# Grizzly hand planes?



## mspain77 (Mar 26, 2016)

Hey guys,
Just getting into the hand planing aspect of woodworking and I've already made the mistake of purchasing a crappy jack plane from Home Depot because it was on clearance for $8 and some change. What a piece of junk.
I can't afford the Veritas or Lie Nielsen stuff but I'm looking to get something that will do the job until I can acquire those treats. I noticed a good deal on a Grizzly 14" smooth plane for around $30, which is half off. I know a lot of the guys I follow on YouTube have Grizzly power tools but I never knew they made hand planes. 
Anyone have any experience with Grizzly hand planes specifically? What's the scoop??
Thanks in advance.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Avoid them. You won't find a quality new plane for that kind of price.

You'd be a lot better off buying a vintage plane that has been tuned up by someone who knows what they are doing. It'll cost a little more, but still far less than a good quality new Veritas, LN or similar. It'll also be ready to work out of the box.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

^ +1 to what JayT said.

Contact LJ Don W (timetestedtools). He is the Yoda of refurbishing, stands behind his work, and will help you get what you need. No modern big-box planes match the form and function of vintage iron. It's LN, Veritas, Big Box Crap, or Vintage (yes, I'm ignoring Wood River / Quangsheng). And the latter (vintage) has good and bad as well, hence the reco for Don.


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## mspain77 (Mar 26, 2016)

Thanks guys. That's helpful. So I'm thinking something like the Stanley sweetheart line is a good place to start, right? I've heard some great things.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Vintage sweetheart are fine, along with any other pre WW II era Stanley. There are some post WW II that are good users, too, but you have to be more knowledgeable when looking at them. There are also quite a few other brands that are as good as or better than the Stanley's. Millers Falls, Sargent, Union and more all made good quality planes. Someone like DonW or several others that frequent LJ will steer you in the right direction.

There is the new Stanley Sweetheart line that I would avoid. Too much inconsistency in quality on those. Some have gotten really good users, others have had to spend a lot of time fixing or returning multiple planes to get one that works correctly.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I'd have to think the good things you heard on Stanley SW would be limited to vintage tools overall and new SW #750 Chisels. Those are excellent, imo. The planes are very hit and miss, as JayT indicates.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I agree with staying away from the Grizzly planes. I don't necessarily agree with all the pre vs post war comments - I' have both and found them to require an equal amount of tuning. I've got a type 20 #7 that's a very good plane, as well as some type 19's. Here is my take on first planes, and how to tune them.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

> I don t necessarily agree with all the pre vs post war comments - I have both and found them to require an equal amount of tuning. I ve got a type 20 #7 that s a very good plane, as well as some type 19 s.
> 
> - OSU55


Just for clarification, when I point out the pre- vs post- war planes, it's not as much the quality of the premium lines, such as the Bailey's, as it is that post-war has a lot more lower level tools being introduced (i.e. Handyman's and the like). That's why the comment about knowing what you are looking for.

The later type Bailey's can many times be excellent users, while lesser planes, especially those with a lot of stamped metal and inferior frogs, are just frustrating.


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## mramseyISU (Mar 3, 2014)

If one of the new Sweethearts is in your budget I'd just buy an old bedrock. They're out there to be had on ebay for about the same price. I've got one of each and the old bedrock will run circles around the new one.


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## GregTP (Oct 26, 2015)

It wasnt that long ago that I was in your same spot so my advice is probably not as wise as the more seasoned guys but it may be relevant to you.

Just a thought in terms of the progression of quality of your hand planes if you are just starting out and can't drop $2000 on the few basic planes that will do most of your work.

A jack plane doesn't need to be super high quality. It needs to have a good, preferably thick, iron that is razor sharp and a relatively flat sole. You can find decent older jack planes at any flea market or antique store that with a few hours of work will serve you well enough until you can upgrade. Be picky with the iron though, replacing or fixing a badly abused iron will cost you more money or time than its worth.

Your jointer should be a step up in quality with again a thick, sharp iron. Your jointer sole needs to be pretty close to dead flat to do its job. If you pick up a jointer plane and it is lighter than you thought it would be put it down and back away slowly…

Your finishing plane, usually a No. 4 or No. 4 1/2 should be your best plane. Spend two thirds of your plane budget on this one. Its worth saving some money for a few months and buying a finishing plane that will last a lifetime rather than suffering for years with a crappy one.

I have about 40 hand planes and I actually use six of them. Also, I find the two old stanley block planes I have to be adequate enough, I use one for rougher work and one for finer stuff.

Spend some money on a decent set of water stones and a honing guide, if you can't keep them sharp even the best quality planes aren't good for much more than keeping your plans from blowing off the workbench.


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## Aidan1211 (Feb 20, 2016)

I can help you find a good jack for a touch more than you were looking to buy the grizzlies for. PM me when you have a chance. As far as prewar vs post war one has to be tuned more than the other but they will both work exceedingly well once tuned and sharp.

Robert


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Pass. And pass on any modern Stanley plane, too.

IMO you can't go wrong with a WoodRiver plane.

There's a few guys on LJ that sell vintage Stanleys tested and tuned. This is probably your best bet if you don't want to spend over $100 on a plane.


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