For Christmas I got . . .

[Thom Porterfield]

. . . a brand spanking new Stanley 60 1/2 LA block plane.

I had put on my wish list simply: Low angle block plane.
My daughter, bless her heart, went to Woodcraft and decided the "better" planes were beyond her budget. They're beyond mine, currently, which is why I had it on the list. :)

The fit and finish is shameful and the operation of the adjustments is far from smooth. Gritty is the best adjective that comes to mind. There is no way I would buy this plane for myself. But I didn't, my daughter did, and now it's sitting here staring me in the face.

The mouth adjustment actually moves--about a millimeter--from very wide to very, very wide. Once the cap cam is moved to lock the iron down, the adjuster moves only with extreme effort--to adjust the projection of the blade, I have to loosen the cap, set the blade and adjuster, then cam down the cap again.

I think the best thing about this plane is that it comes with a bag you can fasten to your belt. :confused:

So my question to you folks is this: should I sneak it back to Woodcraft, add another $50 (or more) to get the next better plane, or is there some way I can tweak this over-priced hunk of scrap metal to make it function half-way decently?

[lowell holmes]

I'd exchange it and explain to her if it came up that it was defective. I doubt that she would mind.

[Don Dorn]

I had the same plane and tweaked it to a point that it worked fairly well, but still not nearly as good as my LN. I'll be honest in that I simply haven't given it away yet and it sees no use.

I don't necessarily think you have to go to LN for a good plane, I do think in the end you would be happier with a Veritas apron plane which would be in that budget. The question is, would your daugter feel insulted? - after all, she did her very best to get you something you can use, and with some help, it would do that. If she would want you to have something of higher quality even though you would have to contribute some, then both will be happier in the end. Tough call.

[Jim Koepke]

Thom,

A picture might help. Is this the new SW Stanley?

If it is the new line, you might be able to take it back and swap it for a better Stanley of the same type. Looking at the Woodcraft site, it looks like they do not carry the LV or LN planes any more.

I have a couple of old Stanley LA blocks of this size and they work well, but no where near as well as my LN #60. Just a note on the LN, it came ready to use. I did do a little fettling to make the mouth adjustment just a hair smoother.

If yours does not have the ability to move more than a millimeter it could be a design flaw or it could be a little fettling is needed to solve kind of situation.

If it is of the old #60-1/2 design, it may not be worth fettling and a trade up may be the best way to go.

See my discussion of Stanley LA block planes here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?123401-Fettle-to-the-Metal-With-LA-Blocks&p=1246005

If you can afford to do it and not hurt any feelings a trade up might be the best option.


Once the cap cam is moved to lock the iron down, the adjuster moves only with extreme effort--to adjust the projection of the blade, I have to loosen the cap, set the blade and adjuster, then cam down the cap again.

This is normal with this type of adjustment mechanism. The screw holding the cap should only be tight enough to keep the blade from moving laterally when the cam is locked. Then to protect the threads of the adjuster, the lever should be moved to the half way point or opened further to make depth adjustments.

Here is another thread I started on hand planes that has a section on bevel down planes toward the end. For some, any bevel down plane is a block plane and any bevel up plane is a bench plane. It would be wonderful if the world was really that simple.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148076-Getting-Started-With-Hand-Planes

Hope this helps.

jtk

[harry strasil]

return it, and get a good original user from a reputable dealer, at least it will look similar, have the Stanley name on it.

[Mark Baldwin III]

I have one of those too. It was the first or second new plane that I bought. I spent some time with it, and now it's a decent user. I flattened the sole and put it on the surface grinder at work to do the sides. I'd like to get a better iron for it though. With a nice fresh edge, I can shoot the end grain on 2 or maybe 3 pieces before it dulls out.

[David Weaver]

I would return it and use the money for one of the WR block planes, I guess, if coming up with a user is your fancy (I do not have any of them, but I haven't seen anything bad about them yet).

The problem with the new 60 1/2, no matter how much you tune it, is that the mechanism that tensions the lever cap does not hold tight. The rest of the plane could be tuned if you found one that was OK, but you will still always be screwing around trying to get that tighter so that the lever cap doesn't come off mid use. It is a construction tool and not a cabinetmaking tool.

If you can do like Harry says and find a good vintage one, that's good, too, but a busted vintage one or one that's not right is just as bad as a new made in mexico plane like you have now.

[Thom Porterfield]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you guys and thank you for your advice. I returned the junk metal Stanley to Woodcraft and picked up one of their Wood River planes instead.

What a difference. It needed just a little honing and was making tissue-thin shavings of hard maple end grain in minutes.

Thanks again.