Stanley Bailey #7 Made in England plane

[Brian Deakin]

I live in the Uk
A number of years ago I attended a 4 day David Charlesworth sharpening and plane tuning course at his workshop in Hartland
I took an old Woden plane to tune and after tuning was able to make long shavings which were very thin
If you use Davids method to prepare a plane and replace the blade with a Hock blade you can have the satisfaction of having a tool to be proud
I would suggest if possible to identify an example of a plane which has the least play in the depth adjuster wheel

[Jim Koepke]

I would suggest if possible to identify an example of a plane which has the least play in the depth adjuster wheel

With the Bailey style adjuster that would be a Lie-Nielsen. Being so used to the depth adjuster backlash, play or sloppiness, makes using a plane without any a bit awkward. My plane with the most backlash is maybe three turns on the adjuster.

jtk

[Rafael Herrera]

If backlash is a big deal for you, Wood by Wright sells a Reed replacement depth adjustment kit.

[David Storer]

Backlash is predictable and easily manageable. I quite enjoy 'spinning the dial'. When you have a plane in your hands that is well tuned with a sharp blade, a little backlash is easily manageable.

Amongst my favourite planes are Faithfull (sic) no.s 3, 4 and 7, made in India but retrofitted with Ray Iles and Stanley original irons for variously c.$12 to $25 a piece. Backlash is easily managed ... just a quick spin of the dial ... and performance is excellent. They don't give you that sweet satisfaction in owning a 'small object of (almost painful) desire' that you get with a beautifully crafted Lie-Neilsen ... but they do the job just the same.

My no. 7 cost me c.$75 brand new, including the Ray Iles replacement blade. In practical terms, it is faultless.

I am not knocking the high-end brands. I own a few examples ... joinery planes, most especially ... and I am hugely happy with them. But you would have a very hard job prising that Faithfull no.7 from my cold lifeless hands.