# Cheap, but Workable



## AaronK

thanks for the review. although the price on this one appears really low, the others a bit higher, and i think your (really good) description leads me to continue buying antique stanleys/MF/union etc. off ebay. a little more of a crap shoot, but generally the blades dont need to be completely replaced, the cost is less, and *I* personally like having the old models. so far i've bought 7 planes/shaves off ebay, and the only one i will resell is a Union #5 with non-co-planar soles that I can't bother to true up. the others are workable enough.

btw, was the part around the mouth recessed (too high)?

anyway, thanks again for the detail!


----------



## JohnGray

Nice review.
IMHO if you have to do all of the work you describe on the "cheaper new planes" why not buy an antique Stanley plane and spend your time on it. You would have a great plane with resale value should you ever decide to sell it where as the "cheaper planes" still would have little to no value on the resale market.
I suggest that if you are new to planes you should read Chris Schwarz's book on planes. 
http://www.woodworkersbookshop.com/product/book-woodworking-magazine-handplane-essentials/


----------



## Jimi_C

@AaronK: Yes, the area around the mouth was lower than the front/back of the sole.

I've got a bid in on an older Stanley #7 on ebay now, since they're a bit larger and even the cheap models go for much more than the cheap #4's/block planes. I guess the point of my review was if you're willing to put in the work, you can make this a good plane for $10 cheaper than an Anant or some of the other low end planes. Pretty much every review of those says to throw the blade away too, and put a Hock in it.

Part of the reason I hadn't done this for the #4 was it was a bit of a hassle  It really is a patience game, but since I was stuck using that horrible SB4, I wanted a new plane ASAP. Also, I really dislike how ebay sellers generally gouge you on the shipping/handling fees, and in this price range that was typically 2-3x more than the cost of the plane. That's mitigated a bit by the slightly higher cost of the #7, and I don't need one as badly (I have a planer/jointer), so I can wait on it. Really I just want the #7 because at some point in the future, I know I'll be doing large table tops and will need it for flattening.


----------



## AaronK

yikes, i figured that was what you were talking about - that sucks - a lot of lapping to do.


----------



## Jimi_C

Yep, I was lapping the sole when I cracked the glass. Still, after just about 5 minutes I had a nice shiny surface half way between the front and mouth, so it shouldn't take too much more. Like I said in the review, the sole was pretty good out of the box based on my straight edge check.


----------



## Tractorshaft

Hey!

Its great that you have "Discovered" hand planes, my only regret is that I wish I had figured this out 15-20 years ago instead of 10! If you are going to invest in some Hock Irons I would find an old Stanley #3 or #4 to put it in.

Keep the Grizzly plane with its original blade to use on the "Rough Stuff" , decking or wherever you might run into a nail or other blade/sole destroying hardware. I have the #3 through the #8 and use the #3 like a block plane sometimes and a smoother others!

Actually today is your lucky day, I read your profile and see you are in IT also? I work for Yale Science & Technology as a computer specialist! I was just in the shop wiping the plane collection off and lo and behold I have 4 #4's.

*Jimi_C , PM me your mailing address and I will gift you a Stanley #4*, I had sharpened them when I put them away but you know how that goes, you will probably have to touch it up. I "Use" all of mine so it has been tuned and cleaned up. Drop me a note when you get it and make your first shaving.

I live about 15 minutes from New Britan Connecticut, Stanley planes around here practically fall from the trees…

Enjoy

Jerry


----------



## KellyS

Someone mentioned that the Ebay sellers gouge you on the shipping. Yeah, I guess that's sort of true. This past summer, my wife and I along with my parents hit the beginning of the 127 Yard sale that runs from Alabama up to Ohio. Needless to say, I went plane crazy. I had just gotten bit by the plane bug, so off we went. If you can wait for it, it was a lot of fun and I found some good deals, some bad ones, and some garbage. It was a lot of fun. Nice time spent with my loved ones and came out with a box of planes. I probably wasn't as saavy a buyer as some of the others, but I was satisfied. I ended up with a #7 Bailey, 2 or 3 # 5's a #4, a bunch of block planes, I think I came back with 17 planes and I don't think I spent that much at all. On the down side, I'm still cleaning up planes and still sharpening irons, but that's sort of half the fun. I never seen a Bedrock or anything smaller that a #4, but we didn't even make it to Chattanooga before the day was over. Next year, we plane (Freudian slip) to start in Chattanooga and work our way toward Ohio, we'll probably take more than one day too. I'd really like to find an old tool auction that is close to Georgia. I'd love to go to one.
Anyways, enough of my rambling. Congratulations on the gifted plane.
Kelly


----------



## IkeandBerry

Good review. I was fortunate enough to work with someone who had a lot of old Stanley Bailey hand planes. His father in law collected them and he sold me a set in excellent condition. I ended up with 3 thru 7 plus a union block plane and a low angle block plane for $125. They had already been cleaned up the only thing that had to be done was to sharpen and hone the irons. I can say that being somewhat new to woodworking I am completely hooked on using hand planes whenever I can. It is so much quieter and I like the feel of the tool in my hands. Good luck!


----------



## Jimi_C

I'm definitely liking using hand planes. I really got the bug watching the Major League Woodworking videos, and saw how they're really essential even if you're using machines to process your rough lumber. I don't think I'd ever get into using a #5 to flatten a board by hand (I'll keep my jointer and planer, thanks), but for finishing I think I'll always turn to hand planes and scrapers over sanding.


----------



## boboswin

You will be delighted with one of these blades your "blade holder"


----------



## Jimi_C

@Bob: Yep I was looking at those as well as the Hocks. The downside, like I said in the review, is that it'd need a new cap iron too, which I don't think either of those come with from LV.


----------



## boboswin

Jim, I was able to use the one that came with my planes.

http://lumberjocks.com/boboswin/blog/3332

bob


----------



## chriswright

A great cheap "slab" for flatening is a piece of MDF. If you're planning on using wet sandpaper to flatten the sole of your plane or lap the back of a chisel or plane iron, then coat it real well with some Thomson's Water seal. I'ev even used a piece of scrap plywood.


----------



## Tractorshaft

Hi Guys,

Most excellent "Plane Talk", no pun intended…I use the "Scary Sharp" method on the Stanley blades with great success however, after upgrading my #3, #5 and #7 with "Hock" chip breakers AND "Hock" blades they are different tools. The difference in how the plane works is substantial enough to warrant the expense. The little #3 becomes a "Super" block plane and smoother. I was working on the edge grain of some 16/4 Cherry last night and it was simply "Fun" to peel off 2 foot ribbons of hard, air dried Cherry. If you only buy the upgraded iron and blade for one of your old Stanleys you will be amazed at the quality and especially how long the edge remains on the Hock steel (A2) vs. the older Stanley blades. This point alone is worthy of the relatively small expense ($47.00-$50.00). YMMV

Jerry


----------



## makeBrooklyn

I have a the grizzly jointer (22") and have been using it for about 6 months. For comparison I also have a new stanley jack plane that I got around the same time. I expected to spend days getting the grizzly into useable shape but that was not the case at all. It took me maybe 10 or 15 minutes to lap the sole and to get the back of the blade flat (no ruler trick) might have taken another 10 minutes. After that I sharpened the bevel as I would all my other tools and it has been a fantastic tool ever since. I could not be more delighted with another jointer. By comparison, the stanley (apparently these are made in mexico now) was a banana, I stopped keeping track of how long it took to get the sole flat and the plastic tote and knob make me not even want to pick it up. I'm holding it aside until I get around to making a proper tote and knob. I know the vintage stanley's were excellent but I wanted to see what the new ones were like


----------

