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Thread: What planes do you regret buying?

  1. #1

    What planes do you regret buying?

    With the Lee Valley Cyber Monday sale coming, I can feel my willpower weakening.
    I'm leery of buying stuff that I don't need.

    What tools have you regretted buying?

    Please talk me out of buying more planes.

  2. #2

    Cool

    Resistance is futile........


    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Lau View Post
    With the Lee Valley Cyber Monday sale coming, I can feel my willpower weakening.
    I'm leery of buying stuff that I don't need.

    What tools have you regretted buying?

    Please talk me out of buying more planes.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
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    A No. 6 Stanley Bailey. It was my first bench plane purchase. I’ve not lost sleep over it or anything, but I do regret it. It’s a size that does not lend itself to a clear role in my shop. It doesn’t joint like my my No. 7, and it’s way big as a jack. In attempt to invent a purpose for it, I thought for a while about using it as a dedicated shooting board plane, but my style does not, and probably never will, lend itself to utilizing a shooting board.

    Collecting vintage user tools requires an opportunistic mindset, while being frugal requires being somewhat knowledgeable about the tool and the market for it. However, at auctions, and on eBay, there are many things of which I almost pulled the trigger, but didn’t, and at the end of the day was so glad I didn’t. I’ve learned to listen to that hesitant voice in my head.
    Last edited by Kurtis Johnson; 11-30-2019 at 2:02 PM.

  4. #4
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    I've yet to regret any of them.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  5. #5
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    My left-handed rebate plane (sold it at a loss to a left-handed woodworker), this was a Chris Schwarz influenced purchase - he suggest a pair and so I bought a pair. Not my finest decision. The right-handed version gets used a lot. The other is another Chris Schwarz influence - a scrub plane. In ten years I have found only one use for it.
    From the workshop under the staircase, Clinton Township, MI
    Semper Audere!

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kurtis Johnson View Post
    A No. 6 Stanley Bailey. It was my first bench plane purchase. I’ve not lost sleep over it or anything, but I do regret it. It’s a size that does not lend itself to a clear role in my shop. It doesn’t joint like my my No. 7, and it’s way big as a jack. In attempt to invent a purpose for it, I thought for a while about using it as a dedicated shooting board plane, but my style does not, and probably never will, lend itself to utilizing a shooting board.

    Collecting vintage user tools requires an opportunistic mindset, while being frugal requires being somewhat knowledgeable about the tool and the market for it. However, at auctions, and on eBay, there are many things of which I almost pulled the trigger, but didn’t, and at the end of the day was so glad I didn’t. I’ve learned to listen to that hesitant voice in my head.

    That's interesting. I actually picked up a LV #6 during one of these Cyber Monday Lee Valley sales and it has become one of the most used planes I own. I've turned it into a jack plane and honestly prefer this over the #5's I used to use. I still break out the #5's for this purpose if the blade is dull in the #6 but am always bummed at the smaller size when I do. I just prefer the larger reference surface when flattening boards with the #6.

    I can honestly say that I don't regret any of my plane purchases. I own a #2 LN, #4LN, LV BU Smoother, #5LN, #6LV, #7LN, #8LN, LV Small Plow, LV Rabbet, LN Small Shoulder, LV Medium & Large Shoulder, LN Router, LV Router, LN 60 1/2, LN 102 Bronze, LN & LV spokeshaves, LN Violin Makers Block, and some vintage Stanley's in there too. Writing them all out I will say that it seems excessive but I can honestly say they all get used. Out of all of them the #7 and #8 are the most redundant but I do use them both depending on what blade is sharper. My least favorite plane is probably the LV Spokeshave. I do find this spokeshave to be much more susceptible to chatter especially when compared to the LN Boggs version and the small bronze LN shaves. All in all I am happy with owning all these planes.

  7. #7
    I don't particularly regret any of my plane purchases. Some I don't use as much as I thought I would, but all of mine were bought used and for the most part I picked them up on the cheap. I have the Millers Fall's version of the side rabbet block plane, it doesn't get much use, but it is really handy when you need it. I don't own any of the goofy trendy planes (that were never historically popular) like bevel up smoothers, bevel up jacks, 5 !/2s, 112 scrapers and the like. I probably would have regretted forking down the money to buy them new, as I doubt they would do much for me compared to the standard planes.

    I do have a couple chisels I regret buying, but those were also used and on the cheap, so there isn't a lot of regret there either.

  8. #8
    I have an LV BU Smoother (4 1/2 sized) that I almost never use. But like they say, I'll give it up when they pry it from my cold dead hands.

    Dr. Lau, look seriously at an LV Shooting Plane - I bought mine at a cyber monday sale. LOVE that tool!
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Lau View Post
    With the Lee Valley Cyber Monday sale coming, I can feel my willpower weakening.
    I'm leery of buying stuff that I don't need.

    What tools have you regretted buying?

    Please talk me out of buying more planes.
    There are very few tools of mine towards which regret has been felt. Mostly they were ones with damage whether known or not at the time of purchase.

    For tools resting in a drawer or shelf unused a couple planes come to mind; a Stanley #95 Edge Plane and a #90 Bull Nose Shoulder plane.

    It may be better to question the aspects of your work which might be better done with the aid of a new or different tool.

    Is there any part of your woodworking being done by just getting by, like dovetail or tenon cutting? Would a new saw or a Knew Concepts saw help?

    Are you using a bench chisel to cut mortises?

    It often seems as with clamps, one can always make use of another marking gauge.

    Maybe it is a fine rasp or another spokeshave put to use on carving chair legs.

    One of my regrets may be purchasing too many 10" sweep braces.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #10
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    I have the Millers Fall's version of the side rabbet block plane
    Andrew, could you post an image of this plane. It doesn't appear to be listed on the Old Tool Haven site > https://oldtoolheaven.com/blok/blok.htm

    Could you possibly be referring to the Millers Falls equivalent of the Stanley #140?

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    I most regret a _very_ bad copy of a Stanley block plane with a mouth about a half inch wide, a twisted/skewed body, adjuster that wouldn't keep the blade in position for three strokes of the plane, an unsharpenable blade, and sharp casting burrs right where you want to put your hand. It put me completely off using hand planes for many years.

  12. #12
    I just bought too many. I really need to sell some of them. I bought multiples of some sizes thinking I'd always have another one to reach for when the first started getting dull. But I don't do that - I stop and sharpen.

    I just need to make up my mind to go through my bench planes and sell off some of them.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Kobalt #4 "smoother" from Lowes.....junk.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Silicon Valley, CA
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    989
    This one is easy...
    There are a few planes that I regret that I haven't tuned up yet (#3 type 11), as I want to use it...
    And then there is a #5 that I want to dislike because it is so ugly, but it works so well with a widened mouth and cambered blade...

    But the one that I do regret: Surform Pocket Plane...

    Ugh. I'd imagine this would be great for cub scouts to use to shape wood. I'd recommend 60-grit sandpaper glued onto blocks of wood, instead.

    Matt

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    I can't say "regret" because they're worth more than I paid a decade ago. But I just can't see that I need #3, 4, 4 1/2, 5, 5 1/4, 5 1/2, 6, 7 and 8. I sold off the duplicates and now I'm deciding which ones to keep as users. Maybe 3, 5, 7 and the low angle jack and jointer are enough. I need to decide of if I'd rather have a 4 1/2 or a 5 1/2 instead of a 5. The 6 and 8 are moving on no matter what. I just don't need all the excess and just the users are quite a collection.

    I meet a hoarder and the only difference is my junk is organized.

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