Weight of old planes.

[Reinis Kanders]

I decided to save myself a couple hundred dollars and talked myself out of buying one of the new LV 5 1/2 jacks. I already have their smoothers, and they are nice, but heavy.
Instead I used those "savings" on old ebay Crafstman No.6 and got No. 8 from here (still waiting on it).

Just got the Craftsman made by Miller's Falls and it is nice and light, 6 lbs and 6 oz or about 2.9 kg. 3 oz. lighter that LV 5 1/2 jack and whopping 22 oz lighter than Woodriver no. 6.

I ended up weighing some of my planes and my old No. 5 jacks are about same weight as new No. 4 smoothers. I actually like a feel of old lighter planes better and I am a decent size and fit guy at 6'6" so actual plane weight is not really a concern, but the feel is.

I wonder why all modern manufacturer's are compelled to use heavier weight as a positive feature. Do people really prefer heavier planes or is it easier to manufacture these heavy planes? New LV custom planes actually are lighter than the their old planes which actually persuaded me to buy their new smoother to try it out. They could go a step further and actually sell a plane with an adjustable "balast" feature:) I used to have a gaming PC mouse where you could adjust it's weight by inserting these metal pieces in special cartridge.

[Mike Cherry]

I'm relatively new to the craft, but I also tend to like the weight of vintage hand planes. I bought a Lie Nielsen bronze #4 and this thing is heavy! Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic plane, I have found that vintage feels better in the hand.
I am also somewhat "fit" as I lift 3 days a week, but I find this bronze smoother gives me a workout haha.

[David Weaver]

You guys have come to very reasonable conclusions.

I think generally that the weight is increased on premium tools to make you perceive that they are authoritative in hardwoods, but it is counterproductive if you use them a lot.

There's a difference between what feels good and effortless in 5 strokes at a woodworking show vs. what feels good to use after your heart rate has been raised a few times and your arms and legs are starting to feel a little heavy.

Most of the full sized old woodies of appreciable width weight about the same as stanley planes. I think they were all around the same weight for good reason.

[Bill Rhodus]

Try to get your hands on a wooden jack; based on your posts, I think you will like it.

[Chuck Hart]

Make yourself a wooden jack. It's not that hard

[Reinis Kanders]

I actually got a 16 inch and about 3.5 lbs wooden double iron jack around holidays. From ebay, but it was old jack of Bob Rozaieski so it was a proven plane. I really like it and use it for initial prep, so I wanted a No.6 or 5 1/2 as a follow-up.
I am not ready to make my own wooden plane, and at the moment I am more into making things that family perceives to have a value and there are only so many tangents one can take. I read David's thread about making his wooden planes, and it seems that there are lot of nuances to it that take time to master.

[Brian Hale]

I prefer the heavier planes, my favorites being the 3 4 1/2s with the heavy castings followed the LV BUS. I'm 5 foot 6 and 160 lbs and recently finished 18 months of chemotherapy so my strength and stamina are pretty low but i find the lighter planes wear me out faster than the heavies. Not what i expected but.....

I should add that i have a plane fetish and my collection runs from #3 through #7 with multiple copies of each, including all the LV bevel up planes, but i reach for the heavies first.

Thinking about it though, i think I push the lighter planes faster and maybe that is what wears me out....

Brian :)

[David Weaver]

I actually got a 16 inch and about 3.5 lbs wooden double iron jack around holidays. From ebay, but it was old jack of Bob Rozaieski so it was a proven plane. I really like it and use it for initial prep, so I wanted a No.6 or 5 1/2 as a follow-up.
I am not ready to make my own wooden plane, and at the moment I am more into making things that family perceives to have a value and there are only so many tangents one can take. I read David's thread about making his wooden planes, and it seems that there are lot of nuances to it that take time to master.

It's not as difficult as it may be perceived, but, it's expensive even to make one compared to buying one that was in use. And you may screw up one or two before you get something you like.

I think getting one that a known user had is an excellent choice, both for use and for money purposes.

There's a lot of variance in jacks in terms of iron width, handle and weight, more so than try planes or jointers. The jack that I pictured at the end of my plane thread is a copy of a Mathieson jack/fore and it's 5.5 pounds despite being only an inch longer. .

[Jim Matthews]

Try to get your hands on a wooden jack; based on your posts, I think you will like it.

+1 on this.
I'm a convert.

If you're on the fence, find an ECE with the finnicky metal adjustments.
Those things are aces, the irons excellent and the finish exceptional.

[Jim Matthews]

I read David's thread about making his wooden planes, and it seems that there are lot of nuances to it that take time to master.

That's an understatement.

[Daniel Rode]

I have only one modern plane. It's a Wood River #4. In general, I like the plane. The fit and finish out of the box was very good. Adjustments are smooth and it looks nice. My only complaint is the weight. It's a heavy chunk of metal and 99 times out of 100, I'd prefer a lighter plane. Eventually, I'll find a vintage (pre-war) Stanley #4 to replace it.

[Reinis Kanders]

I have only one modern plane. It's a Wood River #4. In general, I like the plane. The fit and finish out of the box was very good. Adjustments are smooth and it looks nice. My only complaint is the weight. It's a heavy chunk of metal and 99 times out of 100, I'd prefer a lighter plane. Eventually, I'll find a vintage (pre-war) Stanley #4 to replace it.

It seems that Stanley No. 4 is very popular on eBay. Very hard to find a decent deal and I have pretty much given up on pursuing them. I have relatively long fingers and based on a too tight fit of my Millers Falls No. 4 have decided that variants of No. 5 are my go to planes. I have four No.5 that I setup for various purposes, Millers Falls is my favorite because rear handle is about 3/4 inch further to the rear than Stanley so there is more space for my fingers. I also have old No.5 bedrock that still looks like regular non-bedrock, but is about inch shorter and very light, I use it with heavy camber and it is pretty sweet that way.

I attached a picture that shows the difference in rear tote shapes and placement.
304227
304228

[Cody Cantrell]

That Stanley casting looks rough compared to the MF plane. Sorry first thing that caught my eye.

[lowell holmes]

Your work bench is absolutely too clean! :)

[Jim Koepke]

i find the lighter planes wear me out faster than the heavies.

This could be due to how the plane is used to do its work.

Peter Sellers has a video where he shows a plane taking a shaving while just pulling on the knob with something like rope.

He mentions pushing downward on a plane while moving it forward uses more effort than letting the plane do the down force and the user only applying the forward motion.

jtk

[Reinis Kanders]

Casting is rough, but plane works well, that's my heavily cambered jack/scrub.

My bench is on my front porch so I keep it clean and I actually have gotten to like it that way. I pickup after every session and cleanup is good for reassessment and future planning, sort of like shower:)

[Reinis Kanders]

I received my Stanley No. 8, Type 6 and this plane is only 8 lbs and 12 oz.
For comparison my Millers Falls No.7 is 7 lbs while Wood River No.7 is 9 1/2 lbs.
Plane works like a charm and is surprisingly flat. I have to say though that Millers Falls totes work better for me, i might have to make replacement totes using Millers Falls as a template.

[Jim Koepke]

I have to say though that Millers Falls totes work better for me, i might have to make replacement totes using Millers Falls as a template.

I do not know if you have made totes before, if so, maybe someone else will enjoy this. Here is a post by Clint Jones about making a tote.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?71658-Tote-making-Part

jtk

[Reinis Kanders]

Jim, thanks for that link! I have not made one before, but I think I will this weekend.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, thanks for that link!

Your welcome, there are a lot of great posts in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQ section in the Sticky Threads.

jtk

[Chris Parks]

I have only one modern plane. It's a Wood River #4. In general, I like the plane. The fit and finish out of the box was very good. Adjustments are smooth and it looks nice. My only complaint is the weight. It's a heavy chunk of metal and 99 times out of 100, I'd prefer a lighter plane. Eventually, I'll find a vintage (pre-war) Stanley #4 to replace it.

I picked up one of those planes this morning and was shocked at the weight so I'll pass and renovate my oldies.