john brenton
10-26-2010, 3:05 PM
Not sure if anyone is interested...but that never stopped me before.
I've recently been selling off some old tools, some that were users and some that I picked up intentionally to sell. Some made a good return, others minimal. Either way, there have been a few that I picked up to sell but am going to end up keeping. These aren't "NEW Market breakthroughs" by any means...just my thoughts on some tools I never had before.
1. Ulmia 9" jack plane.
Horn handled jack Bedded at 45* white beech with hornbeam sole. Works great, feels great in the hand. I had never owned a woodie with the rest on the back that fits into the web between your thumb and fore finger, but after planing several large planks of oak I really developed an appreciation for it. I use a traditional wooden Sandusky jack plane to flatten the surface across the grain, but I think the Ulmia will find a place in my collection for working somewhere in between the jack plane and the smoother...keeping my favorite 50* smoother dedicated for the final surfacing if needed.
The Ulmia does a great job smoothing to a glassy surface as well as taking thick cuts for dimensioning. No big mystery there. I can say the same thing about my #5.
2. Ulmia 24" jointer.
Sorry if I stole this from anyone in the forum. I tuned in just as the auction was finishing and I didn't expect to win. It's a beautiful plane of white beech with a hornbeam sole, with the typical pivoting wedge socket dealy bob. They go for about $220, I paid about a fourth of that for this brand spanking new jointer. Although I don't feel that $220 is too much money for a plane of this quality, I don't think that I would buy this plane unless the deal was stellar, and the reason is the tote. When I compare this handle against my old English red beech jointer's tote the difference is huge. It's the difference between a Disston or Groves saw handle and a big box Taiwanese handsaw. The old English handle just fits so securely and comfortably into your hand, like it was made for it. Your hand hugs the tote and the tote hugs back....the Ulmia handle feels like user comfort wasn't even considered.
3. Footprint blue handled chisels:
I would have never bought these as users. I can't say why, I guess they just looked cheap to me. But, having used them I can say that I will get a lot of use. They retain their edge well, and the balance in the hand is perfect. I pared down some dovetails on poplar and oak and really enjoyed using these chisels. I got them for next to nothing, but the asking price for a new set is pretty reasonable in my opinion.
4. 12" Spears and Jackson brass backed tenon saws:
It's a nice hunk of saw but the beech handle design bites. I think S&J handles have always been on the less attractive side. A few old ones have passed through my hands and only one had a nice tote. They go for about $30 new...apparently Sears online has them. Go figure. Its supposedly filed as an "all purpose" saw, but out of the sleeve will not make crosscuts to save it's life. However, it is a pleasure to rip with. I ripped right through some thin stock rock maple and it left a nice surface. Unlike a lot of cheap saws that are stamped and nothing more, this one actually cuts right out the box. I haven't tried filing it yet so I can't say too much, but $30 ain't bad at all compared to some of the other junk of that same price.
5. Veritas honing guide and bevel gauge:
I never once even considered getting a honing guide. I didn't really need it, and people say that it's a waste of time, and it's just a "dummy guide", but to me it's a God send, especially when it comes to establishing the flatness of the bevel. Quite a few irons and chisels pass through my hands and most of them need a lot of work. It was a shock to me to see a belly on some of my irons and chisels as I put them on the stone with the guide. Albeit very small bellies. A few strokes on the coarse water stone gave me a flat bevel to work with and significantly improved the performance on my Stanley 110's bevel up iron, which of course has a very small bevel making it hard to balance. I say that because the thicker irons aren't hard to sharpen free hand, but I will still use guide for honing on the lower grits and establishing the secondary bevel...hell, I might even try the "third bevel" and see how that goes. It's easy with this thing.
That's it...for now at least.
I've recently been selling off some old tools, some that were users and some that I picked up intentionally to sell. Some made a good return, others minimal. Either way, there have been a few that I picked up to sell but am going to end up keeping. These aren't "NEW Market breakthroughs" by any means...just my thoughts on some tools I never had before.
1. Ulmia 9" jack plane.
Horn handled jack Bedded at 45* white beech with hornbeam sole. Works great, feels great in the hand. I had never owned a woodie with the rest on the back that fits into the web between your thumb and fore finger, but after planing several large planks of oak I really developed an appreciation for it. I use a traditional wooden Sandusky jack plane to flatten the surface across the grain, but I think the Ulmia will find a place in my collection for working somewhere in between the jack plane and the smoother...keeping my favorite 50* smoother dedicated for the final surfacing if needed.
The Ulmia does a great job smoothing to a glassy surface as well as taking thick cuts for dimensioning. No big mystery there. I can say the same thing about my #5.
2. Ulmia 24" jointer.
Sorry if I stole this from anyone in the forum. I tuned in just as the auction was finishing and I didn't expect to win. It's a beautiful plane of white beech with a hornbeam sole, with the typical pivoting wedge socket dealy bob. They go for about $220, I paid about a fourth of that for this brand spanking new jointer. Although I don't feel that $220 is too much money for a plane of this quality, I don't think that I would buy this plane unless the deal was stellar, and the reason is the tote. When I compare this handle against my old English red beech jointer's tote the difference is huge. It's the difference between a Disston or Groves saw handle and a big box Taiwanese handsaw. The old English handle just fits so securely and comfortably into your hand, like it was made for it. Your hand hugs the tote and the tote hugs back....the Ulmia handle feels like user comfort wasn't even considered.
3. Footprint blue handled chisels:
I would have never bought these as users. I can't say why, I guess they just looked cheap to me. But, having used them I can say that I will get a lot of use. They retain their edge well, and the balance in the hand is perfect. I pared down some dovetails on poplar and oak and really enjoyed using these chisels. I got them for next to nothing, but the asking price for a new set is pretty reasonable in my opinion.
4. 12" Spears and Jackson brass backed tenon saws:
It's a nice hunk of saw but the beech handle design bites. I think S&J handles have always been on the less attractive side. A few old ones have passed through my hands and only one had a nice tote. They go for about $30 new...apparently Sears online has them. Go figure. Its supposedly filed as an "all purpose" saw, but out of the sleeve will not make crosscuts to save it's life. However, it is a pleasure to rip with. I ripped right through some thin stock rock maple and it left a nice surface. Unlike a lot of cheap saws that are stamped and nothing more, this one actually cuts right out the box. I haven't tried filing it yet so I can't say too much, but $30 ain't bad at all compared to some of the other junk of that same price.
5. Veritas honing guide and bevel gauge:
I never once even considered getting a honing guide. I didn't really need it, and people say that it's a waste of time, and it's just a "dummy guide", but to me it's a God send, especially when it comes to establishing the flatness of the bevel. Quite a few irons and chisels pass through my hands and most of them need a lot of work. It was a shock to me to see a belly on some of my irons and chisels as I put them on the stone with the guide. Albeit very small bellies. A few strokes on the coarse water stone gave me a flat bevel to work with and significantly improved the performance on my Stanley 110's bevel up iron, which of course has a very small bevel making it hard to balance. I say that because the thicker irons aren't hard to sharpen free hand, but I will still use guide for honing on the lower grits and establishing the secondary bevel...hell, I might even try the "third bevel" and see how that goes. It's easy with this thing.
That's it...for now at least.