Bridge City Tools Shoulder Plane

[Joel Gelman]

I recently purchased a Clifton 410 shoulder plane and am not looking to buy another shoulder plane at this time. Perhaps a different size in the future. When searching for something else, a Norris came up on an eBay search, and just for fun, I searched shoulder plane from most to least expensive to see what was out there.

Topping the list is a Bridge City limited edition shoulder plane, but I see there are non-limited edition options for much less (but still not cheap). I can't find all that much about them. What was interesting is that they have this "Fox tail" design and throat adjustability and a unique way to secure and remove the blade.

I was just curious how these planes perform compared to other designs. Not seeking comments about the value and cost. I am just wondering if anyone actually has used these shoulder planes and if so, how they perform compared to other manufacturers.

[Aaron Inami]

I've got the Bridge City Mini Block Plane HP-8 as part of the chopstick master kit. While it works and has a unique design, it's very uncomfortable to use. I have not done any testing, but it "feels" like the plane blades aren't that great and don't hold an edge as well as better steel (such as Lie-Nielson A2 or Lake Erie Toolworks CPM Magnacut). I have done a little research on Bridge City. My own consensus is that Bridge City focuses on "bling" designs and really doesn't look at accuracy and quality of parts. Most of their stuff is polished aluminum or anodized aluminum with small amounts of stainless steel. No cast iron or bronze stuff here.

This review kind of says that Bridge City is "OK", but not as good as others:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....k-plane-review

Here's a video that shows Bridge City being NOT FLAT out of the box. He had to lap the bottom a lot to fix it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6FlNGYiY7A

It looks like the limited edition shoulder plane was made from machined stainless steel in 2009 for a retail of $2500. I don't know if they have changed their manufacturing standards since then. The current Foxtail model is a mix of aluminum/steel with removable/replaceable soles. That just shouts as "inaccuracy" to me for a hand plane.
https://blog.bridgecitytools.com/200...versary-plane/

[Jim Koepke]

About 15 years ago at a Tool Event in Oakland, CA I was impressed by the Bridge City Tools shoulder plane, but not $600 impressed.

There are very few times where my shoulder plane is the best plane for the job.

jtk

[Tom M King]

If a shoulder plane actually gets used on a shoulder little details might matter. My Record shoulder planes were bought new over 40 years ago. The nickel plating on the large one has been long gone from sweat . I’ve used them on thousands of tenon tuning jobs and fine tuning rabbets but I never remember using one on a shoulder once.

[Jim Koepke]

If a shoulder plane actually gets used on a shoulder little details might matter. My Record shoulder planes were bought new over 40 years ago. The nickel plating on the large one has been long gone from sweat . I’ve used them on thousands of tenon tuning jobs and fine tuning rabbets but I never remember using one on a shoulder once.

Stanley marketed these as Cabinet Makers Rebate/Rabbet planes.

#90 Bull nose rabbet plane, 4"L, 1"W, 1lb, 1898-1969.
This is the first in a series of so-called cabinetmaker's rabbet planes, and is the rightmost one in the image (the larger planes are pictured to show the details of the text). They were advertised as being "designed for fine Cabinet Work where extreme accuracy is required."

From Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore > http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan11.htm#num90bull

The are good for taking a fine shaving from a tenon. They do not do too well at trimming shoulders. Many folks find a well sharpened chisel better of shoulder trimming.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

I'll admit that the Bridge City LE Plane does have aesthetic appeal. The whole thing just screams style and precision. That said, I'll revisit a saying I learned from an old pro years ago: "Pretty don't make 'em go". In other words, functionality/utility rules the day. Pretty is just a cherry on top.




I find this one to be just as aesthetically pleasing, albeit much more subdued. It also works very well.