# A Stanley Sweetheart surprise!!



## therookie

nice find and what a deal.


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## Chelios

Nice plane…looking forward to seeing the results once you have tuned it up


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## SSMDad

Great find. Congratulations!


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## Dennisgrosen

nice deal 
I like you got the ploughblades so cheap … congrats

take care
Dennis


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## 33706

Thanks, everyone for your kind replies! I own a lot of planes, and came to the realization today that this plane is only the second one I ever bought that was brand new. It will be an interesting journey for me to get this tool honed and adjusted. Already I'm looking askance at my menagerie now. Should this number 4 become my primary user, or should I preserve it for future gifting someday?


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## Bertha

Poopie, I'm terribly happy for you, especially on the plow blades. Yours is the first positive thing I've heard about the new SW #4. I'm anxious to hear how it performs.


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## CharlieM1958

The best price I could find on the web for this plane is $127 U.S with shipping. Looks like you got a great deal.


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## NBeener

Enjoy it !!

My "first" plane was a waste of money-the Buck Bros, from Home Depot. It's not useless, but DID give me a bad impression of what hand planes were about.

My 2nd, though, was a new Stanley Sweethart #4. A few days ago, I lapped the sole plate, flattened and honed the blade, to 8000 grit.

The thing is an absolute joy to use. Feels great in my hand, well balanced, and … just skims off shavings like a hot knife through butter.

THIS … as I've learned … is a hand plane !!

So … you picked well, and got a great deal. Congrats !


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## 33706

I gotta admit there was this feeling of rapture for me, somebody who has always done the rescue thing with hand planes that I've scrounged and brought back to life. To hold this thing in my hand, see the workmanship and finish of a just-born plane a big WOW came over me. *Beener:* My highest grit is only #2000, I'll get the #8000 as you mentioned, and see what it does. *Charlie*, yeah, there are prices on these that come close to what I paid, but here in Canada the shipping is always a deal-breaker. I don't even know where I could go locally to find a Stanley on a merchant's shelf. Yes, there's a Lee Valley in town, and I'm like a kid in the candy store when I gaze into the Veritas showcase cabinet, but nothing Stanley there. It'll be a week or 2 before I can spend some quality time with this plane, either some gratifying news or some sobering revelation soon to come!


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## Rick_Boyett

Make sure you check the machining of the body along the integrated frog. Stanley had early QC issues with their planes and the poor machining caused the blades to have a skew in them. The product manager for this product said that they had corrected this issue but I haven't seen an example with everything fixed..

Another QC issue was the paint used. It would flake off. However that too is supposedly fixed.

Beyond the QC issues, my only concern for this tool is the Aluminum cap iron. I'm not sure that part is going to be durable over the long haul.


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## FatherHooligan

PK, have you had a chance to put it through it's paces yet? About how much does it weigh?


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## domjdmba

I love my Stanley Sweetheart #4. I use at as a smoother and it leave a glass-like surface with thin fluffy shavings. It's usually the last tool to touch the wood prior to finishing. I didn't have any quality-control issues with mine, and no durability problems with the aluminum cap iron (I've had this place for about 2 years, lots of usage in that time).


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## torema

This thread has been an eye-opener in a number of dimensions. I recently acquired a new #4 Sweetheart plane and was deeply disappointed before I even completely unwrapped it. It is so easy to get stuck in your ways and have your opinions formed before you really give it any thought. I have been an antique Stanley Bailey plane bigot for longer than I want to admit. I have restored a number and have developed absolute Type favorites and have been convinced no one ever had or ever would produce a better plane than the Stanley planes from before WWII. I saw the "new" iron adjuster and "assumed" I would hate it. I was sure having the frog made as part of the sole was the sign of a cheaply made second-rate plane. I have always hated a keyhole slot as opposed to the "kidney" slot on a cap plate. And, on and on. I assumed this thing was junk. It is still in the box. And now I read all of these well considered reviews and opinions! The fact this one is heavier means you can use a #4 on a shooting board! The thicker iron is, apparently, a real plus. I will be taking this new plane to the bench for a quick tuning and I'm looking forward to the possibility of making this my primary #4. Thanks to everyone of you!


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