Filister Planes

[Chris Griggs]

Ok, first of all, let me apologize in advance for starting another "which ________ should I buy" thread, but I've never owned a filibuster plane and am looking for some advice.

Now I'm sure a lot of folks will tell me to get the LV Skew Rabbet, and given my coming tax refund I just might.

However, I just got Leache's new tool list and he has a Record 778 on there for $110. For me the decision is less about cost and more about the trades offs of a skew blade (in terms of cross grain performance vs. being harder to sharpen)

First of all can anyone comment on the functionality of the 778 (I understand that it superior to a Stanley 78). Are there any quirks I should be aware of? Will the lack of a skew blade cause major issues? Also, is $110 a reasonable price for this plane?

Any comments and info are definitely appreciated.

[Chris Griggs]

One more question. Are there other methods of cutting rabbets (without using a tailed router) that I should be considering? I know one can use a backsaw and a chisel but I'm looking for something more efficient.

[Zach Dillinger]

Chris,

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a wooden moving fillister plane. It will have a skew blade, a knicker for cross grain work and a wooden fence (which admittedly is a bit of a pain to adjust). Some of them will have a tote (handle), others won't.

Best of luck, hope you find something that works for you.

Zach

[Erik France]

First of all can anyone comment on the functionality of the 778 (I understand that it superior to a Stanley 78). Are there any quirks I should be aware of? Will the lack of a skew blade cause major issues? Also, is $110 a reasonable price for this plane?The Stanley 78 and the record 778 are very similar. The record has a much better fence that slides on two rods rather than the shorter Stanley fence on a single rod. I think the lever adjust is a little different too. I have an earlier version of the Stanley without the lever.

I've never followed pricing on the record 778 very closely, but $110 sounds more like a price on a collectors tool. You can usually find a good user 78 for a 1/4 of the price of that Record.

[Chris Vandiver]

The Record 778 is a very good plane and is better in use than the Stanley 78. The Record 778 is an accurate is to use plane. If the plane Patrick has listed is in good condition, then the $110.00 is a pretty reasonable price.

[David Weaver]

the 78s and 778s are, to me, more like a semi-construction grade tool (at least that's who i'm guessing they were aimed it). They do work, though, and most of your work in a rebate is going to be in roughing, and they are good at that.

I personally would start with a stanley 78 for as cheap as you can find one complete, an older one (the castings on the newer ones can be kind of coarse), and use it, and then solve the problems you have with it otherwise. the nice thing about the 78 and the 778 is that they are easy to sharpen. Skews are not terribly hard to sharpen and grind, but it does take a little more thought and time.

If you can find a wooden moving fillister plane, they're nice. However, a lot of them have slop in the depth stops, so don't expect .001" accuracy (there really shouldn't be a reason to need it, anyway). When a really nice one comes up, it seems like if it's clean, they bring a lot of money. If they aren't, they will often need a little rehabilitation to make them sweet, and even then they can be a rough ride if you're using a hardwood and especially if you get stuck planing against the grain.

To figure out whether or not the 778 seems fair price-wise, it's usually instructive to go to ebay and check completed listings of planes advertised as complete and in good shape.

(just did a quick search, and there are three in recent history that are complete, from $40-something to $89. You pay a little more dealers sometimes, that's just the way it is.)

[Mike Siemsen]

Get a wooden one, no comparison. I have a Stanley that I don't use.
Mike

[Russell Sansom]

I also have a #78 that I seldom use. It' generally too coarse for me. "...construction grade" is an appropriate comment. I prefer fine adjustments, so I end up using a #45 combi. Have you considered a stanley #45 or a $46 ( skewed blade ) ?

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks for the input folks. I have more or less decided to stay away from the stanley 78s since I will be using the filister on some small box commissions and need something that is easy to use and leaves a clean cut (which is why I may just the LV and be done with it)

Other than the new ECEs I haven't really looked at any woodies. Is there anything in particular I should look for in investigating wooden filisters?

[David Weaver]

It's nice if they have all of their hardware, have a nicker that you can work with, have a good iron (older thick tapered iron is nicer), have a fence there that locks down tight and all of the boxing is there.

That's difficult to tell before you get it. I got mine from the FTJ newsletter tool sale, and had to clean up the hardware, straighten the side, reglue the boxing (but it was all there) and clean up/grind/hone the iron so it was a match for the sole again. It was, however, only about $25 there, and was well worth the effort.

I should clarify what I meant when I mentioned the 78 above. What I mean is that you can use it and find out what problems it has and then make the next decision on what to get from there and save it for hogging (that's all under the bridge if you're going to make small boxes, it's definitely not a plane for small boxes).

How small and how big is the size range for the boxes?

Don't know anything about ECE rebate planes, but as you get toward that price level, the LV planes become more and more attractive (they are really nice to use), though maybe not quite as swift of a woodhog in softwoods as a woody. They work well in any wood that you can practically use for hand tooling, though and are very precise.

[Jim Koepke]

My Record 778 has a threaded adjuster for setting blade depth.

When first reading through this my suggestion was going to be go for it with a few caveats.

Combi-planes have a tendency for the fence screws or other screws to come loose in use. So check them frequently during use to avoid errors.

Then in his latest post Chris mentions:


I will be using the filister on some small box commissions and need something that is easy to use and leaves a clean cut (which is why I may just the LV and be done with it)

The LV may actually be the best choice at this time.

There would be a couple of those in my shop if my wife was willing.

jtk

P.S.
I've never owned a filibuster plane

Be careful, SMC policy doesn't allow political discusions.:D

[Chris Griggs]

Don't know anything about ECE rebate planes, but as you get toward that price level, the LV planes become more and more attractive (they are really nice to use), though maybe not quite as swift of a woodhog in softwoods as a woody. They work well in any wood that you can practically use for hand tooling, though and are very precise.

Yeah, that's my thinking with the ECE. If I'm spending that it would probably just be better to go with the LV. The only reason I would get the ECE over the LV is if I specifically decided I did not want a skewed blade. More and more I'm thinking a skewed blade would be good (whether it's an old woody or a new lv); I initially had some hesitance about sharpening it but I'll probably just bite the bullet and finally get an MKII honing guide with the skew jig (I currerntly use an eclipse).

Regarding the boxes. They're typically about 10L"x6"W or smaller. Sometimes they're square, and sometimes the sides taper in. Nothing of the joinery is fancy; pinned rabbets all around. They're small enough that I can just glue the tops and bottom on (no frame and panel), then saw the lid off and not have issue with wood movement. I make them for an artist who paints/faux finishes them and in turn sells them for lots of money, so even though they are typically pretty simple they do need to be well made. This is why I need something that is easy to use, and leaves a vice finish.... should probably just go with the LV skew, which is what I was thinking all along, but I wanted to see what else was out there.

[Chris Griggs]

P.S.

Be careful, SMC policy doesn't allow political discusions.:D

HA! Blame spell check! It keeps trying to change FILLISTER to FILIBUSTER

[Andrae Covington]

HA! Blame spell check! It keeps trying to change FILLISTER to FILIBUSTER

That's funny. It sounds like you've pretty well decided to go with the LV, but if you are still considering an old fillister (or filletster) and buying from a distance (ebay, etc), ask the seller to make sure the depth stop screw turns relatively smoothly. I have a wooden dado plane with an internal screw depth stop, similar to the style on a moving fillister, that is a real struggle to turn even with a full hand grip on the thumbscrew.