The Wife Thought Power Tools Were Expensive, and Then ........

[Rich Riddle]

she glanced at the computer when it was open to the pricing on a few infill planes.....thought she would need resuscitated. Just looking, not purchasing. What other hand tools rival expensive power tools? She might not want to know!

[David Weaver]

Well, there's usually a big difference in precision of work with a $300 table saw vs $3000. There is no practical benefit to an infill over a common bench plane - it's just a nice plane to use and it pretty much ends there.

If you want expensive, check out vintage presentation planes and new holtey planes.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'd venture a guess that I've purchased the majority of the hand tools that I own for less than what I would have spent on a good table saw.

[David Weaver]

Caveat based on my comments above, I do have 5 infill planes. I just recognize that the really expensive ones have a lot of wow factor when you use them at a wood show, but they are limited compared to a stanley bailey when you're doing day to day woodworking.

[Mike Allen1010]

[QUOTE=David Weaver;2242746]Caveat based on my comments above, I do have 5 infill planes.

David I know it goes against your nature but you can't just throw out "I do have five infill plane's" without some pictures! Dude, you have to think about the rest of us with "serious hand tool problems"; by living the vicariously through you we can manage our compulsions without actually spending the $.:)

Have a heart - it's not enabling, ... I don't think…?

Cheers, Mike

[David Weaver]

None of them are good!

Two of them are in my plane weights thread. the other one is a very plain 1 1/2" smoother that was the first plane i ever slapped together, and the other two are "bought" vintage planes (well, one was gifted to me - a slater bullnose - the other is a bought 1 3/8" wide basket case of a shoulder plane that I will tidy up - it was cheaper than the LN 073 that I dispatched to justify it, but I think I should've kept the LN!).

I don't have any of the high dollar pre-made type, though I did pay $600 for the spiers panel kit that I flopped together (I had the bug at the time - I probably could've found a panel plane cheaper since then in already made form, though making your own ensures you get one that's new and everything is still tight, and the mouth is how you'd like it to be).

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283062&d=1393125955

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283065&d=1393126037

The second one would look different if I'd have had the benefit of knowing george when I made it. i pooped out on the aesthetics once I had gotten it put together and saw how well it works. Since then, I've learned to use a stanley 4 faster in most cases. The second plane has a sheet of paper mouth, and no more. It pretty much takes a 2 thousandth shaving and less very nicely, but get it closer to the mouth size and it doesn't work as well. It can't do any damage, though, because of that.

I wish I had 5 holtey's to impress with, but I'm not that kind of guy - and I'd be divorced if I could say that.

Knowing what I know now, if I started over again, I'd still have the slater and the unmarked shoulder plane, but neither of the above (nor the 1 1/2 inch smoother beater that I learned to cut dovetails on). I could do something better with the $900 that went into the two of them, and I'd be seriously challenged to get that back out of them.

If life turns out to be ideal, I have enough materials for 3 more infills. I don't know if I'll ever make them. I bought enough stuff to "right the wrong" stylistically with the smoother shown above and make another panel plane from scratch, but what would I do with them? I have a half finished st james bay A6 kit, too.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Well, there's usually a big difference in precision of work with a $300 table saw vs $3000. There is no practical benefit to an infill over a common bench plane - it's just a nice plane to use and it pretty much ends there.

If you want expensive, check out vintage presentation planes and new holtey planes.

Sure there is a practical benefit. They look nice enough that you want to use them, so they get used more. At least thats my attempt at justifying them. I agree though that they are bought for something besides practicality.

Rich, you might want to keep your Bridge City tools out of her sight too. The sneaky thing about hand tools is that one is not really expensive. Trouble is, if you get one, you want more. This applies for planes, chisels, saws, marking gauges, hammers, and on and on. Pretty soon, that one plane you needed is now five $150 planes...

[Brian Deakin]

Your wife would find the following site interesting

http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html



http://www.holteyplanes.com/prices.html

I think you should set your wife up on the mailing list This would enable her to suprise you at Christmas and birthdays by purchasing planes from Mr Hotley to show how much she loves you

To Save on postage can you ask your wife to buy me this one

The A 13 smoother



(PS. Click on the individual images of the planes and you will get a full page image)

regards Brian

[William Adams]

Bridge City tools out of her sight too.

I was expecting someone to suggest (caution against?) a Jointmaker Pro --- at least most hand tools when purchased are an end in-and-of-themselves, and don't require on-going consumables purchases, like say end mills are for a CNC.

That said, I'm still regretting having gone for the CNC instead of a Jointmaker Pro --- oh well, I guess a JMP will be my _next_ toy (after I'm done upgrading my second ShapeOko to have an extruder and function as a 3D printer).

[Brian Deakin]

Your wife would find the following site interesting

http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html

http://www.holteyplanes.com/prices.html

I like the A13 smoother only $11500 Perhaps our wifes could get in touch and choose planes for christmas and birthday presents to show how much they truely love us

regards Brian

(ps click on to individual images to get full page image)

[Derek Cohen]

she glanced at the computer when it was open to the pricing on a few infill planes.....thought she would need resuscitated. Just looking, not purchasing. What other hand tools rival expensive power tools? She might not want to know!

Naah ... just take up collecting sharpening stones. David could advise here. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Evan Patton]

Wow talk about hand tool porn!

$11k for a handplane??? I mean it's beautimus and all, but jeez.

[Mike Allen1010]

[QUOTE=David Weaver;2243009]None of them are good!

Two of them are in my plane weights thread. the other one is a very plain 1 1/2" smoother that was the first plane i ever slapped together, and
I don't have any of the high dollar pre-made type, though I did pay $600 for the spiers panel kit that I flopped together (I had the bug at the time - I probably could've found a panel plane cheaper since then in already made form, though making your own ensures you get one that's new and everything is still tight, and the mouth is how you'd like it to be).

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283062&d=1393125955

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283065&d=1393126037

The second one would look different if I'd have had the benefit of knowing george when I made it. i pooped out on the aesthetics once I had gotten it put together and saw how well it works. Since then, I've learned to use a stanley 4 faster in most cases. The second plane has a sheet of paper mouth, and no more. It pretty much takes a 2 thousandth shaving and less very nicely, but get it closer to the mouth size and it doesn't work as well. It can't do any damage, though, because of that.

I wish I had 5 holtey's to impress with, but I'm not that kind of guy - and I'd be divorced if I could say that.

Knowing what I know now, if I started over again, I'd still have the slater and the unmarked shoulder plane, but neither of the above (nor the 1 1/2 inch smoother beater that I learned to cut dovetails on). I could do something better with the $900 that went into the two of them, and I'd be seriously challenged to get that back out of them.

David, I know you're pragmatic and all, but IMHO your shop built infills are awesome! As a woodworker who has stumbled through some tool making and absolutely butchered the metal working, I'd give a body part to be able build an infill anywhere close to yours - me thinks you're typically being waaaaay to modest.

In the spirit of wanting to "help a brother out", would be happy to trade for any 5 saws you want - sort of we trade my "tool problem" for yours maybe both our wives would be happy? O

n second thought the LOML would see through that in a New York minute and you already probably have more saws than you need- darn we were "this close"!:) Drat, another plan foiled!

Thanks for the pics and inspiration!

BTW, enjoying a little music and a cocktail at the end of a long day, which raise the question; Blues- the better"King" - Albert or BB? - maybe like your infills- who can choose? Maybe just enjoy.

Cheers, Mike

[John Sanford]

she glanced at the computer when it was open to the pricing on a few infill planes.....thought she would need resuscitated. Just looking, not purchasing. What other hand tools rival expensive power tools? She might not want to know!

They don't exactly rival expensive power tools, but new moulding planes seem to be a lot more expensive than router bits!!

[David Weaver]

[QUOTE=David Weaver;2243009]None of them are good!

Two of them are in my plane weights thread. the other one is a very plain 1 1/2" smoother that was the first plane i ever slapped together, and
I don't have any of the high dollar pre-made type, though I did pay $600 for the spiers panel kit that I flopped together (I had the bug at the time - I probably could've found a panel plane cheaper since then in already made form, though making your own ensures you get one that's new and everything is still tight, and the mouth is how you'd like it to be).

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283062&d=1393125955

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=283065&d=1393126037

The second one would look different if I'd have had the benefit of knowing george when I made it. i pooped out on the aesthetics once I had gotten it put together and saw how well it works. Since then, I've learned to use a stanley 4 faster in most cases. The second plane has a sheet of paper mouth, and no more. It pretty much takes a 2 thousandth shaving and less very nicely, but get it closer to the mouth size and it doesn't work as well. It can't do any damage, though, because of that.

I wish I had 5 holtey's to impress with, but I'm not that kind of guy - and I'd be divorced if I could say that.

Knowing what I know now, if I started over again, I'd still have the slater and the unmarked shoulder plane, but neither of the above (nor the 1 1/2 inch smoother beater that I learned to cut dovetails on). I could do something better with the $900 that went into the two of them, and I'd be seriously challenged to get that back out of them.

David, I know you're pragmatic and all, but IMHO your shop built infills are awesome! As a woodworker who has stumbled through some tool making and absolutely butchered the metal working, I'd give a body part to be able build an infill anywhere close to yours - me thinks you're typically being waaaaay to modest.

In the spirit of wanting to "help a brother out", would be happy to trade for any 5 saws you want - sort of we trade my "tool problem" for yours maybe both our wives would be happy? O

n second thought the LOML would see through that in a New York minute and you already probably have more saws than you need- darn we were "this close"!:) Drat, another plan foiled!

Thanks for the pics and inspiration!

BTW, enjoying a little music and a cocktail at the end of a long day, which raise the question; Blues- the better"King" - Albert or BB? - maybe like your infills- who can choose? Maybe just enjoy.

Cheers, Mike

I probably wouldn't trade away my panel plane, but I really don't have any reason to have the high angle smoother at this point. Unfortunately, it's the one that was mostly scratch built and it's the uglier of the two! (the shepherd kit was already cut and all you had to do was the fine work on it and then make sure everything fit tight). I kind of like the shepherd kit, but it has its flaws (they put the holes on the sides in the wrong place and I had to pein a piece of bar stock onto the cap iron to get the screw to meet. Their location is the exact opposite of where I'd want it, which is biased more toward the short side instead of the long side of screw travel). I had to do a whole host of things to make it right (the blank had dried to be too narrow for the plane sole width and the handle didn't match the mortise they cut - I guess they were in the death throes), but in the end in use it's tight enough and it's authoritative to say in the least at 8 1/2 pounds. I'm sort of attached to it partially because I don't think it's actually worth 600 bucks (and i literally paid that to have the pleasure of putting 40+ more hours into it to get a finished plane), and partially because even if someone was willing to buy it for what the kit cost me, I'd feel like they were taken advantage of a little in buying a plane where the lever cap is not in the right place. IIRC, the basic mouth was already drilled and the pins and tails were on the sides in rough form so there was no opportunity to do anything to fix it other than what I did. A real disappointment.

The smoother is short on looks in large part due to my rush to want to use it, and also due to the amount of physical work it was to cut and pein all of those O1 parts together (the sole is 1/4" and the sides are 3/16"). I would've been wiser to not try to do it out of rectangular stock with no other tools. Comb cutting the pins on the sides and bottom literally had me physically spent with very sore hands, and then trying to file and fit everything together tightly was another physically difficult thing to do. It's hard to try to do crisp edges on things when it's your first go at it and especially when you're just physically beat and sore. The brass sides and mild steel on the shepherd kit were like nothing, they went together like spreading lard compared to the thick O1 stuff on the smoother, though 18" of mild steel is a bear to lap manually.

Trust me, you could do a better job than I did, the hard part would be finding suitable would if you didn't want to just punt to something common like walnut. If I needed saws I could probably be talked out of a lot of stuff that I have, including those planes. I have a saw excess problem at the moment, though. So much so that I probably have a dozen that haven't even been filed yet.

Don't hesitate on making an infill if you want, though.

[David Weaver]

They don't exactly rival expensive power tools, but new moulding planes seem to be a lot more expensive than router bits!!

Expensive to buy, but cheap to make, though. About $15 each or a little less to make them if you make the the iron, too. And you can make very good ones with a lot less physical trouble than infills!

[Simon MacGowen]

A SawStop (3 HP , Indus) can cost you $5,000! Power tools can be expensive...Even a Festool drill with bells and whistles (my neighbor has a set...being a Festool nut, his own words) could cost $600. While I could understand the power and safety of a SawStop that may justify the price tag, or the beauty of an infill plane, I can't bring myself to spending $500 on a power drill. But I am sure my power tool neighbor would say the same thing about spending $500 on a shooting plane!

Simon