G S Haydon Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I love metal bech planes, so much so I would not be without a #4 Bailey style plane. That said I have become a bit of a convert to the longer wooden bench planes, namely the the Jack & the Try/Jointer. So I thought I would throw down the gauntlet and try and encourage maybe one or two others to give them a try. The following links are to auctions of what i think could be decent tool. What differs for me when looking for wooden planes is I really do want to see something that has seen some use, that way I know I am less likely to need to faf about adjusting much apart from sharpening the blade a truing the sole. And yes the £1.00 jack is still out there, item two & three in the UK list are at 99p. Item four from the UK list is a peach! As is item one from the US, someone needs that in their life! If anyone can gamble on number four US I would love to see that working good! Top tip if searching, search for "wooden planes", if people know what the have and call it a Jack or Trying plane you will be paying more. UK http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTIQUE-WOODEN-BENCH-PLANE-22-LONG-THOMAS-IBBOTSON-OF-SHEFFIELD-BLADE-/251412241441?pt=UK_Collectable_ToolsHasdware_RL&hash=item3a89565c21 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SMALL-VINTAGE-WOODEN-PLANE-/310831004433?pt=UK_Collectable_ToolsHasdware_RL&hash=item485ef8bb11 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Block-Plane-17-by-W-Greenslade-/151197512981?pt=UK_Collectable_ToolsHasdware_RL&hash=item233412f515 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-wooden-WOODWORKING-HAND-PLANE-collectable-/360823238365?pt=UK_Collectable_ToolsHasdware_RL&hash=item5402bdaedd US http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTIQUE-PRIMITIVE-BLOCK-PLANE-WOODEN-BEAM-/191012413113?hash=item2c793a1eb9 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-16-Ohio-Tool-Co-Wooden-Jack-Plane-INV5145-/190991857659?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c780077fb http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-16-New-York-Tool-Co-Wooden-Jack-Plane-INV5890-/111233318938?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e605c01a http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OLD-JWJ-WOODEN-TAIL-HANDLE-PLANE-Great-condition-/261343598875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd94ad91b So what can you expect from you steaming pile of crap old fashioned wooden plane. Well, you can shoot your own "Cosman" video . I bet he does not get interupted by the phone! http://youtu.be/B5iiRNfYAS8 Next up a bad ass thick blade. The photo below shows a Bailey Iron and the wooden plane Iron. That baby is thick! It's nearly always a laminated blade which is W1 tool steel doing the cutting and and a softer iron to support it. You also get a cap iron too, not many modern wooden plane makers have them to the best of my knowledge. You might also get a less than perfect tool in the looks department. Never mind! All you will need is a sharp blade and a flat sole. truing the sole is easy, no need to use abarsive and hours of rubbing! Just pop it in the vice and test it with a straight edge, flatten if required with a any plane that does have a flat sole using very light passes You might also find some woodworm! Treat it if required and move on, after all, look on the bright side, there is less weight to push around if the worms have had a snack. Loose handle? Glue and screw! And thats it, you too could be the proud owner of a sweet woodworking tool, go on, try one, if it's that bad you can always use it as firewood :-). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Grabbed the last one. Will check back in with you G. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted December 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 High five C!, that last one is a gamble but could be awesome, fingersed crossed! I'm thinking we could have a cosman style plane off, calipers and and all :-). Or for anyone that grabs a jack the thickest shaving :-). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I'd get in on this if I wanted some frustration in my life. Y'all have a blast, though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hey Eric, I am following advice I give all the time in my day job. I get students who think they are limited by their musical instruments. I trade them, I actually let them play my horn. When their sound and mine don't trade I politely inform them they should practice their craft before investing large amounts of money on a better horn. I see you betting LN No. 7s like they are candy (tongue in cheek) and think somehow I need to figure out a few more elements of the craft before I invest in that kind of tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Alright Graham, I'm in. I threw a bid down on one. Because lord knows I need another project.... I saw with foot firmly planted in mouth. At least I don't have to worry about the body rusting during one of the wild temperature changes we get out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooklyngohardwood Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Graham, this couldn't have come at a better time! I currently use a #6 for all my rough stock removal but have been feeling lately like it's too big and heavy, especially for smaller boards. So, I've been stalking #5s on eBay the last few days but haven't won one yet at the right price point (seems like the prices on these have got up a lot in just the last few months!). I have also been toying with the idea of getting a wooden Jack, and this post pushed me over the edge. I picked up the second one in the US list for only $25 including shipping. Worst case it doesn't work out and I'm not out that much money. But I'm excited to try something new! And I'll probably end up picking up a #5 also at some point so I can compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted December 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Excellent! Chet, fingers crossed you get the winning bid :-). Chris, by going for the jack you have picked the easy option :-). As long as the sole of the plane is "flatish" and the blade is reasonably heavily cambered you should be good to go. Don't go too tight on the cap iron/chipbreaker with that one (unless you want too). Let me know when it arrives! Eric, hopefully there is nothing to be frustrated with, C has picked a beast, although a flat sole and sharp blade should be all he needs (fingers crossed). You take the same risk when purchasing vintage metal planes although flattening a sole on a metal plane is hard going when compared with wood. Also no need to change the blade to thicker aftermarket items, the stock iron in a wooden plane is a sweet bit of kit. The only way to avoid risk, splash out on an expensive metal plane, which is cool, I intend to do the same on a sweet #4 when the time is right. One thing of note is the qualtiy of wooden planes stateside, Tom King alluded to this, the UK has a richer selection of good items. Hoping others might want to hit the bid or buy it now button too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Another site to try for wooden planes in the UK is preloved.co.uk Sometimes you find things on there that people are sorting out from their sheds/garages/attics and find ancient looking tools that they have no idea what they are. Usually they are their grandfathers or fathers old wooden bodied planes. I normally just put the search term in "woodwork" or "tool" and it comes back with all sorts of finds. Here's a few http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/109292673/old-wooden-block-plane.html http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108469830/marples-22-wood-plane-antique.html http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108346229/vintage-planes-and-blow-lamps.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Or if you have a heap of money burning a hole in your pocket and don't want a wooden plane - how about a rusty old Stanley #1 from 1867 for £750 ($1236 US) http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/109747136/very-rare-stanley-no-1-plane.html Hope the buyer has small hands or just wants it for the mantle. Buyer beware with #1s - many repros or fakes around. Stick with wooden ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 http://www.oldtools.co.uk is my dealer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hey Eric, I am following advice I give all the time in my day job. I get students who think they are limited by their musical instruments. I trade them, I actually let them play my horn. When their sound and mine don't trade I politely inform them they should practice their craft before investing large amounts of money on a better horn. I see you betting LN No. 7s like they are candy (tongue in cheek) and think somehow I need to figure out a few more elements of the craft before I invest in that kind of tool. I was just messin', and generally I agree with you. But there's another way to look at it, and I'll sound like Mr. Obvious but I'll say it anyway...top-shelf equipment can shorten the learning curve. It's one less variable for a novice to struggle with. I fly fish. When I first tried it many moons ago when I was just a kid, I bought a cheap set-up because I wasn't sure if I'd dig it or not. Well that piece of junk made damn sure I wouldn't. So I threw it in a corner of the basement and never gave it another thought for about ten years. Then my buddy let me mess around with his Winston, and I fell in love. I'm pretty sure that if I still had that piece of crap I bought when I was a kid, I could probably get it to fling a fly now, but there was no way I could learn on it. All that said, I was just joking. There's nothing wrong with wooden planes...old dudes used them for centuries. If they're tuned up right and you have a basic understanding of technique, you'll get great results. I have no beef with wooden planes. In fact one of the projects that's been on my ever-growing list for a very long time is to build a few Krenov-style planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 You did not offend. I just want to be honest with myself and everyone else. Old stuff does fascinate me but with what I paid for 8 old style planes this year, I could have sponsored a premium. Two things I know however, the first of which is that the block plane is the only I have used with regularity. The second, I have not figured out sharpening and honing yet. I grew up roughing on a grinder. Let's just say I had to clean up a lot of chisel cuts with a Stanley blade.... I am holding off until I have a better handle on that process. I just think it is fantastic that this place hosts premiums and old timers side by side achieving fantastic results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Many thanks to Chet for the purchase of unused water stones at less than unused price. My sharpening has taken a step up with minimal time invested. I may be ready for Graham's competition if the woody seller ever decides to ship.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CStanford Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I was just messin', and generally I agree with you. But there's another way to look at it, and I'll sound like Mr. Obvious but I'll say it anyway...top-shelf equipment can shorten the learning curve. It's one less variable for a novice to struggle with. I fly fish. When I first tried it many moons ago when I was just a kid, I bought a cheap set-up because I wasn't sure if I'd dig it or not. Well that piece of junk made damn sure I wouldn't. So I threw it in a corner of the basement and never gave it another thought for about ten years. Then my buddy let me mess around with his Winston, and I fell in love. I'm pretty sure that if I still had that piece of crap I bought when I was a kid, I could probably get it to fling a fly now, but there was no way I could learn on it. All that said, I was just joking. There's nothing wrong with wooden planes...old dudes used them for centuries. If they're tuned up right and you have a basic understanding of technique, you'll get great results. I have no beef with wooden planes. In fact one of the projects that's been on my ever-growing list for a very long time is to build a few Krenov-style planes. Tuning a wooden plane is far easier than an out-of-kilter iron plane where even relatively skilled hands can make problems worse than better. The sole on a woody is easy to flatten and easy to keep flat. One is called on to true much larger pieces of wood in the course of a hand-tool only project. The small billet of wood that is a wooden hand plane is (or should be) a piece of cake. As far as learning to adjust one really this should be a skill easily acquired in certainly no longer than the duration of a fairly easy project, or less. Or, enjoy the best of both worlds and buy a few ECE planes which have been the best value overall in a new hand plane for decades at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 C Shaffer, you are more than welcome. I'm glad to hear you are getting to use them. Everyone has to fine their own "best method" for sharpening. For me and my situation, the diamond stones have become that. But I would guess far more people use water stones, so maybe I'm an odd-ball? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I love wooden planes. Here some of the ones that I use. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Do you do any push planing Mr Pan or are yours all pull planes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMeekWoodworks Posted January 4, 2014 Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 I approve of this thread! Wooden planes for the win. Of course, I tend to think they don't need all those extraneous handles and such. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Do you do any push planing Mr Pan or are yours all pull planes? I do have some western hand planes. They work, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Anyones planes turn up yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 USPS says tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Snow emergency here, making me doubt Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I won't try to get into this with my Primus wooden planes. The Primus Improved Smoother is a real pleasure to use, until it all of a sudden becomes a PIA. It's great to hold and take fine shavings while the iron is super sharp, but the INSTANT it passes some critical stage of sharpness it starts chattering at some rate that must be beyond any other plane. The iron is tensioned by a t-shaped rod that goes through the iron slot from the back, and that rod is tensioned by a metal screw knob on the back that compresses a die spring around the rod inside the back of the body of the plane. When the dynamics are just right to harmonize with that spring, the shattering starts all of a sudden at a SEVERE rate. The steel in the iron must be the reverse of the PM-V11 from Lee Valley. It's hard to sharpen, and doesn't last long, but you can get it really sharp. I bought it and the jointer when I was young and foolish, and thought that spending more money meant getting better tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooklyngohardwood Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I got mine a few days ago—I've been meaning to take a few pics but haven't gotten around to it. I bought an Ohio Toolworks Jack for $25. The sole isn't very flat, but doesn't really need to be since I'm going to use it for very rough work. I'll probably flatten it a little anyway just because I'm a little crazy like that. But overall the body is heavy and solid. I just love the look of it. I still need to camber and sharpen the blade. And I don't feel like doing that on my sandpaper-glass setup (especially since the blade is nice and thick like Graham promised). I have a hand-cranked grinder I bought off eBay but I still need to fix it up and order a new 3X stone for it. The biggest problem is the handle was loose. And then I tried to take the handle off to investigate and the one little nail that was holding it on basically disintegrated into rust. I'm not sure the best way to reattach it—I could just put two more nails thru I suppose, but also thinking of maybe trying epoxy. Any suggestions would be welcome. So, this will a project. Lucky for me I like projects. I'll post some pics once I get it fixed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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