Show us your handplanes

[Old tool guy]

Why give someone just starting out a lessor quality plane to try to use? That's a good way to frustrate them and turn them off from using hand tools.:

Right. Buy them a Lie Nielson or similar very highly priced tool. That’ll teach them.

Did you start off will nothing but the best? I didn’t. I learned to use the tools to their best capacity and modify my methods to work around their shortcomings. I developed personal skills such that when i got good tools my work was easier, not necessarily better. It’s a learning process.

 

[Old tool guy]

I never actually had intentions of using it. I have other planes that I could use, should I choose to. It will be part of the Dunlap collection.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

Why give someone just starting out a lessor quality plane to try to use?

Simply put: because it's the Indian, not the arrow.

Long ago and far away, back in my "apprentice" days, up on a ladder 12 feet above the pavement, applying red oil-based enamel with a 1-inch fitch on an exterior wall made of T-111, I started complaining about the brush.

My brother had me come down off the ladder, took the brush from my hand, handed me a small whisk broom, and told me to get back up on the ladder and finish lettering the building.

It took a few tries, but I figured out how to cut an edge - at 4:00 am - with a whisk broom.

If you're blaming the tool, you're doing something wrong.

It's the Indian, not the arrow.

 

[crguy]

Right. Buy them a Lie Nielson or similar very highly priced tool. That’ll teach them.

Did you start off will nothing but the best? I didn’t. I learned to use the tools to their best capacity and modify my methods to work around their shortcomings. I developed personal skills such that when i got good tools my work was easier, not necessarily better. It’s a learning process.

I learned early on that good tools are a pleasure to work with and **** tools are nothing but aggravation.

 

[Old tool guy]

I learned early on that good tools are a pleasure to work with and **** tools are nothing but aggravation.

No argument there.

 

[RTM]

In my hand plane acquisition phase, I started w a cheap Stanley with the four rotatable edges. What a piece of ****. Moved next to a brand new 1999 Record #5. Life changing. A tool of decent quality that could be fettled to do the job.

Over the years, I've bought a few new LN & LV tools, but most of my user tools are pre 1960 Stanley, MF, Sargent etc. I have a few newer ones, but they just aren't as nice. Some are much older. All will do the job, some just require more fiddling to get, and keep, right. Those are lower in the user or restoration queue.

 

[Jim C.]

Agreed for the most part.

 

[Jim C.]

Over the years, I've bought a few new LN …. tools, but most of my user tools are pre 1960 Stanley, MF, Sargent ……. Some are much older. All will do the job, some just require more fiddling to get, and keep, right.…..

Agreed for the most part. They all cut if outfitted with a super sharp cutting iron and set for a relatively light pass. Some just do it better than others.

Jim C.

 

[Old Radar]

Why give someone just starting out a lessor quality plane to try to use? That's a good way to frustrate them and turn them off from using hand tools.

For many of the same reasons you don't toss the keys to a Lamborghini to a knucklehead with a brand new learner's permit.

 

[crguy]

For many of the same reasons you don't toss the keys to a Lamborghini to a knucklehead with a brand new learner's permit.

Ridiculous comparison.

 

[four.cycle]

^ not really... I used to take my own brushes to school when I was a kid, because all the other kids in the classroom left the brushes standing in the cup of water, which is the best way to ruin a perfectly good paintbrush in a matter of seconds.

that's why art supply stores sell big packages of paintbrushes crazy cheap - for kids:


Of course, if money is no object, as was the case when the nice lady wearing the fur coat came into Northwest Art Supply one afternoon when I was working in Dallas peddling pencils at Preston and Forrest Lane, then by all means go for the best.
She was just pleased as punch when I waltzed her out to her Continental and loaded $600 worth of Windsor Newton watercolors, Grumbacher brushes, and 400-pound hot press paper into the trunk for her 6-year-old granddaughter.

(That was November 1984 - feel free to adjust for inflation.)

More to the point: if we waited for every workman to own and use the finest quality, high-end tools, we'd never get anything done.

The Seattle Art Museum (in Volunteer Park) has the largest collection of vintage jade artifacts outside of mainland China. The tour guide explained to us that the intricate work done - carving those tiny shapes inside shapes inside shapes from a single piece of stone - was all done with no more than slivers of bamboo, sand, and water.

It's the Indian, not the arrow.

 

[Old tool guy]

Of course, if money is no object, as was the case when the nice lady wearing the fur coat came into Northwest Art Supply one afternoon when I was working in Dallas peddling pencils at Preston and Forrest Lane, then by all means go for the best.
She was just pleased as punch when I waltzed her out to her Continental and loaded $600 worth of Windsor Newton watercolors, Grumbacher brushes, and 400-pound hot press paper into the trunk for her 6-year-old granddaughter.

I know that part of town. They don’t even know walmart exists.

 

[four.cycle]

^ there was a Safeway store right next to the place I was working in. I'd go over there and have "salad bar" for lunch and watch the women come in pushing their carts around wearing full-length fur coats and pounds of jewelry. was really quite an experience. :loL;

 

[CRSINMICH]

I stumbled onto a small trove of user made small planes at a local estate sale. Two of them are solid ebony, one is maple?, and the rest are some sort of resin. Three of the resin planes are only 1/2" thick (wide) and the other two are only 1/4" thick (wide). The Dearly Departed must have been into miniatures or modeling - there was one 30" long model of a PT boat and a bunch of scale model trains. I've tried some of the planes and they all worked fairly well without sharpening.

This guy obviously knew what he was doing but it's confusing. Did the fact that he made and used quality planes make him an Indian or an arrow?

 

[RTM]

I stumbled onto a small trove of user made small planes at a local estate sale. Two of them are solid ebony, one is maple?, and the rest are some sort of resin. Three of the resin planes are only 1/2" thick (wide) and the other two are only 1/4" thick (wide).

ebony, nice, I have a home made one somewhere.

The flecking in the blonde makes me think beech, hard to see thru the saw marks, or the angle on the bottom. Almost looks built up in the bottom face, like multiple layers laminated.

Are the blades on the homemade ones notched or are things pixelating on me? Interesting technique, seems like they would be less inclined to slip

 

[CRSINMICH]

RTM: It's just grinding marks that somehow became wildly exaggerated in the photos. The beech plane has a solid bottom except for the insert at the front of the mouth. It's more of the resin material he used for the other planes. It is curious that he left the saw marks on that plane since he was so meticulous with the others.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this lightly used Stanley made in England spokeshave at an estate sale today. It still had the price tag from a local hardware store.
-Don

 

[CRSINMICH]

jeep: Congrats on finding the 151. I just finished a project that made great use of an American made 151. I set the blade a la Paul Sellers - uneven projection so that the spokeshave takes a light cut on one side and a heavier cut on the other. That worked out well for feathering the edge of the work.

 

[Jim C.]

I just used a Record #151 on a project. See the lower left corner of the picture below. It’s certainly a very useful tool.

Jim C.

 

[ararat]

Some planes I stumbled upon on the 'bay. Horrible.

 

[Old tool guy]

That’s sick.

 

[RTM]

Some planes I stumbled upon on the 'bay. Horrible.

My eyes.....my eyes....

 

[ararat]

Sorry, it's so bad I can't look away

 

[CRSINMICH]

LITTLE GIANT PLANER SET
In original box with instructions​

Santa left this for me as a Stocking Stuffer. Finally, a use for old razor blades.

 

[Old Radar]

I hope you have a supply of used double sided safety razors! If not, you can always go into old abandoned homes that had medicine cabinets with the razor blade slots in the back and kick in the drywall under the sink. You should find plenty of old used blades in-between the two studs.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Here are 3 wood Bailey’s planes, racks, spoke shaves and profile planes I bought at an on-line auction a couple of days ago.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Old Radar: I was thinking the same thing. I actually did that once during a bathroom remodel. If I had had the foresight to save those used blades for the last 50 years I'd be all set now.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Miss the Pontiacs: The Stanley transitional planes in your post look pretty good as do the spoke shaves and wood bodied planes. The racks are very interesting. Were they meant for the transitional Stanleys?

 

[SquirrelsTools]

LITTLE GIANT PLANER SET
In original box with instructions​

Santa left this for me as a Stocking Stuffer. Finally, a use for old razor blades.

Pretty sure I have a pack of those blades kicking around here somewhere.

 

[Beerhippie]

I picked this old Stanley Bedrock 605 up as part of a lot sale ("$20 if you take them all") at a yard sale about five years ago:





I apparently got started restoring it--bought a new (old) set of grip and tote, stripped paint and (trashed) japanning, then stuck it in a box and forgot it. I've been cleaning and organizing the shop lately and found that box o' plane!

So I got back on it:



Flattening and truing the body base and sides was great fun.

I painted the body where it had been japanned--I know, a crime--baked it in, then proceeded to clean every part and put it back together. I flattened and honed both sides of the frog while I had it apart, then took to flattening the back of the iron and getting a good set of bevels on it.



Looks like I hit my primary bevel. I added a 30 degree secondary and polished both to a gleam. Waiting for a new strop to come to really finish them.

First shavings:



I had a scrap of kiln-dried red alder knocking around, so that's what I used for the test cut. The scrap is only about 8" long, so the shavings are short, but it seemed to leave a decent cut:

 

[Beerhippie]

On to the next old plane:



The body, tote and wedge are solid rosewood. The tote was broken and is getting glued up. The base is 10 1/2" X 2 5/8", with a 1 3/4" Stanley iron. The chip breaker is in the electrolysis vat right now--about ready to come out--and I'm sharpening the iron after cleaning both sides with some 400 grit WoD paper and CLP for a lube.



The "handle" I'm using is a magnetic base from a RAM mount that I use around the shop. It almost feels like it was made for this! I'm using it to flatten and polish the back of the iron on my diamond stones right now.

 

[Beerhippie]

Doing some research on my Bedrock 605, I found out it's a Type 6, 1912-1921. It has the wrong iron, breaker and lever cap--all are later, and don't really quite fit my plane.

Today, I was wandering around one of my favorite antique/junk shops, a very good place for tool hunting, when I found this in a freebie box:





That's the right iron logo and chip breaker for my Bedrock! At the ideal price!

Only problem is this iron and breaker are 2 3/8" wide, while my 605 is 2". I'll just grind it down to match. I don't think I'll reduce the value any. I have the rust off now and getting the grinder out....

I also found and ordered the proper lever cap for $50. Seems like a good investment for a plane worth >$200.

 

[WisJim]

Personally, I feel it would be a shame to grind down an uncommon 2 3/8 wide iron and chip breaker to replace a fairly common 2" one. You could probably find someone to trade with for the size and trademark that you want. If I remember tomorrow, I'll look at what I might have around.

 

[Beerhippie]

Well, damn. Too late now. I had no idea the 2 3/8" was rare. I need to do more research next time.

But I'm almost there....

 

[Tukukino]

Stanley's? Oh, I got some. Only a blade from the no.1 though. There's a spot reserved for that when it turns up. And I recently picked up the cute little 101 which hasn't made it to the wall yet (mostly because they're all packed away for now)

 

[crguy]

Well, damn. Too late now. I had no idea the 2 3/8" was rare. I need to do more research next time.

But I'm almost there....

No harm in cutting down the 2 3/8" blade. They aren't as common as the 2" size, but not rare. I use a 6 x 48 belt/disc sander to cut blades down to size.

 

[Beerhippie]

A real sanding/grinding set-up like that would be nice, but I've just moved into the world of bench grinders after 50-odd years of thinking I didn't need one. Now that I have the world's cheapest 1/2 hp WEN, it comes out of hiding once or twice a day!

I started with 60 grit



and ground it down to where the scribed line was just visible, then moved on to 120.

Having never ground down a 100+ year old plane iron before, what somewhat surprised me was finding that only the pointy end was hardened. I don't know if this is a case of two pieces of metal forge-welded together or differential hardening, but it was pretty obvious. Not only did the mild steel (or iron) part cut more easily and faster, but it heated up much faster and left a burr that wasn't as pronounced on the hardened end:



Where the burr pretty much disappears is where the hardened steel starts.

It fits now. I just have to finish putting a nice double-bevel on it and it'll be good to cut. Lever cap should be here soon.

 

[bonneyman]

This guy obviously knew what he was doing but it's confusing. Did the fact that he made and used quality planes make him an Indian or an arrow?

From the look of that craftsmanship I'd say he was the feather headdress!

 

[Unk]

Picked up this No. 7C at an estate sale back in mid-December. It came with the original (and very short) Sweetheart iron, but had a newer iron installed. The tote was broken in a couple of places, which I repaired with walnut. I removed all the rust and obligatory white paint splatters, applied a fresh coat of Johnson's Paste wax, and ran the iron through the stones up to 8,000, then stropped. I didn't need really another 7, but I didn't have a corrugated one - now I do, and for $25, I couldn't walk past it. My collection continues to grow.

 

[Old tool guy]

Picked up this No. 7C at an estate sale back in mid-December.

What’s that next to your Stanley No 12.