Hand Plane's

[Gordon Eyre]

I have struggled along for most of my adult life with three hand planes, a Stanley #7, Stanley #5 and an absolute piece of junk for a block plane. I bought the Stanley's used and they were only in fair shape. I don't know why but I decided yesterday I would recondition the #5 and get it into usable shape. I spent the first hour on the Internet doing research and watching a video and then about 4 hours getting the bottom flat. I will probably spend about the same amount of time working on the interior parts. After many years of wanting I finally broke down last night and bought a Veritas MK II sharpening jig and three excellent water stones. Hopefully I can pull this all together into a good plane that is a joy to use. As I was getting ready to quit last night I took a look at the block plane and decided that no amount of work would fix that piece of junk and so I went on the Internet and found the Lie Nielsen moving throat low angle block plane. I plunked down the $$ and it is on the way to my house.

You folks that are hand plane guru's tell me that my time and $$ are well spent and that I will look back on this experience as a good one and that it was worth the effort.

[Jim Koepke]

Gordon,

You made a good choice with the Lie Nielsen block plane. Most of the time I prefer a low angle block plane. Even though my set included some Stanley equivalents, the LN #60-1/2 is a superior plane. It will also give you an idea of what kind of work your other planes should be able to get close to doing.

There is some help for getting planes set up here on SMC:

At the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference are some Stickies. One of them is the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805-Neanderthal-wisdom-FAQs

On planes specifically, Bob Smalser and I have both offered information on use and tuning them.

Good luck with your project.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

AN EMPHATIC YES ON BOTH COUNTS! Excellent use of both time and money. It will forever change your woodworking for the better.

[george wilson]

I have several commercial and boutique block planes,old and new. I like the performance I get with the LN best.

[Prashun Patel]

The LN 60 1/2 is a great purchase, and a great place to get you hooked on planes. You're going to love it. I have a LN 102 (which is similar, just smaller and has a non-moving throat) that is my favorite block plane.

Also, the MKII is a great investment. I used a cheap guide for a couple years, and the MKII made all the difference in being able to set angles properly.

One thing. If you are going to rehab that #5 and #7, and the blades need to be re-ground, you might want to get some sheets of 80gt sandpaper and a flat plate of glass. It might save you time and save your coarse stone.

[Curt Putnam]

The LN is a superb choice. I have the 102 (a gift from my son) and I alwyas have a smile on face when I'm using it. The MK II is also a great choice and a great value. You didn't say what stones you bought but good stones are absolutely necessary. Money well spent. As for your # 5. I can tell that the time you spend will be well spent - regardless of results. You will know how to fettle a plane because you actually have to do it in order to know how. If you were to buy a new jack, you would do so knowing why you were doing so.

If you have never used a new LV or LN (or equivalent) plane or well set up Stanley then you should make arrangements to do so. Until you have used excellence, you won't know what it is.

[Andrew Hughes]

I agree with the others.You also get great customer service.I dropped my block plane and bent the brass adjuster.I only had to pay for sending it to them.Pretty much got it fixed for free.One of the most used tools in my shop.

[Gordon Eyre]

Gordon,

You made a good choice with the Lie Nielsen block plane. Most of the time I prefer a low angle block plane. Even though my set included some Stanley equivalents, the LN #60-1/2 is a superior plane. It will also give you an idea of what kind of work your other planes should be able to get close to doing.

There is some help for getting planes set up here on SMC:

At the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference are some Stickies. One of them is the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805-Neanderthal-wisdom-FAQs

On planes specifically, Bob Smalser and I have both offered information on use and tuning them.

Good luck with your project.

jtk

Hi Jim, thanks for your input. As I mentioned I did do some research on the Interned about planes and also watched two video's that were good. Also, I had coveted LN's planes over the years but never convinced myself that my $$ were best spent there vs. on some other tools. That may have been short sighted and I am finally glad to be getting a LN even if it is only a block plane. I will for sure look up the stickies here on SMC. Thanks again for your help and encouragement.


AN EMPHATIC YES ON BOTH COUNTS! Excellent use of both time and money. It will forever change your woodworking for the better.

That is my hope Chris, thanks a bunch.


I have several commercial and boutique block planes,old and new. I like the performance I get with the LN best.

Everything I have heard about LN planes is positive. Thanks for your input.


The LN 60 1/2 is a great purchase, and a great place to get you hooked on planes. You're going to love it. I have a LN 102 (which is similar, just smaller and has a non-moving throat) that is my favorite block plane.

Also, the MKII is a great investment. I used a cheap guide for a couple years, and the MKII made all the difference in being able to set angles properly.

One thing. If you are going to rehab that #5 and #7, and the blades need to be re-ground, you might want to get some sheets of 80gt sandpaper and a flat plate of glass. It might save you time and save your coarse stone.

Thanks Prashun. Everything I have heard about the MK II has been positive so I am glad that I made the purchase. It will be here in a few days and then I can see for myself. As to a regrind on the #5 blade, I do not think that will be necessary. I have at least become somewhat proficient at keeping the blade sharp with wet and dry sandpaper on MDF. I spent a bit more time today on the #5 plane and then put it all back together and was able to make a nice paper thin shaving with it. I am sure that with the MK II and my new water stones it should be a quantum jump in sharpness. I haven't started with the #7 yet but it will be on my list of things to do.

I couldn't believe the amount of work it took to flatten the sole on my Stanley #5. It was kind of funny in that I started off with a 400 grit and then backed off to a 220 and even then It still had a long ways to go. Anyway I then went to a 150 grit and worked my way up to 600. It looks great now. When I started off it had what seemed to be a "crater" in the center left of the sole. My arm is tired today but the sole is flat.

Thanks for your input.


The LN is a superb choice. I have the 102 (a gift from my son) and I alwyas have a smile on face when I'm using it. The MK II is also a great choice and a great value. You didn't say what stones you bought but good stones are absolutely necessary. Money well spent. As for your # 5. I can tell that the time you spend will be well spent - regardless of results. You will know how to fettle a plane because you actually have to do it in order to know how. If you were to buy a new jack, you would do so knowing why you were doing so.

If you have never used a new LV or LN (or equivalent) plane or well set up Stanley then you should make arrangements to do so. Until you have used excellence, you won't know what it is.

I have never used a really good plane so this will be a new experience for me. I have not completely finished the rework on my Stanley #5 but with what I have done thus far it is like night and day. I will be excited to get my MK II and water stones so that I can put a really nice edge on my blade. The stones are Norton and I got a combination 220/1000, a 4000 and an 8000. They are pretty expensive so I hope that it will make a difference. I am fairly adept at following instructions and have watched two videos on sharpening with water stones. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for your help.

[Zahid Naqvi]

You folks that are hand plane guru's tell me that my time and $$ are well spent and that I will look back on this experience as a good one and that it was worth the effort.

dude, you are asking the wrong crowd about money spent on handtools :D no one on this board is going to tell you it is "ill" spent.

A finely tuned tool is a joy to use, doesn't matter where it comes from (rehabbed or well made new). If money is not a factor and time and patience are go with makers like LN/Veritas etc. they all make really high quality tools and the customer service is top notch. Looks like you are well on your way down the slippery slope, enjoy the ride ;)

[Gordon Eyre]

dude, you are asking the wrong crowd about money spent on handtools :D no one on this board is going to tell you it is "ill" spent.

A finely tuned tool is a joy to use, doesn't matter where it comes from (rehabbed or well made new). If money is not a factor and time and patience are go with makers like LN/Veritas etc. they all make really high quality tools and the customer service is top notch. Looks like you are well on your way down the slippery slope, enjoy the ride ;)

Trust me Zahid, I know about buying tools. :). My wife can attest to that.

Thanks for your input.

[Roy Lindberry]

I have struggled along for most of my adult life with three hand planes, a Stanley #7, Stanley #5 and an absolute piece of junk for a block plane. I bought the Stanley's used and they were only in fair shape. I don't know why but I decided yesterday I would recondition the #5 and get it into usable shape. I spent the first hour on the Internet doing research and watching a video and then about 4 hours getting the bottom flat. I will probably spend about the same amount of time working on the interior parts. After many years of wanting I finally broke down last night and bought a Veritas MK II sharpening jig and three excellent water stones. Hopefully I can pull this all together into a good plane that is a joy to use. As I was getting ready to quit last night I took a look at the block plane and decided that no amount of work would fix that piece of junk and so I went on the Internet and found the Lie Nielsen moving throat low angle block plane. I plunked down the $$ and it is on the way to my house.

You folks that are hand plane guru's tell me that my time and $$ are well spent and that I will look back on this experience as a good one and that it was worth the effort.

When you take a solid shaving off some maple end grain that is .001" thick (out of the box, no less), you will be very happy with the money you spent. And it is possible to get your Stanleys working exceptionally well also. Personally, I wouldn't spend the time making the sole perfectly flat unless you have to. In my limited experience, it is a lot of time expended for minimal benefit. Put your time rather into making sure your frog is flat, your chipbreaker mates evenly across your blade, and above all else that your blade is truly sharp. A truly sharp blade is the biggest factor by far - and your new stones should help you out there.

It sounds like you are well on your way to some great shavings and flawless surfaces.

[Russell Sansom]

With the desire to get a plane working, it will come. The flattening of a back can be an odious task. If you get stuck, or you just want to jump to the head of the class and get a quick feeling for a properly-working plane, you might just bail on reconditioning those blades and buy yourself a modern replacement. You can always get the worth of the Stanley blade out of it later, but at the beginning of the journey, a "sure thing" modern blade is an excellent fast-track to success for a modest investment.

And just so you know, once you get one plane working properly, you'll know what to expect from every similar plane you get you hands on after that.

[Gordon Eyre]

When you take a solid shaving off some maple end grain that is .001" thick (out of the box, no less), you will be very happy with the money you spent. And it is possible to get your Stanleys working exceptionally well also. Personally, I wouldn't spend the time making the sole perfectly flat unless you have to. In my limited experience, it is a lot of time expended for minimal benefit. Put your time rather into making sure your frog is flat, your chipbreaker mates evenly across your blade, and above all else that your blade is truly sharp. A truly sharp blade is the biggest factor by far - and your new stones should help you out there.

It sounds like you are well on your way to some great shavings and flawless surfaces.

I hear you Roy; however, the time has already been expended for the Stanley #5. The sole is flat and it looks great. I have been working on the interior parts of the plane and the chip breaker mates perfectly with the blade, and the frog is flat. All I have left to do is to recondition the wood parts and then get a perfectly sharpened blade as soon as my MK II and stones arrive. Thanks for taking the time to comment.


With the desire to get a plane working, it will come. The flattening of a back can be an odious task. If you get stuck, or you just want to jump to the head of the class and get a quick feeling for a properly-working plane, you might just bail on reconditioning those blades and buy yourself a modern replacement. You can always get the worth of the Stanley blade out of it later, but at the beginning of the journey, a "sure thing" modern blade is an excellent fast-track to success for a modest investment.

And just so you know, once you get one plane working properly, you'll know what to expect from every similar plane you get you hands on after that.

Hey Russell, I am excited and waiting impatiently for my LN block plane. I have used a piece of junk for many years and so this will be a new experience for me. As to a new blade, I have thought about that and will probably go ahead with that later. Right now I just want to see what I can get out of the existing setup. I did spend some time looking at new blades in the catalog yesterday so my thinking is along that line. Thanks for your encouragement and nice comments.