I buy pretty much all of my hand tools from yard sales and antique shops. I've found a lot of great planes, saws, vises, you name it. But I haven't found any decent block planes. I only find old 110s and 220s. But wondering 2 things. 1) Are there any good non-Stanley block planes I should be looking for that are just not on my radar? 2) Are the 110s and 220s really that bad?
1) There are lots of good non-Stanley block planes. Sargent, Millers Falls, Craftsman and other brands. Look at the quality and features of the tool, not the name. My most used block plane is a Sargent-manufactured Craftsman low angle.
2) IMHO, yes the 110 is, the 220 is OK. The limitation on the 110 is that there is absolutely no adjustment mechanisms. Back to looking at features, a good user block plane will at least be able to adjust depth without having to remove the lever cap and guess, like on a 110. Lateral adjustment is a bonus.
Stanley made a ton of #9-1/2, #220 and #60 models, so they should pop up now and then in most parts of the country. Any of those are much better than a 110, with my preference being a low angle plane like the #60.
Not sure why a #220 got included there…..I have two, and both have depth adjusters on the back end. Been using a 56B by Millers Falls. Low angle, adjustable mouth. Except, mine came from FeeBay.
Because I was trying to do two things at once and accidentally hit post before I was done retyping my reply. Now that the phone call is done, I can get back to one thing at a time, which is obviously better for my simple mind.
Went back and edited it to what I was intending to say in the first place. Sorry for the confusion.
Good information here. Thank you. I see a lot of 220s around for $10-15 but never any of the old ones with more options like the #60s.
Having said that, I did find a 60 1/2 today at an antique store for $12 so I bought it. It's one of the redish brown ones so likely not as good of quality as the older ones. I generally ignore newer tools so have probably seen this before and didn't give it any thought. It is exceptionally clean and all the parts operate smoothly. Will need to sharpen and set it up and try it out this weekend if I can find the time.
the 60 1/2 is one of my favorite block planes and $12 even for the newer one is a great price.
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