Taken the plunge Anant Kamal Premier # 10

[George Sabin]

After much research, price watching and debating with wants versus needs, I ended up buying an Anant Kamal Premier #10 Rebate Plane at $89 ... If it is a beauty when it gets here ... I'll let you know. If it is a poorly machined waste of cash then I'll send it back and let you know.

There arent any pictures or reviews on this new line yet ... that is supposed to have quality machining and spec quality to rival the bottom market of the upper end hand planes.

I needed a few hand planes to round out a well thought out and thoroughly equipped home wood shop and ended up with the following choices. Prices below don't reflect shipping costs.

1) Lie Nielsen # 140 Skew Rabbet Plane in Bronze with fence and nicker low angle plane. Hefty and versatile and meets several needs. I didn't want to fight with an old stanley 140 that priced on average at $80 in average shape without mods and new blade. $183

2) Craftsman (Sargent made) 306 low angle block plane. Mint condition. I bought it with a matching mint craftsman thumb plane ... together costing $12 on Ebay

3) Stanley 60 1/2 vintage and mint condition low angle block plane. Pretty much free since it was part of about $100 worth of tools I got for $10 at an estate sale.

4) Bailey / Stanley vintage # 3 Mint condition smoothing plane for $22 on Ebay.

5) Avant Kamal Premier line # 10 Rabbet Plane. I really looked around and couldn't land anything close to "what this is supposed to be" for under $150 used and in need of significant cleanup and tuning and blade replacement. $89

6) Veritas MK II Honing Guide $55

7) Combination Waterstone, Medium 1000/6000 Grit $23


All the blades are perfect in each Plane and not in need of replacing. Before they are to their end I will upgrade the low angle blades with new A2 blades with a 38 degree 1/8" thick blade so they can do some smoothing on the harder asian woods I have for furniture building.

I will be at under $400 for 6 high quality woodworking planes with a very nice range of versatility plus the sharpening gear, T9 Boeshield and Wax.

The shipping is a wash because the other nice tools I needed from the estate sale.

[Denis Tranchemontagne]

I am in the market for a sharpening stone, where did you find the 1000/6000. I am leaning towards the 1000/4000 norton

[Ken Werner]

Denis, I would not stop at 4,000 grit. If possible, try out a Norton 4K/8K and see if you can see the difference, I know I do.
George, those sound like some fine estate sales you'e been finding.
Ken

[George Sabin]

highlandwoodworking.com is where I got my combination stone for that price as well as the Anant plane, wax, T-9 and Veriats hone guide.

They combine shipping ethically.

Norton makes a good product. I have used their stones for years in the restaurant business and on our kitchen knives.

Fabulous article on sharpening and blade tests found here
http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/

While I agree with the article and author and commend his anal and excellent results ... I am happy with a nice honed edge with a common combo stone and a solid guide. I may final tune with his guidelines however.

[George Sabin]

Plus the wife wanted to leave after 5 minutes. So I just tossed a pile of possibles into a bucket and paid $10. Ended up with a Yankee drill that will fetch $17 after costs on E-Bay and 2 Stanley Sureform Rasps ... one Hart framing and roofing Hammer and the stanley 60 1/2

... a little dremel work with a brass wheel and some lapping and I had some nice gear for a 5 min hunt and $10

I knew I should have gotten there on opening ... the whole garage was full of vintage woodworking gear.

Just the 60 1/2 is worth $40-$60

[Terry Bigelow]

George, I live near Highland Harware and visit it frequently (not good news for the wallet!). I have checked out those Anant planes and they seem pretty decent. Mind you, I have not actually put them to use but merely inspected them. I will say they seem better than the new Stanley's that they sell there with the plastic handles (the bench planes only) if that means anything. I'll be interested to see what you have to say about it's performance. Also, I agree with Ken, try the 4000/8000 Norton stone. I have it and it really takes your edge up a notch!

[Brian Kent]

I too am looking forward to your experience with the Kamal line. About a year ago I bought an Anant 4 1/2 to learn some fettling and experiment with. I spent quite some time fettling, but was happy wih the overall fit of the pieces, the weight, and the quality of the handles (which I stripped and oiled). I feel like it popped into place a couple of months ago when I got enough experience to sharpen the blade adequately. Suddenly I had a frequent user instead of a first experience. A little better finish and a little flatter sole would make Anants a valid choice. Please do let us know!

[George Sabin]

The fit and finish will tell me a bunch out of the box. Playing with it till I develope a feel for its virtues will take some time. Plus ... I won't be able to compare it with a Stanley or Bailey 10 or 10 1/4 Rabbet plane or Carriage Plane. They are too much for a minty condition one. (for what you get)

I will take it directly to some super hard malasian woods tho ! I sun kiln dried a few hundred board feet of different kinds of exotic woods at 135 degrees and to a sub 8% moisture ... so it is some tuff wood. If it chews through those well ... then I will have a winner. If a plane is going to chatter in fear these super dry and hard woods will do it.

[George Sabin]

Terry ... did you handle the Anant Kamal Premier models? Or just their regular line?
Impressions?

[Terry Bigelow]

Just the regular line. I actually bought a no.4 (Anant)when I first got in to hand planes but have since given it to a friend because I now have WAAAAY too many old Stanley's. Slippery slope indeed! Anyway I'm heading up the Highland Hardware tommorow and I'll give 'em a look-see. I can tell you that if they are an upgrade from their regular line they should be pretty nice. No Lie-Neilson of course, but then again you already knew that!

[George Sabin]

The "Anant Kamal Premier" 60 1/2 is the only one that has a pic online ... but it does look to be machined well and appears somewhat heafty.

Tell me your thoughts after you have handled the line ... as to their standing with the older Stanleys Baileys Sargents

I know their original line did not review well and seemed to fall below a USA made newer Stanley.

I figure that if they can top the old lines by a wide margin then it will be a winning line.

I know that many of the Bailey pattern Planes come with 1/8" thick irons.

[Barry Anderson]

The original Anant line was pretty bad. I bought a 4 1/2 about a year ago. Never really got it working properly. I bought a Lie-Nielsen last fall and now have a quality plane!! Worlds apart. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the Anant. Maybe use it for a shop door stop.

Barry in WV

[George Sabin]

The older line simply had bad machining and fit.

The only review I had read on the premier line stated they only handled the new line and examined it ... but did no actual review test.

They mentioned the heft and machining and fit as remarkabley improved to compete at least in machining, fit appearance and heft ... with the better plane makers.

We will see. The true test comes with use.


Geo

[Al Mock MD]

highlandwoodworking.com is where I got my combination stone for that price as well as the Anant plane, wax, T-9 and Veriats hone guide.

They combine shipping ethically.

Norton makes a good product. I have used their stones for years in the restaurant business and on our kitchen knives.

Fabulous article on sharpening and blade tests found here
http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/

While I agree with the article and author and commend his anal and excellent results ... I am happy with a nice honed edge with a common combo stone and a solid guide. I may final tune with his guidelines however.

An amazing piece of work undertaken at great expense, no doubt. Is anyone else surprised how the cryo's performed relative to others? I'd still rather resharpen a Clifton more often! Then again, I like sharpening.

[Terry Bigelow]

The "Anant Kamal Premier" 60 1/2 is the only one that has a pic online ... but it does look to be machined well and appears somewhat heafty.

Tell me your thoughts after you have handled the line ... as to their standing with the older Stanleys Baileys Sargents

I know their original line did not review well and seemed to fall below a USA made newer Stanley.

I figure that if they can top the old lines by a wide margin then it will be a winning line.

I know that many of the Bailey pattern Planes come with 1/8" thick irons. George, just got back from HH and I had a chance to check out the Anant Kamals. They look better than the regular line(except I'm not a big fan of the blue jappaning) and have a considerably thicker iron and chipbreaker. Also the adjustments seem to have very little "slop" as opposed to the reg. line. They seemed to have a little more heft too. As for comparing them to old Stanley's I'm probably a little biased there but I would say they compare better than the regular line. Once again though, let me clarify I HAVE NOT USED ONE. With the thicker iron/chipbreaker and pretty solid adjustments I would guess it's probably worth what you paid for. Not a cheap-o plastic handled plane, but not a top o' the line LN either. I'm sure she'll treat you right but let us know.

[George Sabin]

This particular book is not only a phenominal scientific research study but incredibly ... I mean incredibly well written. And I am understating it at that. Amazon has them.

http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html


I'm not surprised at all regarding the Cryo ... I have a bit of special ops gear history ragarding the science of Cryo on sniper rifle barrels ... :cool:

Cryo is actually cheap to do if you have numerous items to drop into the cryo bath.

It re-zero's the molecules that manufacturing and tempering left at random levels of order and hardness. That uniformity creates stronger structure and tensile resiliency at the same rockwell hardness. ;)

[George Sabin]

Did the sole and sides look to be perfect and true as though the machining was different and superior?

[George Sabin]

It does have a full 1/8" thick Iron and 3/16 Chip breaker. It is heafty and sturdy but not a thing of beauty due to the overall substandard machine work and sub par hardwood tote and front knob.

The machine work is true on the sole and cheeks and is better than newer Stanleys. The mouth and other detail areas that aren't super critical ... just aren't done perfect or with care. It won't detract from the performance but does detract from the asthetics that an older "mint condition" well tuned Stanley or Sargent or Millers falls offers.

The Brass fittings are nice touches.

It is very useable and a good value unless you can find a #10 at an estate sale in pristine shape for under $90

Ebay #10's 10 1/2 or 10 1/4 aren't to be had for under $125 in excellent to pristine condition that don't need anything accept for a tuning.

Overall ... for the price and the considerable sturdyness of this plane ... it is a good purchase and a very good value for a #10. It is a great user with high end features where it counts. It will never be a collector item however since there is no special asthetics or finesse in its workmanship.

If you want a Rabbet carriage plane and are willing to spend up to $200 and desire that the tool keep or gain value ... then buy a pristine one on Ebay.

If you need a user that simply needs to perform and aren't interested in it keeping or gaining value ... or want to spend less than $100 on it .... Then this plane is the one for you.

[Terry Bigelow]

Thanks for the update, George!

[Brian Kent]

George,

A year later, have you had a chance to use your plane on a regular basis? If so, is it one that you enjoy using or that is frustrating?

Oddly enough, today I have not been able to find any other reviews of the Kamal line besides yours. If I had cash I didn't need for something else I would try out the #3. I am curious if "we" wrote them off because of earlier standard Anant experiences?

Brian

[Doug Kerfoot]

I have been searching for reviews on the Kamal line as well.

I talked to Ron Diefenbacher of Diefenbacher Tools. He says he sent back the 60 1/2 block planes he got from the Kamal line because the machining was worse than on the regular Anant block planes. He said that the bench planes are significantly nicer though.

He also stopped carrying the Stanley block planes since now that they are made in Mexico their quality has dropped significantly. I have an Anant Kamal #5 Jack Plane and a regular Anant 60 1/2 block plane (per his recomendation) scheduled to be delivered today. I'll post after I have had a chance to sharpen and use them.

Oddly, Ron can't get the #7 in the Kamal line from his supplier (Robert Larsen) even though Highland lists it.

[Brian Kent]

Great, Doug. I'll be watching.

Brian

[John Powers]

I bought the little Anant 77 bullnose or rabbet plane from Woodenboat for $35.00 years ago. It looks and works OK to me and is basically as good as I have taken the time to shapren the blade. Have since gotten an old Stanley 90 and while the differences are apparant, Stanley feels better in the hand and adjusts finer, I think for $35.00 the Anant is OK. Frankly at the time I didn't know what a Stanley 90 was or I'd have pursued one and passed on the Anant. As far as bench planes go, with all the old stanley's around I can't see not getting one of those and I'm no lover of rehabbing or fetteling.

[Doug Kerfoot]

A couple of reviews on the Anant Kamal (premier) hand planes. The 2nd one is mine. Also some add-on discussion and pictures in the 2nd link:


http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=38724

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=38726