# Good Plane for the Money



## Andybb

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-4-1-2-smoothing-plane

Wife just asked me what I want for Xmas! I'm starting to appreciate the importance of nice hand tools.


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## RichT

You could do much worse, Andy. That's a photo I took of the shavings from a piece of curly maple, and there was zero tear-out. The board was smooth as glass. I spent the time to sharpen the blade and did the Charlesworth ruler treatment on the back and it's really a joy to use. I even smoothed out some gaboon ebony-really hard stuff-without a hitch.

Like you, I'm moving more into hand tooling and enjoying the experience.

Oh, and thanks for adding the link. I guess I dropped the ball on that part


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## Andybb

I went the Cosman route with the 300/1000/8million grit that also uses the ruler trick. Now I use my planes instead of power tools in more and more situations. Nothing like that smooth as glass feeling. Since I'm a lj /YouTube taught woodworker and don't really know many other woodworkers it was kind of a "holy s**t" moment when I felt that.

I have some now nicely tuned and refurbished Stanley's but this would definitely be the nicest hand tool I own.


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## D67

I have a Wood River jointer plane and a medium and small shoulder planes. Really like all of them and think they are excellent planes. Flattened the soles and sharpened the blades as soon as I bought them. Set them up according to the manufacturer's recommendations. No problems and they work great. Would like to ask, what is the Charlesworth ruler treatment on the back? Thanks.


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## RichT

It's David Charlesworth's technique for flattening the back side of the plane blade without having to flatten the entire surface, which can be time consuming.

Here's a link to his Youtube video on the method. He's a bit dry and tends to put me to sleep, but he's a master at what he teaches. All of his videos are worth watching.


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## woodbutcherbynight

I have two Wood River planes, #4 block plane and a #4, very nice, and sharp after some minor tuning. Have been working more with planes this past year after another vet gave me some tips on how to work around my bad wrist.


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## Dutchy

It's a Qiangsheng Luban, isn't it?


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## RichT

> It s a Qiangsheng Luban, isn t it?
> 
> - Dutchy


No, the source is Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd.


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## dbeck

I have woodriver planes in various sizes and am amazed by the quality. They are an absolute joy to use.


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## Dutchy

> It s a Qiangsheng Luban, isn t it?
> 
> - Dutchy
> 
> No, the source is Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd.
> 
> - Rich


Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd is a *trading* compagny.
Please have a look at:
https://www.rutlands.com/sp+more-planing-hand-planes-qiangsheng-luban-hand-planes-qiangsheng-luban-no-4-smoothing-hand-plane-bedrock-pattern-rutlands+dk1180


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## RichT

> Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd is a *trading* compagny.
> 
> - Dutchy


Whatever. I never really worried about it.


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## Dutchy

> It s a Qiangsheng Luban, isn t it?
> 
> - Dutchy
> 
> No, the source is Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd.
> 
> - Rich


Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd is a *trading* compagny.



> Shanghai WoodRiver International Trade Co., Ltd is a *trading* compagny.
> 
> - Dutchy
> 
> Whatever. I never really worried about it.
> 
> - Rich


That is okay! 100% but I was asking if that plane of Woodriver is the same as we can buy here in europe the Luban. And all signals indicate this. I'm not worried but I'm wondering.


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## RichT

> That is okay! 100% but I was asking if that plane of Woodriver is the same as we can buy here in europe the Luban. And all signals indicate this. I m not worried but I m wondering.
> 
> - Dutchy


I get it now. I guess I can't answer your question. Sorry.


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## sansoo22

Dutchy - As far as I've ever been able to dig up…Wood River, Luban, Quansheng, and one other German brand are all manufactured by the same company in China. How the quality may differ between the brands I can not say. It's up to the seller to set the standards of what they will accept quality wise from the manufacturer.

Rich - Thanks for the review. I have a Wood River shoulder plane that I hate how it looks but love how it performs. I think its no secret around here that I'm a HUGE fan of vintage Stanleys but if I can't find a 4-1/2 locally at a fair price I will pick up the WR 4-1/2. The vintage Stanley's online are selling for about the same amount as a brand new Wood River and if I go vintage I will still have to spend time tuning and or restoring.


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## RichT

Thanks for filling in on that, sansoo.

And Dutchy, sorry I misunderstood your post. It looks like sansoo gave you a good answer. Best of luck with your search.


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## Buck_Thorne

I got started with a couple of vintage Stanley hand planes that I restored and tuned up, which included drastically resharpening the blades, correcting the chip breakers, and flattening the soles to get them to work. And they do work well and I love them. But I recently added the Wood River 5 1/2 and find myself reaching for that over my Bailey #5. But mostly I was impressed by how little effort it took to make it bench-ready. The only complaint I have is that the handle doesn't fit my hand as well. It looks like the very same handle design as the Bailey except that they beefed it up slightly (probably looking at the usual points of breakage in the old handles) but that is just enough to cramp my little finger. But that's just me and my big hands. (I also may give a go at reshaping it at some point)


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## Foghorn

They seem like really decent planes. Having said that, prices have really seemed to creep up over the years. I seem to recall that they were less than half the price of a premium plane way back when. A comparable Veritas or Lie Nielsen isn't that much more now, have better fit and finish and attention to detail and are made in North America and not China. Is it just me?


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## RichT

Buck_Thorne-I agree about the handle. I find it's most comfortable to use a pistol-type of grip with three fingers on the handle and my index finger alongside.

Foghorn-For sure LN is in a different class. In fact, I'd be hesitant to recommend the WoodRiver to someone with little or no experience sharpening and tuning a hand plane, or access to someone who can assist them with it. Products from LN are ready to use right out of the box. Regarding price, besides rising costs of imports in general, I assume it's also partly due to their upgrade of the design. I'm sure their costs went up. Do keep an eye out for sales. Woodcraft has one plane or another on sale many times during the year.


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## Foghorn

> Buck_Thorne-I agree about the handle. I find it s most comfortable to use a pistol-type of grip with three fingers on the handle and my index finger alongside.
> 
> Foghorn-For sure LN is in a different class. In fact, I d be hesitant to recommend the WoodRiver to someone with little or no experience sharpening and tuning a hand plane, or access to someone who can assist them with it. Products from LN are ready to use right out of the box. Regarding price, besides rising costs of imports in general, I assume it s also partly due to their upgrade of the design. I m sure their costs went up. Do keep an eye out for sales. Woodcraft has one plane or another on sale many times during the year.
> 
> - Rich


I agree that the LN and also the Veritas are in a different class, but it seems where the Woodriver was once a bargain, the prices are closer now so would certainly give one pause for thought.


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## woodbutcherbynight

> Buck_Thorne-I agree about the handle. I find it s most comfortable to use a pistol-type of grip with three fingers on the handle and my index finger alongside.
> 
> - Rich


And that is what the guy who helped me out suggested for relieving the pain caused in my wrist by using hand planes. Tried it and for the first time since my injury I was able to use hand plane minus that pain for days in my wrist.


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## Dutchy

> Dutchy - As far as I ve ever been able to dig up…Wood River, Luban, Quansheng, and one other German brand are all manufactured by the same company in China. How the quality may differ between the brands I can not say. It s up to the seller to set the standards of what they will accept quality wise from the manufacturer.
> 
> - sansoo22


THANKS!


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## oldnovice

It's *plain* to see that's a pretty nice *plane*!


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## RichT

> It s *plain* to see that s a pretty nice *plane*!
> 
> - oldnovice


I see what you did there!


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## Andybb

Well, the wife said she ordered it. I'm anxious to see how it compares to my refurbed Stanley 4 1/2. Not the thing I'd normally order for myself but it's Xmas and I want to grow up to be like Rich!


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## MrMark1946

Wood River plans are excellent! Especially for the price. I have a #3 and a #5. Been using them [email protected] 6 years. They are as good as my Lie-Nielsen's.


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## Andybb

Rich! My wife got a package in the mail yesterday from WoodRiver. Did you send me a Wood River plane for Xmas?? If not then it must have been my wife or Santa!!


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## OSU55

For the $, at current prices, not sure the Woodriver is a good value. Seems like 5-7 yrs ago this 4-1/2 sold for ~$170, now $220. Too close to Veritas and LN. An old Bailey style plane all tuned up from Don W or some others here on LJ would be a much better value. You dont need thick irons and chip breakers. My old Bailey planes work great with oem parts, just have to tune 'em up.


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## tomsfoolery

Thanks for the info. I do not own any planes yet but was steered toward the 4 1/2 plane with it being I guess roughly as wide as a#5 plane. too many tools to buy but I really need wood.


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## RichT

> Thanks for the info. I do not own any planes yet but was steered toward the 4 1/2 plane with it being I guess roughly as wide as a#5 plane. too many tools to buy but I really need wood.
> 
> - tomsfoolery


The blade width on the #4 and #5 are both 2". The 4 1/2, 5 1/2, 6 and 7 are all 2 3/8"


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## RichT

> For the $, at current prices, not sure the Woodriver is a good value. Seems like 5-7 yrs ago this 4-1/2 sold for ~$170, now $220. Too close to Veritas and LN. An old Bailey style plane all tuned up from Don W or some others here on LJ would be a much better value. You dont need thick irons and chip breakers. My old Bailey planes work great with oem parts, just have to tune 'em up.
> 
> - OSU55


They did go up in price with the release of the V3 planes which are based on the Bedrock design. The thing to do is grab them on sale.


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## Newbie17

I have heard great things about Woodriver planes, but…. so long as I have the funds I will continue to buy from manufacturing plants outside of China. Preferably the US or Canada. China will always be able to undercut the competition, but I refuse to support that effort whenever possible. Not to rant, but China has too much power from our dollars.


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## MichaelT77

I bought a small Wood River shoulder plane some years ago, and I'm happy with it.

This past week, I stumbled upon a Rob Cosman shooting board video on YouTube, and I was surprised to see him using Wood River. No reason. I just didn't expect that. Anyway, I thought, "If it's good enough for him, then who am I to question?" So, although I haven't built the shooting board, yet, I went to Woodcraft, and bought a #6. The 5's are back-ordered. It's huge, by far the biggest plane I own, but I figure the extra mass is a good thing.

So, I was very surprised that the sides aren't square to the sole. I thought that must be a defect, and it crossed my mind to return it. But, last night, I started some online research, and I found no company that squares the sides to the sole. Veritas even writes about it being a little off. All these people who know more than I do say that's what the lateral adjuster is for. Most planes aren't used for shooting, so that 90° angle isn't a consideration, I suppose.

My last thought on the subject, though, was that it's no more expensive to mill the sides and sole to 90° as it is to any other angle. I may be wrong on that. I'm not familiar with the process.


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## OSU55

Cost of milling is dependent on tolerances. Veritas is probably the best at it and its too expensive for them to guarantee it below a few thou. And yes, the skew adjuster is for the sooting board to get as close as possible, and to correct for sharpening an edge a bit off, to square the edge with the sole for planing.


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## Andybb

So, I did get the Wood River 4 1/2 for Xmas. Nice plane. I would love to be able to compare it to an L&N just so I can see what people mean when they say it's ready right out of the box. I have an old Stanley 4 1/2 that I refurbished a few years ago. Once I get to the point that both blades are scary sharp I plan on comparing the two of them.

Still working on my sharpening technique a la Rob Cosman.


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## Dutchy

More about the diffenrent between a Luban and a Woodriver:


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## mcase

Rich:
The only people who would give these a bad rap have probably never owned one. I have the #3 - #6 and added the #4 1/2 about the a year ago about the same time you did. In fact, I originally intended to get a Lie-Nielsen, but for patriotic reasons, not because I was unhappy with my Wood Rivers. Sadly, Lie-Nielsen was not making the #41/2 for some reason, so I added yet another Wood River to my collection. I have to admit I LOVE My new #4 1/2 Woodriver too. It awesome with the heft of and width of an old infill plane, but with the ease and comfort of the Stanley Bedrock. I back beveled the iron so it cuts at a half pitch (60 degrees) A great smoother in any figured wood.


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## srsly

A couple of nice things about the planes. First of all, Woodcraft partnered extensively with Rob Cosman to design and tweak the planes. Rob could have any planes (L-N, Bridge City, heck Sauer & Steiner!), but these are the ones in his till. Secondly, if you do get one with a defect (sole not flat, square, whatever) Woodcraft's return policy is 90 days, no questions asked. Just about as risk-free as a purchase can get.


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