Replacement blade for Stanley No 7 Joiner Plane (Type 11)

[Brad Keen]

Hi,

I recently purchased a Stanley No 7 joiner plane. The blade has a little over an inch left on it, so I thought I would do some research on a replacement. I'm fairly new to woodworking, and had a few questions.

With about 1.25 inches, how long could I expect this to last? Used sort of infrequently for occasional projects.

For $30, I can get a nice Sweetheart era blade. Or, there is the Veritas blade route. Is there any sort of consensus on replacing old blades with the Veritas blades? Is one type of Veritas blade favored (ie. PMV11?)

Thanks!

[Derek Cohen]

Depending on how frequently you grind the blades, I'd say ... oh ... 50 years. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brad Keen]

Really? Ha. Okay, so this isn't an issue. Thanks for letting me know.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Brad and a belated welcome to the Creek.

Like Derek said it will take a bit of time to wear that blade down. It seems in the past many folks did more grinding than was really needed and caused a premature end of a blade's useful life.

jtk

[Mike Henderson]

Hi,

I recently purchased a Stanley No 7 joiner plane. The blade has a little over an inch left on it, so I thought I would do some research on a replacement. I'm fairly new to woodworking, and had a few questions.

With about 1.25 inches, how long could I expect this to last? Used sort of infrequently for occasional projects.

For $30, I can get a nice Sweetheart era blade. Or, there is the Veritas blade route. Is there any sort of consensus on replacing old blades with the Veritas blades? Is one type of Veritas blade favored (ie. PMV11?)

Thanks!

That blade will last you a long time. As Derek said, at least 50 years if you sharpen it conservatively. If you were to purchase a new blade, the Veritas PM-V11 blade is very good. Most of the modern blades are thicker and will often perform a bit better than the original blade. And the PM-V11 will stay sharp longer than the original blade.

Mike

[For a comparison, the type 11 was made early in the 20th Century so that blade has lasted about 100 years already.]

[Jim Koepke]

One thought on a replacement/spare blade. Some of my older planes have blades with early trademarks. If the plane is sold in the future one of these with good length will enhance its value to a collector. When this is the case a less desired blade may be substituted for the original with the original being stored for posterity.

Here is a listing of Stanley Trade Marks used on their blades:

https://www.antique-used-tools.com/stantms.htm

jtk

[lowell holmes]

I have these irons and breakers on my Bedrock planes.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=66868&cat=1,230,41182

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Having experienced both I'd say cough up the cash for a Veritas blade if you can afford it. My original Stanley blades take a fine edge but the newer steels just stay sharp so much longer. As an extreme example, consider this: My No. 7 still has the original blade and I probably get 20-30 minutes of heavy use out of the edge before I have to stop and sharpen. And I hate stopping in the middle of something so I tend to keep using the plane until it is really not cutting as well. If you are a stickler about sharpness you might need to sharpen every 10-15 minutes On the other hand, I haven't sharpened the A2 blade in my jack plane in over a month, and it has seen hours of heavy use.

[steven c newman]

Have the original irons in both of my #7 planes, still....one is a type 9 #7c by Stanley, the other is an OhioTool Co. #0-7. Both stay very sharp, have yet to stop to sharpen them up. May be in the way I do things...

I have a type 7 #8 Stanley, with original iron....see through shavings.....3/4" left between the edge and the slot. No complaints.

My arms wear out long before the edges do.

[Derek Cohen]

Really? Ha. Okay, so this isn't an issue. Thanks for letting me know.

Brad

If you were working with "exotic" hard woods - my Australian timbers would qualify here - which are abrasive and tend to dull blade edges, and especially when these woods need the sharpest possible edge to avoid tearing out ..... then I would immediately say to you "get thee to Veritas PM-V11 immediately!". However, if you are working soft woods, and especially non-abrasive and straight grained stuff (as Steven above does), then good old Stanley high carbon steel is going to be absolutely fine.

Regards from Perth

Derek