# Wood River - Banana Planes



## skywalker01

Is 5/1000 of an inch a nightmare? They are not priced like Lie Neilsons so it's really a good buy. When you said banana I was thinking A groz or buck bros. type banana. But man, that wouldn't take hours and hours to remove ,would it? Weren't they on sale for a real good price recently? I bought the #4 for my father in law recently and I can't wait to give it a try. You'll have to spend a lot more money to worry about 5/1000.


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## dfdye

I am confused as to where the parts were out of flat, and I'm also curious as to how you came up with the 0.005" value? That is a pretty pretty exact measurement! I have also looked at the WoodRiver planes pretty extensively, and never noticed this so I am very curious as to whether this is a quality control issue, or if I was looking at golden samples!

Can you be a little more specific as to where the soles were out of flat? I am assuming you were indicating front to back, so if that were the case was the bowed point at the the blade? Only 4 points of the sole need to be coplanar for the plane to work properly, and some would argue that there SHOULD be a slight concavity to the other parts of the plane, so I am very curious as to where exactly these planes were out of flat. Many Japanese planes intentionally make the soles slightly concave (I think to reduce drag, but I am by no means an expert on Japanese tools), and there is definitely a percentage of those who like corrugating the soles of planes to reduce drag, but I definitely understand the concern with the plane being out of flat.

Like I said, I have looked at these planes a great deal and am heavily leaning towards buying one for my next plane purchase, so any additional information you have would be greatly appreciated, especially since it doesn't jive with what I have personally observed from that line of planes.

Finally, I am with Luke that 0.005 would be really easy to take out, but that is clearly not the point here! For a premium plane, I would expect it to be really flat out of the box. I wonder what the Lie-Nielson planes look like out of the box-never have measured those before. . .

Thanks for your review!


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## ACP

I have the #3, 4, and 6. They are all perfectly flat, well made, and have had no issues with them. 3 for 3 and they were internet orders. I don't see the quality control issue.


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## skeeter

The sole was the best part of my purchase. I bought the number 3 and it is taking the most fantastic shavings. I did a thorough inspection of the blade, mouth, and sole. I made sure the blade was ground square and then asked for a screwdriver from the nice woodcraft salesguy but the thing was that after I got the blade projection I wanted, I discovered it was set up perfectly with a very tight mouth. I am not just going to throw out a number say, like .005 because I didn't measure it but who does. Also I checked the sole on the nice shiny brand new unisaw. No light what so ever shined under. Maybe it had the same curvature. Who knows? All I know is the surface of my board is nice and shiny. Who cares about the chips? That is all everyone seems to care about. By the way they are light and fluffy.


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## Toolz

I also have the 4, 5, & 6 and found them to be spot on flat. Good planes for the price!


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## FunnelStudio

My #4 is spot on! Since I can't fathom paying for a Nielson at this point, I just went with this, and in comparison to my previous planes (vintage guys I restored), it works like a dream. I dont have a machinist straight edge, but it's pretty good on my starrett.

The only thing I will say is that when I bought my plane at the Woodcraft in Delaware, I asked the salesman what he knew about the plane. I said something like "I know it's no Lee Nielson, but is it more comprable to one of those than a Avanti or Kunz" and all he said was "well a Lee Neilson is a Cadillac". And the conversation was over.

I also keep my plane in my box…!


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## dbhost

I have the Groz #4. and I can believe .005 concave on that. I still wouldn't call that measurement a lot. Yes I had to lap it, big deal.

I looked at the Wood River planes you mention, dead flat, at least on the #4 I looked at. Much less expensive than the Lie Nielsen, or Veritas for sure.

I guess if not having to tune a plane is more important to you than the difference in funds, then sure, grab an LN, or Veritas… Even then I would double check it…

Comparing the vehicle analogy through to planes…

The Groz and similar planes is somewhat like a base model Chevy Colorado. Useful, inexpensive, lacking features of the higher end models. The Wood River is like a Chevy Avalanche. Better, smoother, more refined, but still offers the same function. The LN / Veritas is like an Escalade, MUCH more refined, smoother, and prettier to look at, but provides the same basic function, and costs a whole lot more…


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## dfdye

Glad to know that there seem to be many more examples of flat WoodRiver planes than slightly curved ones. Thanks for all of the additional comments from owners of these planes!


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## ChrisG

I got the no 6 on sale a couple weeks ago, and LOVE it! I checked it extensively and as far as I can tell it is flat and square. However, one of the biggest things to look out for in mid-range priced to tools is consistency in quality control, so I wouldn't be surprised if some are less then perfect. Nonetheless, I will happily purchase more WoodRiver planes. If I happen to get one that isn't flat and square (which I don't think is too likely) I will simply exchange it for another. It would be a bit of a hassle, but given that Woodcraft will reimburse you for return shipping it really would not be a big deal. I am sold on the quality and value of these planes.


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## bobdurnell

I just read the review and I just went out and checked out my no.3 and no.5 Wood River plane and using my L.S. Starrett combination square and damn I found the sole of my no.3 to be about .001 out of flat. I think that's about the thickness of half a hair. I still think that the Wood River planes are worth the money. I can still get a gossamer shaving with it.


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## Tikka

I have some of these planes from the same manufacturer (not called wood river) - Yes the soles of the planes are not perfect, but there again even the LN are not perfect when you buy them.

Mine took about 10 minutes the flatten the bottom, starting with some 220 grit wet and dry, working through 400 and finally 1000 grit - at a saving of some $300 per plane, it is worth the 10 minutes of work. They work like a dream now


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## b2rtch

The one I bought is perfectly flat, checked with a dial indicator.
I love mine.
It is a dream to use.


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## dfdye

Tony, what brand were the ones you bought?

Oh, and Bobdurnell, none of my measurement equipment in my wood shop is reliable past 0.001", so if my planes are flat to that tolerance, figure it is completely acceptable!


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## Tikka

David

I bought mine in Finland (where I live), you can find out my review details and the manufacturers name from the following link (PDF file down load) - they are from the same manufacturer and the same quality, but like the wood river brand, these are unbranded, to keep the cost down

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/product/1016


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## acanthuscarver

I've had a bunch of students come through the school with Wood River planes. Unlike the Groz, all the WR planes have been flat and, with a little sharpening, ready to go. You certainly can't beat the price.


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## chriswright

Are you sure about that size? .005" is less the the thickness of an average human hair.


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## skywalker01

Just in case any one does not already know this, I thought I'd bring it up.. .1 is a tenth of an inch, .01 is a hundredth of an inch and .001 is one thousandth of an inch. It seems a few people like to say .0001 as one thousandth of an inch which would be either a type error or someone just reversing the numbers and adding a decimal.


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## Drewskie

To give an objective review don't you need to actually use the tool?


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## mvflaim

I don't think the sole flatness of a plane is that big of a deal. If it was, how in the world did Thomas Chippendale make such beautiful furniture with such inferior wooden bodied planes?

A plane is nothing more than a jig that holds an iron at a fixed angle. Everything else is just bells and whistles. Sharpen the blade and use it.


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## rhett

I believe all handtool manufacturers machine and treat their metals to avoid convex curves on their plane soles and chisel backs. Some even go as far as overcompensating to avoid this convex curve and it creates a bit of a concave surface. 
That being said, I am sure that most people have tools with tolerances far exceeding those specified but are still able to produce top notch work. Excellence starts within the mind and flows throught the hands, its a sorry craftsman who blames their tools.


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