I absolutely adore my vintage Stanley Sweetheart #8 and could never think of replacing it. I also have a #7 Sweetheart, but don't use it nearly as much.
I'm going to just throw a few things out there and see what sticks to the wall.
* My LV Skew Rabbet Plane is far superior to and Woody Moving Fillister plane I have found.
* The LV Small Plow Plane is a dream to use. I enjoy using it much more than my Vintage #45 (and it cost less too).
* I have LV's Shooting Plane & Track and don't know what I ever did without it.
* Lie Nielsen's Rabbet Block Plane is indispensable in my shop.
* Speaking of block planes... I don't know how I would survive without my LV Low Angle Block Plane equipped with their Tote & Knob. It works like a Stanly #2, but it actually fits in your hand. It fills both the block plane and small smoother roles beautifully. Especially if you get the optional high-angle and toothing blades.
All of that said though, my go-to, reach for it every day, best plane on my shelf is: Lee Valley's Bevel Up Smoother.
LV BU Smoother.jpg
Hands down it is leaps and bounds above every other plane I use in form and function. I keep the high-angle blade in it, although I do use the standard blade on occasion, and it takes the wispiest shavings, down to .001" even on tiger maple. I also added their optional "slow adjuster" and it makes fine tuning a breeze.
So... There is my 2 cents. Now you all can tear me down and beat me up over it.
"I've cut the dang thing three times and it's STILL too darn short"
Name withheld to protect the guilty
Stew Hagerty
Ray; this video goes for 7min. If you make an allowance for the banter it likely took the presenter less than 5min to flatten and ease the outer edges on a Stanley #4 sole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQyjLV92224
Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 02-08-2018 at 7:35 PM.
I think that bevel down jointers are better than bevel up because they have cap irons, which IMO are actually more important for jointing than they are for smoothing. There are several ways to productively smooth difficult woods, but the same cannot be said about jointing.
Which one would I buy first?
The one I used a lot but feel it is hampered by poor execution of the design...
For me - I use block planes more than anything else.. And I often find that my hopes about the latest thrift store find are dashed by the rocks of reality..
My WoodRiver low angle block plane was like a lightning bolt out of a blue sky compared to my previous Stanleys and Miscellaneous block planes... And I am seriously thinking about one of the LV or LN small block plane...
A #4 is also on my list... I use it a lot and I don't really like my current stable...
I can forgive the sins of a plane I hardly ever use so long as it more or less works when I need it to.. So for example - I don't use my Millers Falls #22 battleship often - but it works well enough... So it can stay...
Hey John,
I'm a diehard Lee Valley fan, but I think the Lie Nielson small block plane feels better in the hand. My small block plane (regular pitch) is my favorite block plane.
Veritas Combination Plane.
Reasoning: Vintage combination planes are a) rare hereabouts b) a total crapshoot on both completeness and actual usability. Sure, it may be NIB, but is that because it got purchased and then forgotten in a half dozen moves and inheritances, or is it because it was tried and turned out to be one of "those planes"? It's simply not an adventure I'm interested in taking.
Second option would be the LV Shooting Plane.
Now, in fairness, I'm not really a good candidate for this question. I have 3, 4 if we count the Stanley 6c that needs rehab, vintage planes, and I barely even use them anymore, the newer planes are just tighter. Almost everything else is either LV or LN, with a single late 90s Stanley (England) #7 and Record #4 thrown in for good measure . I built my plane hangar mostly while living in Las Vegas. Very, very, very poor pickins for rust hunting. Folks jettisoned old handtools BEFORE coming to Vegas.
It came to pass...
"Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
The road IS the destination.
One of thing to consider for rust hunting adventures is the history of the area. Large well developed areas had a lot of people before the 20th century. A lot of people usually means a very diverse population with some folks being carpenters and furniture makers. Those are the kinds of folks who owned, used and left to heirs the tools we seek.living in Las Vegas. Very, very, very poor pickins for rust hunting. Folks jettisoned old handtools BEFORE coming to Vegas.
Las Vegas wasn't incorporated into a city until 1911. There was a Mission in San Francisco in 1776 if my memory is working.
The longer an area has been settled, the more likely there will be old tools to be found.
Las Vegas (or lost wages as some call it) likely lost many of the old tools to gamblers pawning them. Then the tourist likely purchased them and took them from the area.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
In my fantasy Christie Brinkly is walking towards me wearing a bikini and carrying a Karl Holtey Jointer with a flame maple body,just gorgeous...........and then I wake up. Buy only what you NEED, you'll be happier in the end,no buyers remorse. Spend your money on lumber.
Stewie, I'm always being the heretic , I let the little pixies do most of the work with a 6x48 belt sander, after doing the first # 4 by hand. It was how they were made.
I have a #3 Bailey, and 604, 605, and 607 Bedrock Planes. I also have a 5 1/2 Bailey similar to the one below. It is 2 3/4" x 15". It is
a big plane.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...m_appfocus1_cr
The 607 bedrock is 2 3/4" X 21 3/4".[ATTACH=CONFIG]379575
It is a big plane. It has a Veritas iron and breaker.
I just noticed the Japanning is deteriorated. I will remove the Japanning and coat it with black automotive enamel. That will make it clean and fresh again.
OPBTW, the photo is a download
[/ATTACH]
Last edited by lowell holmes; 02-21-2018 at 2:12 PM.