Can you expand on the sharpening? Would the different blocks be sharpened differently? ...

- Bcemail

No, they will be sharpened the same unless, like Sansoo said, you have a skewed blade then you have to contend with that. But the sharpening media and methods are the same as with any other straight-edged tool. I think Bandit was just pointing out that you should consider it ahead of time and be aware that planes are edged tools and therefore will dull and need to be sharpened. A fact that a lot of people seem to overlook until their tool gets dull and they can't figure out why it doesn't work as well as it used to ;-)

 

hokieKen

I have the Veritas skew bock plane and an old Stanley low angle (don't see a number on it). As long as either is very sharp they are a pleasure to work with.

 

hokieKen

I have the Veritas skew bock plane and an old Stanley low angle 12-220?. As long as either is very sharp they are a pleasure to work with.

 

Watch this, pick one, buy it:

I use Lie Neilson. It is the "cry once" solution.

He recommends a 5 1/2 first, but for small work, go for it.

 

I started with my fathers old craftsman. I found a stanley bailey No. 5 on a bench where I bought a used joiner and said I'll give you $25 for it. That was twenty three planes ago now.

 

For your first dive into hand planes I personally would not jump straight into Lie Neilson. Find an old stanley plane in decent condition. Watch youtube videos and ask questions and learn how to set it up properly, learn how to flatten the bottom and how to sharpen the blade. Once you have these skills accomplished and have a good worker block plane if you want to then jump into a Lie Neilson. I think I would be scared to learn how to sharpen and flatten with a Lie Neilson. just my 2c

 

My two steel-body block planes are a Stanley G12-060 (low-angle) and G12-247. Looks like they're both sold on some sites as "antique" or "vintage," which is horse crap because I bought mine new when I was a teenager. I had to do some initial minor flattening and polishing on the soles using thick plate glass and sandpaper, but they cut well and hold an edge. The nice thing about hand planes is that the old used ones are probably just as good or better than a lot of the newer ones you'll find in a hardware store. More money will generally get you better materials and a flatter sole out-of-the-box. I've always been able to keep a hair-splitting edge on mine using one of those guides that hold the blade at an angle, an Arkansas stone, and some buffing compound. In 20 years or so I've probably put it on a grinder twice.

 

There is a fellow on Youtube….Rex Krueger….that did a show all about block planes…..the exact opposite of Rob C…..

It is worth a looksee…

 

Thanks for all the tips! I see what you mean about the skew angle blades, but I think the other ones I can sharpen as I would my chisels (which I'm still learning).

I'll look around online to see if there are any bargains before I go all in on the Lie Nelsons. I checked eBay, but there are so many it's sort of hard to tell what is worth it. I hear about vintage Stanleys, but I'm sure there's plenty of "vintage" ones out there from 15 years ago that are not great.

Will keep going down the Youtube rabbit hole and then try and decide!

Thanks for all the great help around here!

 

Don't get me wrong on price and value. I started with used tools that I could scrounge on the cheap, but the older planes have such thin blades made of out what is substandard metal (by today's standards). They chatter, dull fast and are often in need of truing up. Spending a bit more for a modern iron and breaker is worth it. Now I don't spend, spend, spend. I typically get a quality hand tool about twice a year as the budget permits.

If it stays sharp twice as long, that makes a big impact in my work. I once would start a plane project and have three blades laid out. Now I can use the same blade for the majority of the work.

I use a 5 1/2, block, skew block, 4 1/2 generally.

 

I agree with BRD. I have Stanley 9-1/2, 65-1/2 and Millers Falls 07 block planes in my till and they all get used regularly. But there's something to be said for a modern plane that you don't have to use a hammer to tweek the iron position and that has a thicker A2 or PMV-11 blade in it.

 

I agree with BRD. I have Stanley 9-1/2, 65-1/2 and Millers Falls 07 block planes in my till and they all get used regularly. But there s something to be said for a modern plane that you don t have to use a hammer to tweek the iron position and that has a thicker A2 or PMV-11 blade in it.

- HokieKen

I guess it depends on what you are going to use it for and budget etc. Sure, new premium planes are nice. And if you have a blank check, get one of each size of LN or LV, because why not. However, if you spend $200 on a block plane(which IMHO is of limited use), and then you can't afford a nice smoothing plane, then you have an issue. If I had a limited budget, I would much rather buy a used Stanley block for $30(which does everything I need just fine) and spend the money on a LN or LV smoother. Again, depends on use. If you are making models or small ukuleles or something, maybe a small block plane is your workhorse. For furniture and cabinets etc I really only use one for taking off corners and arrises etc. And sometimes I just use my #3 that I was already using for surface smoothing.
As you say its your first plane purchase, you should look at your overall budget and what planes you are going to need.

 

I haven't bought any of the new ones yet but probably will go that route for a shoulder plane or a low angle jack. They don't come around that often and when they do it's $$$. I enjoy honing and fussing, tuning the older ones. Maybe that will change if I buy a new one but for now I am okay

 

There is a fellow on Youtube….Rex Krueger….that did a show all about block planes…..the exact opposite of Rob C…..

It is worth a looksee…

- bandit571

Rex is a good guy (and in your backyard Bandit). Lots of practical and lowcost advice.

 

Block planes?

The whole Fam damily….15 in all….

The "black sheep" of the family?

the "Good Ones"?

And the "Users Group"...

be careful…these like to multiply….if you let them

 

That's quite a family Bandit! I better be careful starting out…

Thanks for the tip on Rex, just watched some videos of his which are good. Gave me a better idea of what to search for. Part of problem with getting into planes is just figuring out how everything is named! 5 1/2, 4, 60 1/2, jack, fore smoother… (once I saw a 5, 6, and 7 I assumed 60 1/2 was going to be about the size of a canoe).

Now I know a little more I think I can start whittling down the selection of stuff online. Not as worried about buying some random old thing and hoping it's the right one. Think I will start with some that are older but in good shape so I can practice sharpening and using without breaking the bank. Is eBay just as good as any other site? I'll keep an eye out for local sales too

Thanks again!

 

Ebay is fine in my opinion. I buy from there quite frequently. Local is often going to be cheaper just because you save on shipping. Most antique tool dealers around me have about the same prices as ebay. The best I can do with them is negotiate a little if I'm buying more than one thing. Buy one nice plane and a couple rusty ones I might get a good deal on the rusty ones.

The cheapest is going to be garage and estates sales. Sometimes you can get some cheap stuff at auctions too. Just depends if any collectors with lots of extra money show up.

If you see a plane you like on ebay and are unsure of quality or have any other questions feel free to ask. Lots of helpful people here can answer those questions for you.

 

...

If you see a plane you like on ebay and are unsure of quality or have any other questions feel free to ask. Lots of helpful people here can answer those questions for you.

- sansoo22

+1 The Handplanes of Your Dreams thread is a wealth of knowledge and a group of good guys who love nothing more than spending other guys' money ;-) Seriously, it's one of the best places on the internet to get questions answered about anything and everything hand plane related.

 

I wanted to leave one piece of advice about buying vintage planes. I've been the bearer of bad news a few times on Reddit about this. Always consider the condition of the iron (blade) when purchasing a vintage plane.

Here is an example of a good used iron and a terrible one

The iron on the left has a small amount of pitting on it highlighted by the red arrow. Most likely caused by the chip breaker sitting in the same spot for 70+ yrs. I can work that out without much hassle. The iron on the right is hot garbage. I won't even attempt to flatten that one. It's destined for the trash can. If you paid 10 bucks for the plane who cares. You can buy a vintage iron for around 20 or step up to a PM-V11 for a little more. But if you paid 50, 60, or 100+ bucks on a plane and you have to replace the iron…well that hurts a bit. Been there and done that before.

This was an example of bench planes which have a few more places for saw dust and chips to hide than a block planes does but its something I felt needed mentioning.

 

I wanted to leave one piece of advice about buying vintage planes. I ve been the bearer of bad news a few times on Reddit about this. Always consider the condition of the iron (blade) when purchasing a vintage plane.

Here is an example of a good used iron and a terrible one

The iron on the left has a small amount of pitting on it highlighted by the red arrow. Most likely caused by the chip breaker sitting in the same spot for 70+ yrs. I can work that out without much hassle. The iron on the right is hot garbage. I won t even attempt to flatten that one. It s destined for the trash can. If you paid 10 bucks for the plane who cares. You can buy a vintage iron for around 20 or step up to a PM-V11 for a little more. But if you paid 50, 60, or 100+ bucks on a plane and you have to replace the iron…well that hurts a bit. Been there and done that before.

This was an example of bench planes which have a few more places for saw dust and chips to hide than a block planes does but its something I felt needed mentioning.

- sansoo22

Thanks for that! How much would you expect to pay for a new iron, maybe one that is good but not top of the line? It can be hard to see the iron in a lot of detail on internet photos, but if I do find one that has a good body but bad iron, maybe it's worth it.

Thanks!

 

A lot of the cost for irons depends on if its a block plane, bench plane, how big the iron is, and how rare it might be. I wouldn't worry about the rare part if you're buying a user plane. I restore a lot of planes and my customers like to have an original iron it so I'm constantly shopping ebay for replacements. I figure an average of about $25 dollars for a replacement iron of the most common sizes. This includes the 60-1/2, 9-1/2, #4, and #5 size planes. Give or take a few dollars for size and length of the iron.

The other option since you are buying planes to use is look at Hock or Veritas PM-V11 irons. I don't think Veritas makes block plane irons for the older stanleys but they do make nice bench plane irons. Arguable the best out there. I think the PMV-11s cost around $50 and the Hocks cost around $35.

 

For the Stanley block planes I can often find irons for $10-12.

 

I have a drawer filled with older Stanley block plane irons ( and a PEXTO) That I am not using, right now…..

 

My Stanley 60 1/2 has a PMV-11 iron, the L.N. 102 has a Hock, S.O.L. for the M.F.s 07

 

For the Stanley block planes I can often find irons for $10-12.

- SMP

Which logo on the iron? Last few I've picked up were sweetheart era and cost me around $20. That heart on the iron makes them special I guess.

My Stanley 60 1/2 has a PMV-11 iron, the L.N. 102 has a Hock, S.O.L. for the M.F.s 07

- Andre

I was on the site earlier today and didn't see it but once I got smarter and did "Ctrl+F" and searched for "Stanley" i found it.