plow plane recommendations

[frank shic]

guys, i'm looking for a plow plane that'll cut 1/4" groove mostly for raised panel door construction. i was wondering if a stanley 50 would do the trick since they appear to be a lot cheaper to buy used than the stanley 45. i love the new lee valley version but would prefer not to spend more than $50.

[Robert Rozaieski]

Stanley #50 will do what you want. Don't overlook woodie plows either. Sometimes you can get good deals on them. I got mine for $10. It only had one iron but it was the 1/4" iron, which is the most used anyway so I didn't care. I can get additional irons when I have the need.

[frank shic]

thanks robert! i had a stanley 45 in the past but it was so clunky that i sold it off. i'll start looking on fleabay for a used stanley 50 now...

[Johnny Kleso]

Try to find an older one with Nickers as it will help tear out but more on cross grain cuts.

[frank shic]

appreciate the advice, johnny! i've learned my lesson from my last couple of purchases off of ebay lol.

[Bill Houghton]

I do want to say, though, that I am in love with the LV small plow plane from my limited use of it. I've made moderate use of my Stanley 45 and find it a good tool; the LV is SO quick and SO accurate, just a step above all around. I don't know if you're in a position to save up (I note the small child in your picture -- having been there myself, I appreciate how hard it is to get shop time, much less shop money, when dealing with the most expensive hobby of all, children), but, if you are, consider the LV.

No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

[lowell holmes]

Japan Woodworker has a rosewood plow plane for about $65 (IIRC). I have it and it will do what you describe. I lust for the LV plow plane though.

[David Keller NC]

I've a bunch of plows from a rather bad tool-collecting addiction. I've used a Stanely 45, 50, and a 55 in the shop as a plow. I've also used a Seigley (an also-ran in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), and various handled and un-handled wooden plows. In my opinion, for what you want to do, a dedicated 1/4" wooden dado plane is what you want. You have to look carefully to find one that has a straight sole, as the bodies on these planes often warp.

Hands down, though, it's the most maneuverable, and quickest, way to make a cross-grain or with-the-grain dado in the shop. Part of the reason is the existence of modern, extruded aluminum clamp-on guides designed for circular saws and routers. Previous to those, a craftsman would have to either clamp or nail a wooden guide onto the panel to guide the plane, and that can be a real pain in the rear to get square to the cut. The clamp-on guides are self-squaring, and because there's no offset between the line and the groove for a dado plane, only one measurement and line strike are necessary.

Frank - this is a comment on posting to net boards before you've had your first cup of coffee - I was merrily typing away after not reading your post carefully, and had assumed you meant cutting the 4 grooves on the face of a raised panel before chamfering the sides - which, of course, can be done with either a plow or a dado. Looking at your post more carefully, I think you meant cutting the grooves in the stiles and rails, and a dado, of course, will not work for this purpose. Adam is correct about using a dedicated wooden plane for plowing these grooves - it's a heck of lot easier to balance the plane on the edge of a stile or rail than it is one of the adjustable metal varieties from Stanely or one of the other early 20th century makers. Failing that, I'd suggest looking into one of the Record small plows (such as the 044) made in the middle of the 20th century - they can often be had with 3 blades for about $75.

[Adam Cherubini]

I don't have the new metal plows. I really didn't like the S #45 I had. In my shop, I use the heck out of my drawer bottom plow. It's a little plane with a single 1/4" cutter. It's moving fillester like fence only allows about an 1" of travel. But when is the last time you plowed a groove more than an inch in from a board? Only time I ever do that is when I'm making moldings, and rarely at that.

So I was thrilled to see my little 19th c plow reproduced by Philly Edwards (http://www.phillyplanes.co.uk/). Like LN, he's taken a traditional tools, stuck very close to the original design, but improved it. His plane comes with 6 and 9mm irons. With the plummeting British pound, this plane is essentially on sale to US customers, easily 10% off, and 25% cheaper than it was 3 months ago. Even with the discount, this plane will still be a couple hundred bucks, so out of the OP's price range.

But when I say I love this plane, I'm not kidding. Get an antique (good luck) or buy Philly's. Like to see Derek Cohen do a head to head review of this plane and a metal jobby. If you do order it, I would highly recommend asking for 1/8", 1/4" and 5/16" irons in lieu of the 2 metric irons. The 1/8" doesn't matter too much, it's just a super thick scribe line. But the others should match your mortisers. Not even a bad idea to mic them and send Philly three place dimensions and ask him to match them. That way, when you low a groove for a raised panel, you can stick your mortiser in the groove and won't have to fight the groove.

Go with the groove!

Adam

[Michael Faurot]

Here's what I know about the two I have . . .

1) Avoid the Anant No. 52. I have one and hate it. My primary gripe is that the fence is not square to the rest of the plane. Such that if you hold it to the edge of the wood, it pulls the plane over to the left about 5-10° away from 90°. I've been able to work around this somewhat by adjusting the wooden runner for the fence to compensate for the crappy machining.

2) Japan Woodworker sells a wooden plough for about $56. It has no depth stop and no cross grain nicker. It's also oriented such that it needs to be pulled instead of pushed. The first one I ordered came with some badly machined cutters such that I wound up with two that were roughly 1/4" in size. I contacted Japan Woodworker about the situation and they remedied the problem by just sending me another plane. They didn't want the original back, so now I've got two of these wooden ones. The second one did come with a better set of cutters.

I don't like either of the styles of plough planes I have very much. I thoroughly loathe the Anant. The wooden one works, but lacking a depth stop makes it a lot more tedious to use. I also don't like that it needs to be pulled, instead of pushed. Ultimately I intend to replace the planes I have now with the Lee Valley plough plane when I can afford it.

[lowell holmes]

In reference to the depth stop for the Japan Woodworker plane:
If you use a piece of wood under the fence rails, it acts as a depth gage. I just determine the thickness needed to maintain the proper depth.

It's not a perfect, but it works.

I still lust after the new LV plow plane though. :-)

[Jim Nardi]

Record planes aren't collected which makes them alot cheaper. The 044 or a 050 are stellar planes for that job IMO.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Frank

The two cheapest and reliable groovers I can think of are the Record #043 and, as Adam noted, a drawer bottom plough (or, in my case, a simplified version). Adam, I'll have to talk with Philly some time. I bought his mini panel raiser and will get around to a review when I get to use it seriously - coming up in the Christmas break as I have several cabinets to build for home.

The #043 (mine is the Rapier version) is a small, one-handed plane that comes with blades 1/8" - 1/4".

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20Veritas%20Small%20Plow%20Plane_html_1603a468 .jpg

My drawer bottom plane is an old woodie that I cleaned up. It has a fixed fence and a single 1/4" blade, so is used when I produce several drawers of the same size.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Drawerplane1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Drawerplane2.jpg

The woodie is the one I would go for if you are looking at production work and want something good without spending much (more than your time in fixing one up).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Andrew Homan]

Frank,
If you can find one, the Record #044 is a treat to use. I've also been using it for rabbets.
-Andy

[frank shic]

thanks for everyone's advice. i just got a stanley 50 off of fleabay for only $13 although shipping costs $14 (doh!). can't wait to put the little guy back into action!

[frank shic]

just got the plane today and after sharpening and honing the blade, this little gem cuts beautifully. this is just what i was looking for: compact, sturdy and lightweight. viva la handtools!!!