Shoulder plane question

[lou Brava]

I've never used one or owned one but I just bought one. I just finished up some large M&T joints & used a chisel to pair tenons which worked great. But I've been eying shoulder planes I think there really cool looking so I got one (probably a tool I don't really need).
My question is, is the plane iron supposed to be as wide or a bit wider than the plane body ?
The plane iron on the one I bought is a little over a 1/16" narrow than the plane body so to get right up to the shoulder the iron needs to be skewed left or right.
Plane is this one,
https://taytools.com/products/taytoo...18065689542707
Thanks

[Jim OConnor]

Should be the same width as the body. If yours is narrow, you may have to bias it to one side to see if you can get it to the edge……. But 1/16” is a big gap

[Jim Koepke]

The blade on rabbet planes, of which a shoulder plane is, the blade should be just a hair wider than the body. A caliper to measure your plane base and the blade would be of help in determining if the blade is wide enough.

You may want to contact whoever sold this to you to see if they can send you a replacement blade or return the tool for a refund.

Here is an old post on shoulder planes > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?119301

In my experience there are two reliable ways to save on tools; buy quality from the start or learn to pick good used tools inexpensively and restore them yourself.

Buying cheap seldom saves time or money over the long run.

jtk

[Mark e Kessler]

Blade is Hair wider, for the side you need it flush on lay the plane on a flat surface loosen then retighten.

also just saw you bought a low end plane, for it to be effective the sides need to be 90 to the sole the whole way and the sole and sides need to be flat or you will struggle with its use, return it and save up for a LN or other quality brand.

[Scott Clausen]

My understanding is that if not slightly proud of the plane body you will get a tapered rebate on a rebate plane. If not wide enough you may be able to set the side in use to be proud. Often people that are not aware of this will file the edges to make them even with the plane body. I think there is a Paul Sellers video on this very subject. I used mine this weekend and liked it.

[lou Brava]

Yeah, I kinda figured that the blade iron should be at least as wide so prior to ordering from Taylor I sent email specifically asking if blade was a bit wider & they confirmed it was. The body of plane measures 27.8mm Blade is 27.3 so basically 1/16" narrower. So now I'm gonna call them up & most likely return it. Over all the tool seems well made and the base is perfectly square to the sides, it was very very dull though and I had to sharpen it to make it work right.
Tool cost vs. value is kinda of no brainier and I really like high end tools. But on the hand I work with some old Stanley planes that were never top of the line and they plane fantastic. I don't need a 400 dollar Jack plane. I'm a retired Genaral Contractor who is now hobby wood worker just getting back into actually using tools !
I really couldn't justify spending 250 bucks on a tool I can defiantly get by with out. I took a chance on the low priced Taylor knowing it might be going back.
Thanks for all the replies

[Mark e Kessler]

One other thing, i have had a Stanley 93 for 30 years which out of square on one side and slightly dished at the throat on the sole. It worked and was ok but never did shoulders that well, i used it more like a block plane.

Looks to be about the same size as the taytool one. I bought the large LN and their is no comparison, it actually works as designed where the Stanley just kinda did it. The weight makes a huge difference in quality when it comes to the cut and it is soooo nice to handle and use. I just trimmed some 1” x 3/4” tenons with perf results you would think that LN is way to big for that task but it’s the opposite, I wished i had seen the light 25 years ago…

[glenn bradley]

As mentioned, a hair wider. I would think that narrower, especially that much, would require more skew than I want to deal with. I often have the iron just a skosh past the side.

[Robert Engel]

I like the Lee Valley planes b/c they have set screws or sideways adjustment. The Lie Nielsen and Stanleys don't.

Shoulder planes actually aren't supposed to use on tenon faces, even though we do it.

I like to use a router plane with a wide base. This keeps the tenon parallel to the face, which is always an issue with shoulder planes.

A rabbet block plane is nice for wider tenons.

[steven c newman]

Seems to be the "Required response" on this site...someone is always shaming others into buying certain brand name tools...irregardless of the cost to an OP...almost like their was a Commission involved...

My "Large " shoulder plane is a body bodied one, a No, 181 Skewed Rebate plane, with an 1.25" width tapered iron .

However....IF one has either a Stanley No. 78, or the Sargent No.79....retract the spurs...instant shoulder plane....and a lot easier to push, to boot.

IF they want you to have that $400 plane..then have THEM buy for you....

[Mark e Kessler]

Seems to be the "Required response" on this site...someone is always shaming others into buying certain brand name tools...irregardless of the cost to an OP...almost like their was a Commission involved...

My "Large " shoulder plane is a body bodied one, a No, 181 Skewed Rebate plane, with an 1.25" width tapered iron .

However....IF one has either a Stanley No. 78, or the Sargent No.79....retract the spurs...instant shoulder plane....and a lot easier to push, to boot.

IF they want you to have that $400 plane..then have THEM buy for you....

Guess it depends on how you look at it and if your sensitive to such notions, WW is such a personal thing and everyone has their preferences - I don’t mind having other points of view and experiences. I have a mix of old and new and for me when it comes to hand planes I don’t waste my time on ebay/fleamarket finds but others may and thats ok.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Seems to be the "Required response" on this site...someone is always shaming others into buying certain brand name tools...irregardless of the cost to an OP...almost like their was a Commission involved...

My "Large " shoulder plane is a body bodied one, a No, 181 Skewed Rebate plane, with an 1.25" width tapered iron .

However....IF one has either a Stanley No. 78, or the Sargent No.79....retract the spurs...instant shoulder plane....and a lot easier to push, to boot.

IF they want you to have that $400 plane..then have THEM buy for you....

I agree with Mark’s response and want to piggyback on it.

I don’t believe anyone on this forum is “shaming” someone to buy a certain product or anything they can’t afford. Offering recommendations and opinions of certain products is not shaming. There are always alternatives for every budget and level of expertise.

Another thing, I have a lot of what you and some others might consider expensive tools. In almost all cases they tend to function perfectly out of the box and are backed by excellent customer service and a lifetime warranty. I know for a fact that the same cannot be said for flea market/garage sale and auction site purchases. I guarantee that the time, frustration and sometimes extra $$$ spent getting these to function properly is comparable to buying a new high quality product that you can put to work immediately.

Some people enjoy spending time working on their tools. I have no problem with that and do so when it’s required. But I feel my time is better and more pleasurably spent having my tools work for me rather than the other way around.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm..more than one way to skin a cat....
Shoulder Plane debate, case closed.JPG
Shall we open the case?
Shoulder Plane debate, opened case.JPG
Don't mind if I do....
Shoulder Plane debate, Auburn 181.JPG
Auburn Tool Co. of Auburn, NY. No. 181 1.25" skewed rebate plane..
Shoulder Plane debate, skewed.JPG


Old vs new..
Shoulder Plane debate. old vs new.JPG
Rotate the spur up out of the way...works just fine...

So...who is going to BUY the OP that shoulder plane...Hmmmm?

[Jim Koepke]

Seems to be the "Required response" on this site...someone is always shaming others into buying certain brand name tools...irregardless of the cost to an OP...almost like their was a Commission involved...

My "Large " shoulder plane is a body bodied one, a No, 181 Skewed Rebate plane, with an 1.25" width tapered iron .

However....IF one has either a Stanley No. 78, or the Sargent No.79....retract the spurs...instant shoulder plane....and a lot easier to push, to boot.

IF they want you to have that $400 plane..then have THEM buy for you....

Geeze Leweeze did someone from those "certain brand name tools" kick your cat?

It is unfortunate that when quality is mentioned there are so few vendors who consistently provide said quality reliably. It would be wonderful if there were many more. The names of those vendors are well known, as are the specific tools they make and sell. For many, who are delighted with their experiences with tools they have bought from these vendors and relationships they have built with the people representing those vendors, the extra cost is well worth it.

That said, for many people a sharp chisel, with a low bevel angle works much better for trimming shoulders than a shoulder plane.

The Stanley #78, Sargent #79 or the Record #778 are all a bit clumsy for trimming shoulders.

A shoulder plane does come in useful when fine tuning a rabbet, moldings and other tasks.

BTW, the Stanley shoulder planes are a bit hit or miss on usability, imo.

jtk

[Mark e Kessler]

Are you trying to shame everyone into using old tools?

lol - sorry couldn’t resist…

Hmmm..more than one way to skin a cat....
Shoulder Plane debate, case closed.JPG
Shall we open the case?
Shoulder Plane debate, opened case.JPG
Don't mind if I do....
Shoulder Plane debate, Auburn 181.JPG
Auburn Tool Co. of Auburn, NY. No. 181 1.25" skewed rebate plane..
Shoulder Plane debate, skewed.JPG


Old vs new..
Shoulder Plane debate. old vs new.JPG
Rotate the spur up out of the way...works just fine...

So...who is going to BUY the OP that shoulder plane...Hmmmm?