looking to buy my first hand plane...

Mike Gager

Member
Messages
118
Location
Topeka KS
i know pretty much zero about the different style of planes but would like to get started getting to know them. first step would be to actually get one i suspect! so do you guys have any suggestions on what i should buy first? keep in mind im on a budget so it doesnt have to be a $100 lie neilson or whatever, just something decent to get me started as i am a beginner in most senses of the word :D
 
I'd probably recommend finding an older Stanley #5 as a good all around plane. If you can, find someone that can help you get it tuned up so you know how a hand plane is supposed to work. If you don't already have one, get a block plane too. They are a lot of fun when they are set up correctly!
 
would like home depot or lowes have anything comparable to the stanley planes? not much selection for flea markets around here

i need something that i can plane edges with and something to smooth like a table top if that helps at all
 
For a 'first' plane, I'd suggest a block plane. You can find a Stanley 60½, or a 65, or their Sargent or Millers Falls equivalents for around $50 or so on Ebay, or maybe you'll get lucky at a local flea market.

Clean it up and sharpen the blade, and you'll be amazed at what you can do with it.

If you're a bit more flush, the Lee Valley low angle block plane Is a great one, too, but it's about $150.00.
 
would like home depot or lowes have anything comparable to the stanley planes?

NO! NOT CLOSE!!
Don't waste you money there!!

I second Jim, a block plane is the most used and a good one to learn to sharpen too. #4 or a #5 is a great size too, but not as useful as a block plane.

My advice is simple. Email Walt Q at Brass City Records and Tools once you know what you want. Walt is straight up and honest. He will not cheat you and will set you up with a plane ready to go.

Next, check over in the Handtools forum at Woodnet. There are several part time dealers there. That's a great bunch of guys too. I have bought hand tools from several of them. Walt it one, and no far not the least bit disappointed.
 
would like home depot or lowes have anything comparable to the stanley planes? not much selection for flea markets around here

i need something that i can plane edges with and something to smooth like a table top if that helps at all
I've seen Stanley block planes at Home Depot or Lowes, but I suspect they are not as good as the older Stanley planes.

Some of the Neander guys here might shoot me for suggesting this, but you might look into the Groz planes. They are sold by Rockler, and a few of the other woodworking supply places on the web. I bought a Groz #4 (I think that's right number) that one of the guys at my local Rockler had already done a bit of tune-up (a.k.a. fettling) on. I'm sure it's not a L-N, but it's a decent plane, and the price was well within my budget.

I still need to learn more about setting up and using planes. As Ed mentioned, it sure would help for me to use one that's actually set up right, so I can get a better feel for my intended goal.
 
Agree . . .

allmost all new ones don't get it. Get a old Stanley #4 ( or 5 1/4 if you can get hold of one cheap ) and blow the ten or fifteen bucks to have it sharpened by a pro. The rest of the basics aren't too hard. Just remember . . . its a slippery slope with NO bottom !
 
Jeff's advice is excellent. You should take that route. If, for some reason, that doesn't work out, try this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stanley-No-5-Wo...ryZ13874QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

All I did was to go to ebay, search for stanley plane, and sort by least expensive. What you want is a "user". Find someone who sells lots of them, and is willing to tune it for you.

But Jeff's advice is way better. There are lots of plane lovers out there, who sell users on the side...

Thanks,

Bill
 
cool alan that would be great

i went to lowes today and they did have a stanley #4 there for like $19. i have read that the new stanley stuff is not anywhere teh same as the old stanley stuff as mentioned above though i honestly dont know what could be so different about them. isnt it just a matter of how flat the sole and how sharp the blade is or is there a lot more to it?
 
Mike, just trust us that you want an old one. The quality of the new ones are just shy of junk. Everything on it is cheap made. Adjusters are flimsy. You can find a old one for about the same money and it's two or three times the quality. There is a reason it only cost $19!

I bought a ... Buck Brothers?? block plane from one of Borgs years ago before I knew better. It's in my junk pile. now. No comparison to my old Stanley's! I thought planes were useless after using that hunk of junk. Then I got a good one and the difference is night and day!
 
cool alan that would be great

i went to lowes today and they did have a stanley #4 there for like $19. i have read that the new stanley stuff is not anywhere teh same as the old stanley stuff as mentioned above though i honestly dont know what could be so different about them. isnt it just a matter of how flat the sole and how sharp the blade is or is there a lot more to it?
I can give you my experience with modern Stanley planes. I bought a modern, English made Stanley plane a number of years ago. Shortly after, I took a hand tools class where we were taught how to tune up planes and sharpen the blades. The instructor had a "test" for each of us after we tuned and sharpened our block plane - take it and plane some end grain on a board he had at his bench, in a vise.

I worked and worked, but every time I tried to take a cut, the blade didn't cut cleanly but left marks in the end grain.

After that class session, I bought a Lee Valley low angle block plane and brought it to the next class session. Sharpened it the same way as I had done earlier and tried the test - cut beautifully!

Tried again with the modern Stanley - did not cut cleanly.

I just do not believe I was doing something wrong with the Stanley and doing everything right with the LV. Something about the Stanley blade was causing the edge to fracture as soon as it was used, leading to a rough cutting edge.

I gave up on the Stanley and sold it on eBay. The guy who bought it thought it was in wonderful condition (tuned and sharpened as it was), so both of us were happy.

Mike
 
Mike, just trust us that you want an old one. The quality of the new ones are just shy of junk. Everything on it is cheap made. Adjusters are flimsy. You can find a old one for about the same money and it's two or three times the quality. There is a reason it only cost $19!

I bought a ... Buck Brothers?? block plane from one of Borgs years ago before I knew better. It's in my junk pile. now. No comparison to my old Stanley's! I thought planes were useless after using that hunk of junk. Then I got a good one and the difference is night and day!

oh dont get me wrong i trust what you guys are saying and very much apprieicate the advice! i checked out the site you mentioned and will keep my eyes peeled to ebay

it looks like i need to get a block plane and an older #4 or 5 stanley to get me started
 
Good advise from everyone so far. I'd say either a block plane or a #4 or #5 bench plane would be the best to start with. Whichever one you buy first, you'll likely get the other one as your second plane.

The most bang for your buck would be to pick up a good used plane. After WWII, small motorized tools became common in workshops, significantly reducing demand for hand tools such as planes. Manufacturers turned to keeping prices low to stay alive - in general, quality suffered significantly. I'd shoot for something made between the turn of the century and the middle of the century.

There are a lot of quality planes made during that time - some of my favorite bench planes are Stanley, Keen Kutter (single "K" models), Sargent, Millers Falls (lower digit numbers - ie: "9" not "90" or "900"), and Record (especially the "SS" planes with the 2 piece chip breaker). I'd make sure you could get one with a lateral adjustment on the frog. A great way to upgrade an old plane is with a new, thicker A2, O2, or high carbon cutting iron. I've done this, along with new thicker chip breakers and MAN what a difference! Hock, Veritas, and Lie Nielsen all make quality aftermarket cutting irons and chip breakers.

Used block planes - i'd go with the same makers listed above. I really like Millers Falls block planes - the fit and finish is better than their contemporaries. I like the screw type depth adjusters better than the wheel type adjusters (much more slop in the movement). I'd also go for one with an adjustable throat. These allow you to adjust the width of the slot in the sole of the plane, making it easier to control tear-out in some woods. Low angle or standard angle should suite you fine, though i reach for my low angle block more than my standard angle block.

If you're shopping new on a budget, i'd look at Stanley, Anant, and maybe Groz. They will all need some tuning to get the most out of them. I'd avoid the Buck Bros. junk available at the big box. I just spent some time tuning up a Buck Bros. jack plane (a #5) for a friend of mine. It's an absolute piece of trash - cheap materials, poor fit and finish, flimsey parts, bad ergonomics, etc. Don't waste your money.

Stanley's new block planes are actually nice quality tools. I've got a 12-220 (i think), and i really like the adjustment mechanisms - tight and responsive. It also has an adjustable throat and fits my hand nicely. If anything, i may pick up a thicker A2 cutting iron for it at some point. The stock blade takes an edge well enough, but my experience is that the A2 steel holds it longer.

For more dough, you can get a Veritas (www.leevalley.com) or Lie Nielsen (www.lie-nielsen.com). They're well crafted from quality materials. It's money well spent if you actually use the tool much, though my 1920's Record smoother cuts just as sweetly as my new, high end plane.

I've bought old planes on ebay with good luck. If that's what you're doing, do some homework first and avoid anything with broken, cracked, or missing parts. For some screen time research, i'd go to www.supertool.com and click on "Patrick's Blood and Gore". I'd check out the #4, #5, #9, #9-1/2, #60, and #60-1/2. That should get you started.

Then, once you've got your old chunk of iron in hand, i recommend tearing into it - cleaning it up and tuning it. www.rexmill.com will get you going. You might want a sharpening gage - the gray side clamping model works just fine and costs about $15. Woodcraft and Rockler sell them. You'll also want a flat sharpening stone or a piece of glass and some wet/dry sandpaper. Google "scary sharp method" for sharpening your blades with the glass & sandpaper method. I use a combination water stone, but the scary sharp method will get you started without spending much cash. Either way, if you don't have a way to sharpen your cutting irons accurately, you'll get very frustrated with your plane and won't get good results with it. Once you've got a good edge on the cutting iron, honing it only takes a minute or two.

I recommend a full tune up for two reasons.
1) it makes your tool work predictably and safely. If your plane isn't able to function properly, you'll get frustrated and set it aside, not really knowing its potential.
2) the process makes you very familiar with the tool, minimizing the intimidation of figuring out how to use the thing properly. Your skills will improve quicker if you fully understand the tool and how it's adjusted.

You don't need a cosmetic make-over. Chipped paint, a repaired cracked tote, or some surface rust on the lever cap don't effect how the tool works. I'd first focus on function. Then, if you want, you can get into gleaming display tools.

I started with an old Record SS #4 from an estate sale. Now i've got 3 #4's, a #5, a Veritas low angle smoother, a low angle and a standard angle block plane, a #78, a #2, a #7, a medium shoulder plane, a #140 skew angle block plane, a #112 scraper plane, and a handfull of card scrapers. I use them all regularly. In fact, i just picked up a fence for edge jointing as well. Start with a couple of the basics for general use. and the types of projects you do will guide your future acquisitions.

Have fun with it. I would not have imagined how much i use my planes when i brought home my first one.

Paul Hubbman
 
Stanley's new block planes are actually nice quality tools. I've got a 12-220 (i think), and i really like the adjustment mechanisms - tight and responsive. It also has an adjustable throat and fits my hand nicely.

well guys i broke down and bought a $19 stanley at lowes, i got the 12-220 just like mentioned above and after making sure the sole was flat (which it actually was pretty flat) and doing the scary sharp thing to the blade i dont see anything wrong with it

after seeing david marks on woodworks make his own plane out of wood and seeing a bunch of hand made planes on the internet ive come to the conclusion that if the sole is flat and the blade is sharp you can make it work. there might be better planes out there sure but for $19 what do you have to lose?
 
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Mike I'm new here, but I may be able to help you out. 1st, have you latched onto a plane yet?

If not send me a pm. I have a bunch of planes 5s 4s and blocks that I would be willing to give you if you pay for the shipping. About 10 or 12 total. I'll go out later today and count them and see excatly what's there.

Make no mistake these are not top of the line irons, but VERY usable. Some IIRC are ready to work. Some need cleaning up and fettlin'.

I finally got around to thinning out my stuff and these are the got to go ones...:(

Hope that helps. No big deal if your not interested.

Jimmy
 
hi jimmy yes i picked up a block plane (see the post right above yours)

after buying the block plane and using i realized its not what i needed. it works ok but its a lot of work using to flatten board faces. works pretty good on edges though. i think a #4 would be a better choice for me and a scrub plane would be nice as well to really remove a lot of wood fast

yesterday i picked up a #4 from HF for $7 just to give it a try. im very skeptical of it but i figured if its total junk im not out much

anyways im interested in the planes you have for sure, ill send you a PM
 
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