Opinions needed on ebay purchase - Stanley/Bailey plane

For the price, you’d have to tune a new plane just as extensively as you would an old…so I say go for an old #4

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Get the old one and tune it up. Expect to become obsessed with plane restoration. Someone referred to it as ‘the slippery slope.’

You can get some real bargains from Ebay on tools. You might want to look at the Tomcat1066 posts. He has been buying several planes from Ebay.

I agree with rikkor. Once you get started here there is no turning back. It does become addictive.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

Matt,

I just bought a Stanley Bailey #4 from Ebay. It did not really require much tuning and it is working very nicely. I recently wrote about it on my blog. Look here for the post.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

By the time you get that one and pay the shipping you may be better off with a Groz or Anant plane from India.

They are well made and the only drawback I have found with them is that they could use a better blade.
Those are available at Lie Neilson, Lee Valley and Hock.

I just put an A2 replacement blade in my #6 Groz yesterday and man is it sweet now.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I got all old Type11 planes from Ebay, That one looks like a deal except shipping will kill you.
I’d keep looking especally #4’s are common on Ebay.
Don’t forget craiglist.

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

Thanks for the advice folks. Was bidding on 3 different ones tonight (2 stanleys, 1 record) then 2 hours before the end of the auction was invited to go to a bbq/fishing with kids event. Lost all the auctions, one of them by $2!! Grrrr. oh well, next time.

I’ll have a look on craigslist, but I don’t think there is a whole lot on there for us Aussies.

-- Perth, Australia

Sorry you are in Australia, I guess I should read the whole post, disrgaurd the shipping remark. but keep looking there always on Ebay.

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

Forkboy,

I know what you mean. I found a great 4 1/2 in Australia. I finally decided I had to have it…Only $28.00 on the bay…well, with shipping, it was $87.00!!! Learned my lesson the hard way, but it is kind of cool knowing I have an Australian Stanley Bailey plane. Anyway, good luck. Go with the old Stanleys. You won’t have any problem with that budget.

Take care.

-- When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there is no end to what you CAN'T do

finally won one of them (two actually!)..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180209281472&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=008

looks like it will take a little cleaning up (need to research that now), will hopefully turn out well though

-- Perth, Australia

You should get a good user out of it!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA