Looking for Stanley #7- Is ebay good choice?

[Tim Reagan]

I'm interested in getting a reasonable quality jointer plane. I have seen stanley 7's on ebay for 40-70 depending on condition. Is that the best place to look? If anyone looking to unload one, pm me.
thanks,
tim

[Thomas Knighton]

Tim,

I don't know if there's a "best" place to look. eBay can save you some money if you know what to look for. My first eBay plane I thought was a heck of a steal. However, now I know why...even though I paid $1.25 for it and a pretty decent brace, I still got screwed ;)

My opinion on eBay is to look there, but also with the folks who sell vintage tools, and your local flea markets and antique stores. So far as I can tell, one day one option will be your best bet, and another one will be the best bet another day.

But I'm still a newbie, so the veterans here may have different experiences.

Tom

[Mike Henderson]

You can certainly find a good one on eBay - I bought a type 13 on eBay and it was in great shape. Just look at the seller - if they sell planes as a business, they will know what's good and price it as such.

Also, contact Clint Jones here and see if he can help you.

Mike

[Wilbur Pan]

I found my Stanley #7 on eBay. However, I was at a point where I was pretty comfortable with my ability to rehab/tune up a plane, and the #7 that I found had a stain on the sole that I figured would scare the collectors off, but I also knew I was taking a bit of a chance.

[Brian J. Williams]

I've had moderate to fair results with acquiring planes off that site. Like the others' discussions above, you've got to be careful. You need to take a REAL close look at the pictures that are posted, and you need to be prepared to fettle a little (or a lot) once your new-found treasure arrives.

I've gotten a nice 78, a pretty fair 71-1/2 from that site; neither of which required fettling other than cleaning up and sharpening the iron. I'm currently rebuilding a #8 that I recently got there for $40.00. Now, for $40.00, what I got was a rusted Type 6 hulk that had most of the japanning gone, was pitted on the upper side of the bed, and has a cracked tote and knob, but the sole has only slight wear. I stripped the rust with citric acid (as has been discussed elsewhere on these pages), repainted the body, and am building a new tote and knob. I'll probably replace the iron with a LV replacement simply because the LV iron is thicker then the original and will perform a whole lot better. It's a lot of work and I'll have a pretty fair bit of time into it by the time I'm done, but then when it's freezing outside here in the land of the shining mountains, I like to fiddle around with that kind of stuff and come out with a good user plane in the end. If I had the spare $475.00 to plunk down for a L-N #8 I would. (If I were using my tools to make a living, it would probably be another story.) Considering my my non-professional woodworker status, it makes more sense for me to fettle an old plane, as long as the sole isn't hashed and the body isn't cracked.

[Jim Belair]

Not wanting to derail your purchase plan but did you see Chris Swartz's blog on transitionals as jointers? They are easy to true the sole. Truing a metal #7 can be a bear.

http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/No+More+Iron+Bananas.aspx

Jim B

[Marcus Ward]

You can't really true a #7, it's too big. That said, most don't need it. People produced great work without this fettling craze that's shakin' the nation! I paid 43$ for a very nice type 10 #7 on ebay. You can do well, I'd be happy to advise if you want to pm me auctions you're looking at. Also, consider contacting Clint Jones, he does good work to old planes. Prices are affordable too without that "I hope I'm getting something good" fear.

[Kevin French]

Tim

Their out there, and the longer you look the better the prices will be. The first I bought was from the bay for very cheap money. I needed one, it was welded, turned out to be a good job and worked(s) well. I found a beauty in a Flea market for $30. Yard Sales are the best, $5 for one made in England, didn't need it but $5 I'd have bought all they had.