Lie Nielsen block plane / shepard smoother. E bay 2buyornot2buy

Yeah, ebay is not always a great deal. Many times you can find item (brand new) cheaper if you do a little hunting.

I think I may have caught your fever this Christmas, I seem to be wanting ( I need :) a few new planes.. atl at least one:)

I remember reading a post here on LumberJocs (several in fact) that talks about what planes are good to have in a shop. I currently have a small block plan that was my grand fathers and I love it but I need to tune it and want a few more.

If anyone reading this has a link to the posts on “good planes for a newbie” (or something like that), can you post the link here?

I just saw a GRÖZ Block Planes on Woodcraft for $19 hmm sounds to cheep to be with the shipping.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5338&productid=146075&WeeklySpecial=True

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

I have done a fair amount of plane purchases on eBay. I got a Stanley #4, a Sargent #408 (equivalent to a Stanley #3), Sargent #409 (like a #4) and finally after much casting about a Sargent #410 which is the same width and heft as a Stanley 4 1/2 smoother. The Sargents have all been very reasonable (see my plane rehab blog). Even the #410 was less than $46 shipping included.
All of them together were less than one new Lie-Nielsen or a new Veritas, including buying Hock or Veritas replacement irons.

Thos. Angle gave me the drift on these Sargents. Aside from the lack of a frog adjustment screw (you have to set the frog with two screws into the casting – with the lever cap, chipbreaker and blade removed), these Sargent VBM (Very Best Made) planes are equivalent to Stanley Bailey pattern planes of the same time frame and are easily superior to today’s Groz, Anant and Kamal planes. They just take some clean up, restoration and tune up to be top-flight. I used David Pruett and Wayne Cox’s methods to rehab. Links to their methods are on my blog page. Don’t get me wrong, if you have more money than time, then by all means, get a fresh new Lie-Nielsen or Veritas etc. I still lust after a LV bevel up smoother. Someday I’ll enjoy that new plane smell (LOL), but the economic picture for that purchase isn’t happening anyday soon.

And as Thos. pointed out, once I have rehabbed these old beauties and learned how to make them work as they should, then I will have deserved the purchase of a $200 dollar plane. I just might not need (read want, lust after) them so badly when all is said and done.

Ebay tip: Google Auction Sniping

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

NIce reply Douglas, I think I’ve learned my lesson, And will try fixing up a sargent or two. They seem to feel better when you’ve put the work into refurbishing them your self… Thanks for the Plane Rehab””” info I’m going to check your blogs.. My favorite’s are still my grandfathers stanley adkustable mouth block with the older steel cap. and The one “lucky” buy I did make of a cheaper nelson low angle used block. Think I’m ready for a good smoother now.. Let me know any advice thanks . . I’ll check out some older sargents..May return to you for some advice tuning. Thanks again

-- PJM.`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> why's there a light in fridge and not the freezer? , aka, the wood hunter.aka tigermaple5