Don't buy it. Buck bros. planes today are not good
quality and I think you'd struggle to bring it up to
bench standards. Buy a vintage Bailey.

 

I have one.

I've got maybe 15-20 hours into it (LOL), and … it's okay.

But do you want to put hours of work into a new plane, and have "Okay" be the end result ?

I would definitely agree with Loren: used, and restore.

 

Pass on it Bandit. You can do better.

 

I have a couple of Buck block planes which work quite well for what I use them for. If you're into the whole hand plane Zen thing, pass on the Bucks. If you just need to shave something down once in a while, they should work fine.

 

I just sold a Shelton for $28 including shipping that I restored. If its not far better than a buck brothers, then I'll hang up my DMT's.

 

Ok, here is the 'skinny"

Most " #5 " I have seen the last few days on fleabay are either 10-19 dollar rusties needing a lot of work, plus 12-15 bucks for shipping.

Some others are almost at brand new (and higher) prices, plus the shipping.

Bucky is about $35 plus taking the other half along for dinner ( shipping costs???)

I have both the BIG jointer and a smaller 129 fore plane. That H-F #33 looking to be a decent scrub plane. Two #4 and a #3 as smoothers. Not sure IF a Jack plane is needed in the shop, but would like an idea of how one would work out. Hey, I could always resell on fleabay, for twice the money. A H-F #33 is on there right now, @ $18.99. I paid $9 AT H-F, and it wasn't even on sale that day.

Lot of the "restores" I have seen last couple of days, needed either a full restore for Rust heaven, new parts because of either broken parts/missing parts/WRONG parts. Purchase price + Shipping + parts + time = ONE plane.

So, talk to me. Three options here. Buy the Bucky Plane (1), play over at ebay (2) OR IF someone has a #5 for sale here, at $20 or less ( with shipping). A "Skyline Three Way"????

 

Bandit, If you're interested in the Buck bros plane, I'll sell you mine for $10 plus whatever shipping will be. It's definitely not worth the $34. I personally prefer the vintage Stanleys, but if you're looking for a near new plane the Buck Bros will work. I've got mine so that it takes decent shavings-took a little bit of work.

 

I vote for the used/restored.

I have seen these Buck Bro Planes. They look good but the grind isn't like the old planes. I suppose you could lap them down yourself. I haven't actually use one.

The blades are the same way. They look to be rough grind no way close to the old stuff.

Oh yea, shipping verses driving/taxes….... Gas being arount $4.00/gal. Let's just say $8.00 plus tax. EB may not be your best source but every once in awhile you can hunt down a bargain. You best deal is going to one of those swap meets, CL or some advertise tool estate/garage sale. It is likely that you have to put some effort in clenaing it up.

Best of luck.

 

Here's where we get into trouble, asking opinions about what people think about a brand…
Reality is, if you get a decent one, it'll take 2-3 hours to tune up and work awesome, or you'll get a bad one and it will take more time than that, or your setup skills will be horrible and it will take more time.

Point is I have a buck 14" jack and use it all the time, especially after a glue up wider than anything I have for smoothing in the shop. It works just fine, I have a spair iron for it, but honestly I have not needed to sharpen it in forever and it's still making all those nice little paper fine shavings with no problem, even after having used it on hickory and heart pine….. Some guys just like to get fussy over tools rather than working with what they have and asking them about anything other than a stanley is going to be ummm not profitable for your time to read. Not everyone has access to these great tool stores where they sell lie neilson and so on, some of us have to figure out how to just make it work right….

 

yep I would go with the old stanley, flea market u never know what they got and they dont either. I bought an stanley sweetheart and didnt even know it, but thats when I really got into the sweetheart so go with old stanley

 

yep thats the sign of a good carpenter make gold out of dirt

 

Why not just make one….a new Hock blade and chip breaker is less than $ 50 USD, a hunk of scrap 8/4, and a few hours in the shop and you have a very good plane, much better than any Buck Brother, HF, or any post WWII Stanley. Less work, better plane….pretty much win win. BTW if you really want to go cheap, any iron and chip breaker will work just fine, the Hocks are just first class.

See: http://www.finewoodworking.com/PlansAndProjects/PlansAndProjectsPDF.aspx?id=30018
and: http://www.hocktools.com/

 

Brandon: I will keep you in mind on that offer.

Others: I have mainly Stanley planes in the "stable", or at least Stanley "clones". I do like to do restores, just find the parts can be a bit much. Handles are the "easy" part (for me) as is clean up and getting ready for paint (if needed) and I don't mind doing the "tune-ups" needed.

To build new: I'm having way to much fun re-doing old. I do have a couple saw handles i have to make, from scratch. The budget for such things, well, about like the stand on the sidewalk, selling lemonade. That kind of budget. I can put in overtime at work, IF needed. But some things just have to be on their own. IF you can take a $3 iron, make it work in a plane you just brought back from the rust heap, would you then turn your nose up at that same iron because it was "Just a cheap $3 iron" ?

I used to turn "dirt" into "Gold", I was a foundation (concrete) carpenter for a few years. Turning a pile of rocks, sand, "dust", and some water into foundations of concrete. Mistakes? Well, yeah, but that is what the Painters were for, right?

 

I thought the painters were around to drink the crappy beer.