Official Luthiers Forum!

....with a $25 Stanley block plane. I've never owned a plane of any kind before. I always figured I'd never be able to afford a "good one". Before the flood of folk recommending ebay for used planes of higher quality, I don't do paypal or ebay, and my income is fixed on the low end. With a disabled wife and a disabled daughter, I make do how I can. This has resulted in my first build(an electric) being built from an old cutting board and a cast off center piece to an old table. It's in finishing stages now, and is a better instrument than I have any right to expect, so far.
Anyway, back to the block plane. I visit Lowes pretty regular, and everytime I'm in there I always slip over to the hand tools section. So I've been staring at this block plane for months, only this time I had the cash to purchase it. Wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or a waste of cash, but like I said, the budget's tight. I figured I'd buy it, sharpen the heck out of it, and learn to work with it. I have found that "lesser quality" tools can often be used with good results, once you learn what you can and cannot do with them, so I took the risk and brought it home.
I sharpened the blade until it shaved my arm, and I've been shaving some walnut scrap I had laying around, trying to get a feel for the tool. Imagine my excitement at seeing thin curls of wood peeling off. I picked it up and unrolled it and it was so thin you can see through it. Lovely. I'm sorry I waited so long to own a plane.
Not an LN or Veritas or(insert your favorite quality plane here), but I love my little Stanley block plane(made in Mexico) and I think we are going to make beautiful music together. Literally.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

The Stanley low angle block plane is not a lower quality tool in my opinion. It has always been my go to plane for cabinet making for decades.

_________________
http://goatrockukulele.com

Uh oh...now you're in on the secret: All planes are just a flat chunk of metal holding a blade. If you get that blade sharp, and get that piece of metal flat, then once you've got it adjusted it's just as good as any other piece of flat metal with a sharp blade sticking out of it.

I have a Veritas low angle, because I like that I can dial in the adjustments quickly...and besides the fact that it came tuned pretty well, the speed of adjustability is the only functional difference between it and any other plane (of equal blade angle, mouth width, flatness, and sharpness)

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I have only bought 2 planes most of the ones I use are refurbished Junkers with new blades. As long as you can get the sole true they work fine after a good clean up. My stanly block probably gets the most use out of any of them

I have an old 1950's #5 which my dad gave me, the handle is pretty lose and impossible to adjust since the threads are stripped. It still holds a blade tight and works well with a Hock blade.
I bought a Stanley block plane from Lowes as well - the 9 1/2 with the adjustable mouth. I do most of my work with this plane and it's stock blade. I believe the Jon Boganovich book shows him using this plane for every step that it is needed.
And I recently got a really nice and very heavy #4 plane for $25 from a pawn shop. Not sure of what year it is - but it is very heavy, and I used it to plane some wood without giving it a tune up - it still had a pawn shop price tag on it - I can't wait to tune it up - it will be perfect !

_________________
It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I have a Stanley block plane which my dad used to use for everything other than woodwork. I cleaned it up, polished the blade and now it is one of my most used tools.

Mike: How to go. Have a stable of Stanley planes myself and fine them quite efficient. Years ago read a couple of books by James Krenov and in one he discribed how to make simple wooden planes. I made one my self and got a heavy duty blade and iron from Lee Valley. It's a bit fussy on adjustment but it's a real nice working tool. The Veritas planes from Lee Valley look like they are well made and no work to set up and get going. Have fun with your project.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Mike-
You've discovered the most important thing about planes:
What they feel like, and how they cut, when they are sharp!
This took me a few years to 'get'....
Now you will always know when your plane (or chisel) isn't cutting properly, and what you should expect in terms of performance.
With that knowledge, you can make just about any plane work for you. (The bad blades may need more frequent sharpening, but , still....)

Cheers
John

i find my stanley jointer #7 is very useful for a lot of jobs. picked it up on ebay along with a #4 for £20! another useful thing is the stanley spokeshave. i also bou8ght the cheaper stanley block plane as i convinced myself i absolutely needed one. it now has become a rather expensive sanding block which i use ALL THE TIME!

I use my Stanley block plane every day I thing. Properly trued and she shaves beautifully.