# Your thoughts on these brand new hand planes?



## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Busy Bee Tools is a Canadian enterprise, similar to Grizzly or Wood River Tools.

They have a new line of proprietary "B" brand hand planes, and I'm curious whether they are truly independently produced, or just another rebranded knock-off of somebody else's line of planes.

Your thoughts are appreciated!!

https://www.busybeetools.com/categories/hand-tools/hand-planes/?!https://storage.googleapis.com/aws-s3-lumberjocks-com/r4fnxau.jpg!


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## sansoo22 (May 7, 2019)

They look near identical to the TayTools branded planes with the exception of a bronze lever cap. Everything else looks identical though.


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks, Sansoo! I'm just not familiar with brand-new anything, especially woodworking tools, so I don't know what I'm looking at. My next question will be whether they look to be a good deal; the prices are in Canadian dollars, so multiply by .76 to see approximate USD for comparison. I'll take a look at Tay Tools for comparison.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

A No. 7 jointer for $215 USD? It's either the deal of the decade, or you get what you pay for, in other words, junk. Hard to say, but I have my suspicions.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

It looks exactly identical to the India made line that several others rebrand. Like Axminster's "Rider" line:
https://www.axminstertools.com/rider-no-7-jointer-plane-107339
Among a few others, I think "Faithfull" is another rebrand. Groz, Anand, and Soba i think are some others.


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## Cincinnati2929 (Aug 26, 2018)

No 7: $215+ USD vs $425 for a Lie-Nielsen.

Busy Bee 10.25 LBS
Lie-Nielsen 8.25 LBS

I know the LN is flat and square out of the box. If I were looking for a new No 7 and did not have the budget for the best, I would look at Wood River. Then again, now that I see It's 9.5 LBS and $350, I'd save another $75 and get the best quality.

I bought a new cheap No 5 several years ago. The sole was not flat, the sides were not square to the sole, and the blade was not flat. Everyone cannot always buy the best of everything, but my theory in tool purchases is to make lifetime purchases. Otherwise I would be buying a $215 plane now and a $450-$500 plane later. THe resale value of the cheap stuff is minuscule and the re-sale value of the Lie-Nielsen is often higher that the cost of a new one. Just check out the recently closed auctions on eBay.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Looks like a nice plane with a thick iron and chipbreaker. Only in-person inspection would tell you if the grinding is good.

The grinding on L-N planes is nearly flawless. They're also USA made so that contributes to their prices.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

Saw these a while back, had intended to stop in at the store an check it out but ended up ordering on line from L.V. because of stock issues, Busy Bee very close to Lee Valley in Edmonton. Do not really need any more planes, do have an old #7 Stanley (made in Canada) but some thing new an shinny, maybe


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## 2leftfeet (Dec 20, 2021)

For what it's worth, I spoke to the customer service people at Busy Bee and they assured me that the new Busy Bee planes they sell will be quality checked and have a flat sole, flat frog, and sides 90 degrees to the sole-they assured me that the planes will meet the quality criteria described in the Steve Maxwell video (found on their website and on YouTube). All I'm saying is that this is what they told me. Is it true-I can't say.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> For what it s worth, I spoke to the customer service people at Busy Bee and they assured me that the new Busy Bee planes they sell will be quality checked and have a flat sole, flat frog, and sides 90 degrees to the sole-they assured me that the planes will meet the quality criteria described in the Steve Maxwell video (found on their website and on YouTube). All I m saying is that this is what they told me. Is it true-I can t say.
> 
> - 2leftfeet


Then is must be true! Thanks for sharing.


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Once again, thanks for all the great replies!
Yeah, I kind of suspect that these may be re-branded generic planes. How many different factories are out there in the world, producing planes? Probably not many.

If I was a tool dealer, the quickest way to include hand planes to my product line would be to strike up a deal with one of the few actual plane producers and have them make planes for me with our company logo.

I have a "Busy Bee" 14" bandsaw, which is a clone of my old Enco which is a clone of my even older Delta. Just a foil label with their logo differentiates it from the others.

Guess if curiosity gets the best of me, I'll have to buy one, and see how it suits me. I'm not so biased in favor of championing old relics anymore. I've got furniture projects to make.

TY again for your thoughtful comments, everyone!


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## mcase (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi PK. 
They look very much like "Bench Dog" (made in India) planes sold in the U.S. by Rockler. I have never dealt with Busy Bee. They may be great to deal with, but they have put out a fantastically inaccurate YouTube about tuning these planes. The tube is titled "Hot Rod and Fine Tune a Hand Plane" by someone named Steve Maxwell who presents himself as some kind of expert. It's truly cringe worthy. The methods he demonstrates are highly questionable. There are far more accurate and simpler ways to tune a plane than he employs. I would argue his sharpening method would produce a convex edge and that his flattening technique could quickly take a flat plane out of true. He also instructs people to undertake the rounding over of a Lie-Nielsen style chip breaker. Why, no one knows. Shavings curl up and forward away from the chip breaker when you take heavier cuts and simply pass over the back of the breaker on lighter peels. If you watch the video, you can see he sets his chip breaker nearly 1/4" back from the edge anyway so I guess it doesn't matter what he does to it. He also sets about "lapping" the frog with the yoke and lever still in place. Needless to say, he can't really lap it in this state. He merely swirls the lower half of the frog over some compound on a glass plate. I really question the expertise of this instructor. He refers to the planes as "steel" planes. He does this twice. He is not referring to the cutter - make no mistake he thinks they are steel. He picks up a 1930s or 40s vintage Stanley claiming it's been in his family for OVER (not almost, but OVER) a hundred years. Anyway, the Busy Bee plane he introduces is obviously better than the Great Neck hardware-store plane he compares it to. On the other hand, its clearly not a premium plane as Busy Bee claims. The blade is chipped right out of the box and is horribly ground and too far from flat. The casting is visibly crude and shows signs of rust. Then there is the fact that it's a Baily not a Bedrock. To make these planes look good you have to compare them to absolute junk like Great Neck. A Wood River on the other hand is close in quality to a Lie-Nielsen. Given that these Busy Bee planes are only about $35 less than Wood River planes I can see no reason to buy them.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Check Cosman. He did a whole series of reviews maybe this was one of them since he's Canadian.


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## 2leftfeet (Dec 20, 2021)

A respectful comment on the entry by "mcase" above. At this time, Wood River planes are not "about $35" more than the new Busy Bee planes. They are at least $96 more, and up to $160 more depending on which size you buy. For example the No. 4 Busy Bee is $149 and the No. 4 Wood River is $250 at robcosman.com. Check out the websites.


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## AdmiralRich (Jun 26, 2011)

> . . . . They may be great to deal with, but they have put out a fantastically inaccurate YouTube about tuning these planes. The tube is titled "Hot Rod and Fine Tune a Hand Plane" by someone named Steve Maxwell who presents himself as some kind of expert. It's truly cringe worthy. The methods he demonstrates are highly questionable.
> - mcase


That guy is clearly no expert. I laughed when he used the lever cap to tighten the chipbreaker screw; great way to muck up your lever cap….


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

> . . . . They may be great to deal with, but they have put out a fantastically inaccurate YouTube about tuning these planes. The tube is titled "Hot Rod and Fine Tune a Hand Plane" by someone named Steve Maxwell who presents himself as some kind of expert. It's truly cringe worthy. The methods he demonstrates are highly questionable.
> - mcase
> 
> Yet..that WAS the way the Old Timers did it….not everyone carried a screwdriver around, just in case they needed a quick hone on their plane's iron….
> ...


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

TY, Bandit!!


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## 2leftfeet (Dec 20, 2021)

I'm a bit surprised and uncomfortable with the negative tone in some of the comments here. There are many ways to maintain tools, and if someone's way works for them then, well, it works for them… and it may work for others. It seem that what really matters is that one's tools do what one wants. Also, if one gets used to doing things a certain way and it works, there may be no reason to change.
Steve Maxwell was (is?) an editor and contributor for Canadian Woodworker magazine, and he's a woodworker, and I suspect he makes things that he's happy with.
I sharpen my plane irons with a nail file and tighten the levercap screw with my teeth…...(just kidding).
Be Nice.


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

> I m a bit surprised and uncomfortable with the negative tone in some of the comments here. There are many ways to maintain tools, and if someone s way works for them then, well, it works for them… and it may work for others. It seem that what really matters is that one s tools do what one wants. Also, if one gets used to doing things a certain way and it works, there may be no reason to change.
> Steve Maxwell was (is?) an editor and contributor for Canadian Woodworker magazine, and he s a woodworker, and I suspect he makes things that he s happy with.
> I sharpen my plane irons with a nail file and tighten the levercap screw with my teeth…...(just kidding).
> Be Nice.
> ...


*Hopefully, people will respond with their impressions of Busy Bee planes. That's why I started this thread, after all. Re-read #1 above.
*


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## etout00 (12 mo ago)

More than likely those planes are coming off the same exact assembly line overseas as numerous other rebranded ones….just saying.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Somewhere around Delhi, India…....a much upgraded Anant line of tools.


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## 2leftfeet (Dec 20, 2021)

I'm going to disappear from this forum-I find the tone of some of the messages too negative and divisive. Too bad. I guess this seems to be the new way of communicating. I wish people were more gracious and generous with their comments. Even criticism should be constructive… and peoples' ways of doing things should be respected. Good luck to you all.


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

> I m going to disappear from this forum-I find the tone of some of the messages too negative and divisive. Too bad. I guess this seems to be the new way of communicating. I wish people were more gracious and generous with their comments. Even criticism should be constructive… and peoples ways of doing things should be respected. Good luck to you all.
> 
> - 2leftfeet


It seems like your whole purpose here was entering comments and critique on this thread ONLY. 
Thank you for your input on 'Busy Bee' planes.
We'll miss you terribly!! Are you taking your alter-ego with you?


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## 2leftfeet (Dec 20, 2021)

My purpose was, like you, to try to get some information on the new Busy Bee planes from woodworkers who were using them… and to share what the Busy Bee folks told me-for what it was worth. I was not expecting negativity and people guessing where the planes came from or imagining whether they were good or not. I have been on other platforms where people are friendly, helpful, gracious… even when disagreeing and expressing varied opinions. I'm not sure what you mean about me taking my alter ego with me.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

fella around here needs a little tougher attitude or skin.

oh well, easy come easy go
rj in az


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## jonoseph (Dec 13, 2015)

I came back to comment on old Rapier planes but this Canadian product will do for the same purpose . The outdated straight up keyhole fixing in the top plate has reared it`s head again . The Stanley firm got around to making the Kidney shaped hole and that seemed to be a reliable design . Yesterday and today I have renovated a really old Acorn 4 &1/2 plane in black .Well before Stanley bought them .That has the same straight keyhole pattern and if you shift the lateral lever left and right a few times the top lever plate starts to loosen itself . 
What I am getting to is a little solution for this loosening . I am visualising a spring steel loop just big enough to fit in the circular hole below the top plate screw . That would unclip easily for taking apart .The clip could fit any keyhole slot and eliminate the persistent design fault . Any old broken clock will have a usable piece of spring (near the centre of the coil ). The open end of the spring will fit downwards .
In the video of the Canadian plane the lateral adjuster lever is the identical shape to the one in the Acorn plane I have here . This Acorn had one fault .The lever rivet was set to the right side .The blade could tilt massively one way but not at all the other way . The cure was to offset the cap iron (chip breaker ) using the fixing screw and that gives it equal movement .My experiments drew attention to the keyhole shape . The Acorn has a tiny brass adjuster wheel but works just fine. I used grease on the wheel this time instead of messy oil . But what a lovely Acorn plane it is. Lightly used , no rust .Not even run in . I had to true up a hollow in the sole with a coarse diamond plate . That worked better dry . Just kept tapping the metal dust off every few minutes . The sole is massively thick and the mouth front was vertical . I filed the inner mouth front to 45 degrees and polished the surface. The edge is still quite thick . The plane sides are nice and square to the sole . The blade to mouth clearance is just right for fine shavings. The frog position is just level with the mouth back .So Stanleys must have gone for the wider mouth option when they fitted a frog adjuster . Bizarrely if you loosen the Acorn Frog screws it will slide back more than an inch. I suppose if I wanted to fit a 3mm blade I could file the back of the mouth instead of the front . The two frog supports at the rear have lots of unused space behind the frog . At the back of the frog the two supports work with the flat across the full width at the front . Better would have been one central support at the back .(Thinking about a basic 3 point contact ). In practice I hardly ever bother about adjusting the frog .
What planes need is a cure for the reliance on the tiny wishbone part that works so hard to keep the blade forwards . I may have covered too many points in one go today .


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

*Talking Busy Bee planes here.*

Acorn relics best in another thread. I got rid of my Acorns and most other wacko planes from across the pond.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

When evaluating hand planes, are Japanese style planes ever considered? I understand, in the hands of an experienced planer, a Japanese plane can outperform any western style plane. In a video that was a contest as to how thin a continuous shaving could be made with a Japanese plane, shavings that were so thin, you could see through them. Japanese style tools are so much different from western style tools but seem to outperform them in their simplicity.


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## Handplaned (Nov 18, 2021)

I am skeptical about most newer planes especially those coming from India. But with that said there are good ones even in the midst of junk and junk even in the midst of a good line of product. 
I would think Busy bee would be offering mid level well that is my opinion on their other line of tools. 
The plane looks rather sharp but then looks really does not matter. Would love to hear from someone after using this type plane for a time. Proof is always in the performance.


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