Stanley 93 shoulder plane made in England

[Jason Buresh]

At a local woodworking store, there is a Stanley no 93 shoulder plane for sale. It is brand new, unused, made in England. It has a price tag of $200.

To me that seems high, but I have been trying to find a shoulder plane somewhere locally.

It looks like it has been sitting there a while and I'm sure there is reason for that.

Is there something I am missing here?

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Way overpriced and meh quality (at best). Be patient and keep checking for an opportunity to buy a new Lie Nielsen, Veritas or HNT Gordon (Heartwood Tools is the US distributor). Lots of LN and Veritas shoulder planes lately on eBay and even a few HNT Gordons. And, unlike other tools, the prices are not being bid up to the stratosphere. Or put out a WTB in the classifieds right here on the Creek.

[Jason Buresh]

My only issue is I need to pay cash. I was looking at woodcraft and it looks like they carry Clifton shoulder planes in that price range. Would that be a better choice?

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Sorry, I have no experience with Clifton. Their products have a decent, albeit limited, reputation. Maybe someone who has one will chime in.

[Derek Cohen]

My go-to shoulder planes are Veritas. I especially like the Small (1/2") and Medium (3/4"). My first shoulder plane was the Stanley #93 (1"), and I still have it. While the steel is not the best, it holds an edge long enough for specialised tasks. Think of the #93 as a narrow rebate block plane. It is a low shoulder plane, which makes it easier to hold and use on tenon cheeks (not tippy, like a standard shoulder plane), or where one might use a block plane.

Of course, $200 is madness. But get one if the price is right.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

It looks like it has been sitting there a while and I'm sure there is reason for that.

Most likely the price.

As an owner of a Stanley #93, my advice would agree with others who suggest getting either the Veritas or Lie-Nielsen model.

As a side note, my #93 shoulder plane isn't used very often. Shoulders are trimmed quicker and cleaner with a chisel sharpened at a low angle.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

Derek and Jim,

The reason I have been interested in one is I feel it may do a better job of cleaning up rabbets after my 78 than my little 75 does. The 75 gets the job done, but thought the longer sole of a shoulder plane would help with accuracy

[Derek Cohen]

Jason, I like the Veritas Small for this. A 1/2” wide blade is nearly always big enough, and the Small is so comfortable in the hand. If you only plan to get one, then a case can be made for the Medium (3/4”).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jerry Olexa]

$200 is HIGH.....Negotiate down or PASS..My 2cents

[Jim Koepke]

Derek and Jim,

The reason I have been interested in one is I feel it may do a better job of cleaning up rabbets after my 78 than my little 75 does. The 75 gets the job done, but thought the longer sole of a shoulder plane would help with accuracy

IMO, this is a better reason for getting a shoulder plane than using it on M&T work. That is where mine is used the most.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

IMO, this is a better reason for getting a shoulder plane than using it on M&T work. That is where mine is used the most.

jtk


On the few mortise and tennons I have cut, I have found, as you stated, a chisel a good tool for tuning. Also helpful is Paul sellers method with a router plane were you rest it on the face of the board, set the depth of the blade to the cheek, and swing the router plane across the cheek to make the surface level. After this the chisel to tune works well.

This method was at least successful for the joints I have cut

[Jim Koepke]

On the few mortise and tennons I have cut, I have found, as you stated, a chisel a good tool for tuning. Also helpful is Paul sellers method with a router plane were you rest it on the face of the board, set the depth of the blade to the cheek, and swing the router plane across the cheek to make the surface level. After this the chisel to tune works well.

This method was at least successful for the joints I have cut

The "Paul Sellers method" may be older than Paul Sellers > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?36807

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

May be. He is the first person I have seen use it, so I probably wrongly associated it to him.

I often wonder how much knowledge and techniques have been lost to father time. If some of the pieces of furniture from long ago could only talk.

[Derek Cohen]

The first person I saw do this was David Charlesworth, about 25 years ago.

One tends to attribute a technique to the last person who uses it, not the first.

Regards from Perth

Derek