge of any of the jointer planes, the 6,7,8. There is a fence just like a router fence which tips in from 90 degrees to various angles. The fence rides the face of the board while the jointer planes the edge.
I got one when I was hand jointing long boards at a perfect 88 degrees.
88 is not 90. Glue up was tough.

fiatben · Post by **fiatben** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:17 am

in my searching, I have found two great links that contain more information on planes than I can possibly absorb anytime soon ...

http://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes ... lanes1.htm
(NOTE: this is page 1 of 4, links found at bottom of article "What Hand Plane Should I Buy?" and is 50+ pages)

and

Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore at
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html - this is supposedly one of the best and most complete listings of Stanley planes on the web.

Meanwhile, the search for CHEAP but GOOD planes continues.....

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:15 pm

iclark wrote:terrydowning,

is that upper plane a Millers Fall #9 (Stanley #4 equivalent)?

it looks like you inherited some really nice planes.

Ivan

Yes Millers falls #9 I used it just the other day. The surface i used it on came out like glass. The Block plane is a Millers Falls #7 really nice little block plane with a skewed iron and removable side that turns it into a a rabbeting plane.

Also in my collection
Stanley #5 (Type 18 I believe) currently undergoing restoration as it has definitely seen it's share of hard work over its lifetime and now it's time for some TLC.

Stanley handyman smoother plane no number but it is a smoother. Newer and not nearly as good in quality from the 70's I believe.

Several block planes.

I'll post a photo when I get the chance.

moose · Post by **moose** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:59 pm

For those of you interested in planes and would like to explore the artistry of a true craftsman, go to http://www.breseplanes.com and check out Ron Brese's site. Spend some time looking at the video's of his planes in action. I have seen and handled his work and I assure you, there is nothing better out there in the world. Purchasing some models is prohibitive and personally, if I had one, I would put it in a glass display case and never use it. The sheer mass of these instruments is such that once in motion, the momentum carries it through like a hot knife in butter.

fiatben · Post by **fiatben** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:02 am

ashbury wrote:For those of you interested in planes and would like to explore the artistry of a true craftsman, go to http://www.breseplanes.com and check out Ron Brese's site. .... Purchasing some models is prohibitive and .....

Holy Cow!! Prohibitive is hardly adequate. God bless him if he can get that kind of money for a handtool, and they sure are purty, but I don't think I have that much money (for a single smoother plane) tied up in my whole shop, SS and all!! And here I thought Lie-Nelson or Veritas was just a wet dream of mine!

Them thangs is so doggone purty, I'm thinking about making one my wallpaper on my 'puter screen!!

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:20 am

ashbury wrote:For those of you interested in planes and would like to explore the artistry of a true craftsman, go to www.breseplanes.com and check out Ron Brese's site. Spend some time looking at the video's of his planes in action. I have seen and handled his work and I assure you, there is nothing better out there in the world. Purchasing some models is prohibitive and personally, if I had one, I would put it in a glass display case and never use it. The sheer mass of these instruments is such that once in motion, the momentum carries it through like a hot knife in butter.

Too many 's' in that link. Remove the second one!:)

Shopsmith Forums

Choosing Hand Planes

Planes

ongoing education

Entry level planes is what I seek.