# Used hand plane buying guide



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

My wife and I love going to flea markets and craft shows. We don't buy a lot, but get a lot of ideas for things to make for our home. Save for some old circular saws and pipe wrenches, there are never used tools. Except yesterday. There was a guy there with a lot of hand planes. One that caught my eye was a Stanley/Bailey #6. I looked like it was in OK condition, but I could not figure out if it really was or not. He only wanted 10 bucks for it and I should have just taken it.

Where should I look for resources on:
1 - learning the general functionality of hand planes
and 2 - Learning to assess the condition and operability of used planes.

I am not looking to collect and resell, I want to use them. There is a lot of info here, but it is scattered in a lot of different LENGTHY threads and tough to piece together.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Go out and buy Garret Hack's book on handplane … i think its called the Handplane Book … its got it all.

Most of the time if it has all the parts and pieces it can be made to work again. Check the mouth of the plane for chips and crack. A malfunction there will render most a pain to work with. Pitting on the sole and edge of the iron is another to look out for. Not a huge deal but worth noting.

You missed the boat on the #6 …. you hsould haev taken it. I did the same with a #8 years ago, $20 and i let it pass by …. oh well.

IMO, you dont need the cats ass of planes, most can be made to work and work well. Some just take more time than others.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I did look at the sole. There were no cracks or or chips near the mouth. It wasn't pitted and only had a little surface rust that would have worked out with sandpaper.The blade was very rusty, but looked like I could put an edge on it with the worksharp. No big gouges or cracks. If it's still there next weekend I may grab it. It's a huge flea market and we are actually going to set up a booth. It's only 25$ for the day. I don't have anything I made to sell, plus I still kind of suck and I doubt anyone would buy it  
We have tons of old crap that is going in a dumpster that we saw people actually buying. If we could get a couple bucks for it, so be it.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

The way i see it Joe, if you bump into one with all the parts for 5-10 bucks buy it. For the price of a starbucks coffee its worth it even if its a learning experience.

You seem to be a lot like myself, the only way i learn things is to take it all apart and put it back together again. Hand planes are no exception. Youre first tune up will garner a lot of new information and reasoning as to why they work and what makes them work.

Worksharp tip--try and get all the rust off the iron with sandpaper before putting it on the worksharp. It would have saved me a bunch of $$ in that darn worksharp sandpaper. The rust just prematurely wastes the paper.


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

Chris Schwartz also has very good books about hand planes and hand tools in general.


----------



## LukieB (Jan 8, 2012)

Check out Patrick Leach's Blood And Gore, an amazing Stanley/Bailey handplane resource. Years or research compiled in one nicely organized place.
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html

And yeah, you shoulda bought the #6


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I have an electrolysis set up I used for car parts. I'd get the rust off that way. If it was REALLY bad I could have my friend soda blast it as well. If he still has it next weekend, I'll grab it.

He also had a gigantic plane labeled "Bedrock 607C" for 35$. that was in really good condition but I'm not sure what I would use it for. It was about 2 feet long


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

AHHHHHH … go back now! The bedrock design is a pretty sought after one and they didnt make them for very long, maybe 15- 20 years (guess here). The 607C is probably worth around $100 all cleaned up. Its a great plane for flattening large areas and also used to joint board edges. The "C" is a corrugated sole … which i think was a gimmick to lessen the drag on the plane as it slid over the wood.

This is gonna be like your first hit of crack Joe …. youll never be the same again lol.


----------



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

EvapoRust is a good product for removing rust from old tools. It's pricey ($9/qt or $30/gal, online), but it can be reused multiple times. If you don't want to make an electrolysis setup, EvapoRust a good solution.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I have an electrolysis set up, although I haven't used it in a long time and moved about a year ago. I think I still have everything. 
Lucas, that link is perfect! Thanks


----------



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

Sorry, lumberjoe, I didn't see your post that mentioned your electrolysis setup. My bad.


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

If the Bedrock 607C is original and complete, that price is ridiculously cheap. Bedrock lever caps go for more than $35 on e-bay.


----------



## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

$10.00 for a good condition Stanley #6????

I will buy a not so good (say fair) Stanley #6 (assuming it is not a Bedrock) just for the parts.
The knob, tote is well worth that. Just make sure that it doesn't have the plastic knob & handles.


----------



## NANeanderthal (Jun 2, 2011)

At first glance it might seem trolling to say you found a good condition 607 for $35, because its seemly seems to good to be real. But I am assuming that it is, in which case, go back and by both as soon as possible. get there when it first opens, and buy up any other deals. I know you said your looking for users, but at those prices you could go home, put them on ebay and make enough to buy some more. but I would keep them if i was you


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm honestly not that into reselling. It's a lot of work that I just don't have time for. The only thing I thought was "Man, that's huge and heavy, what the heck would I ever use that for". If he still has it next weekend, I may pick it up and play with it. I've never heard of a "Bedrock" plane so I didn't give it a second glance. Also the correlated bottom is something I have never seen either on a hand plane. I assumed it was a defect


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Iron bench planes are pretty easy to assess. You just check for cracks
in the casting and make sure all the metal parts are there. Knobs
and totes can be repaired or replaced easily, but unless you want to 
play tinkertoys with planes, don't buy ones that are missing any
parts except knobs, totes and blades.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I actually like playing tinker toys, as ling as I have or can get all the "tinkers" that fit. What I don't want to happen is I end up spending 100$ on 5 used planes to get one good one out of it. I will look at the resources people posted and learn a lot more which should help my buying decisions.


----------



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

After you've looked at enough planes, you can start to see the differences between the cheaply-made ones and the decent ones (like a stamped frog as opposed to a cast one). After that, like others have said, it's just a matter of looking for cracks in the major metal parts. If everything is intact, you can be pretty sure you can make a good user of it.

If there was a 607C Bedrock going for $35 that wasn't badly broken, the seller really does not know what he's got. It would take a lot more than that to get me to part with my 607:


----------



## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Joe

Check out fine woodworking #216. It is probably (to me) my favorite issue i've ever ready. The reason I was first attracted to this issue is because of an article regarding restoring a bargain basement plane. It is a great resource to see, so that next time you don't pass over a $10 bailey in good condition. As good as a Hacks book may be (since I haven't read it I can only go by hearsay), sometimes a whole book is a bit overwhelming. Reading some articles may give you the confidence to start and then when your fully addicted and have to learn more you get into the Handplane Book…at least thats how i'm doing it


----------



## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Also.. avoid planes with cheezy 'bottle cap' pressed steel cutter-height adjusters… and frogs that are made of stamped steel rather than cast iron. They're out there, they're cheep and plentiful, cuz nobody wants 'em.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going back on Sunday and if the guy is still there I will inspect the #6 a little closer. I think I am still going to pass on the 607C as I would never use it.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Joe, id rethink passing that bedrock up , im just saying for that kinda money its worth every nickel. The day that you have a 24" wide glue up that wont fit through your planer and youre sittin there scratching your head and debating pulling out the belt sander to flatten it youre gonna be pissed you didnt spend $35 on that 607C. Just my opinion though brother.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I am a power tool kind of guy. I've also found I am becoming a ninja with a router. Huge glue ups get flattened with a router plane (sled). I can't see myself ever reaching for a hand plane to clean a glue up. Also I don't have a proper bench to hold something like that for hand planing.

This is not because I don't like hand tools, I just don't know how to use them. It is something I really want to get into, but I am getting overwhelmed. I want to learn and somewhat master the tools I currently have. I am going in too many different directions at the moment. I need to sharpen my focus a bit. My projects are all over the place; from furniture, to cutting boards, to nice boxes. I am dabbling in a bit of everything, but mastering nothing. I even have a brand new lathe still in a box in my office that I bought (along with some expensive turning tools) over a month ago.


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

here is some info that can help http://lumberjocks.com/donwilwol/blog/series/4112


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

It's going to take a while to digest all of that. Thanks Don. Great stuff


----------



## Panda (Jul 20, 2015)

A Chinese woodworking enthusiasts gather some cheap and practical woodworking plane too hard, I really envy you can always visit the Heart of the secondary market to buy those tools


----------

