Good cheap block plane


bushwacked

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Yes I'm pretty sure that's an oxymoron but I've been wanting one for awhile but just haven't pulled the trigger.

My choices would be ...

Stanley 12-920

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Stanley 12-220

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This is mainly to get my feet wet. Work with a plane get a feel for what it can do and learn how to set it up before I get into ones that cost more money. I feel with my skill level something like a veritas would just be a waste of money.

Thoughts?

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You are looking at planes that should last your lifetime. If you later reinvest, you would still keep these for certain tasks. I am using predecessors by more than fifty years that still kick tail. If I move on it will only be because I am drawn to aesthetic glimmer.

FYI: At Lowes tonight, I inspected some Kobalt variants. They seemed quite heavy but well fitted. I was curious but not enough to purchase just for T&E.

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How much do those new Stanleys run? I don't know the price of the wood river block planes but they are pretty nice.

Personally I would buy a new plane for my first. I think the smile on your face and the joy of using a nice sharp plane will make your experience better.

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I have one of those 12-220s:

 

* Worked well right out of the box. I didn't need to sharpen the blade before first use.

* I've been using it to bevel long edges, on the end grain too, I'm pretty satisfied with the tool for that task

* The blade, at least on mine, is made in England and the body, in Mexico.

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How much do those new Stanleys run? I don't know the price of the wood river block planes but they are pretty nice.

Personally I would buy a new plane for my first. I think the smile on your face and the joy of using a nice sharp plane will make your experience better.

Starting at $20-30 depending on model.

Yes I know little about them so refurbing is not in the cards yet.

I have one of those 12-220s:

* Worked well right out of the box. I didn't need to sharpen the blade before first use.

* I've been using it to bevel long edges, on the end grain too, I'm pretty satisfied with the tool for that task

* The blade, at least on mine, is made in England and the body, in Mexico.

Good to hear. it won't be a work horse but those little jobs I think it will be very good with.

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Honestly I was able to do pretty well with the Kobalt one from Lowes. It totally had to be sharpened though. I'd have been fine with it for a few more months I think. Then I bought a LN adjustable mouth block plane. I wish I could tell you how its different, but it is. Just takes zero effort to push across wood. It's wonderful.

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All planes will require tuning, new or old. As long as the mechanisms move and the sole is somewhat flat. All you need is a blade that can hold a decent edge and you're good. 

 

I've restored a couple of old stanley block planes and use my Stanley C255, and a 220. Once tuned up they performed well. My biggest issue with them is the blade adjustment.

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Buy the best you can afford as you may have it for a lifetime. Buy cheap buy twice.

 

I can recommend the WoodRiver range too - they are branded as Quangcheng planes in Europe, I have a couple (one of which is their rabbeting block plane) and can confirm they are excellent.

 

http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Quangsheng_Planes.html

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Just my opinion so take it at face value. I made the early mistake of falling into the $30 block plane trap. I kind of hated that thing every time I tried using it. It gave me a real nasty taste in my mouth. The blade couldn't hold an edge for crap and the adjustment mechanism was terrible.

I'm gunna have to back kev with the buy once on this one.

The bitter taste of poor quality far outlasts the sweet smell of a low price.

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My thinking on this is kind of out of line on a few points with most here.

 

What you do with the plane wrt sharpening and adjusting/tuning is way more important than the quality of the plane itself.  On the other hand a quality plane stays sharp longer and be easier to adjust.  Even a cheap plane can do quality work, it will just be more trouble to tune/adjust and may require more frequent sharpening.

 

A high quality plane will be a joy to use, but a cheaper one can still do quality work with some extra effort.  The cheaper plane may be a bit less stressful for a new user when sharpening and so on because you aren't worried about screwing up a $$$$ tool.  Having to tune up a cheaper or abused/neglected tool can be a great learning experience.  The need for frequent sharpening may not be a terrible thing when you are learning and need practice.  Also, depending on how you look at it, the buy twice thing isn't all bad.  You get the joy of having a new tool, gain skills making it work, and then later, if you want, have the joy of buying a better one at a point when you are more able to appreciate it.

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My thinking on this is kind of out of line on a few points with most here.

 

What you do with the plane wrt sharpening and adjusting/tuning is way more important than the quality of the plane itself.  On the other hand a quality plane stays sharp longer and be easier to adjust.  Even a cheap plane can do quality work, it will just be more trouble to tune/adjust and may require more frequent sharpening.

 

A high quality plane will be a joy to use, but a cheaper one can still do quality work with some extra effort.  The cheaper plane may be a bit less stressful for a new user when sharpening and so on because you aren't worried about screwing up a $$$$ tool.  Having to tune up a cheaper or abused/neglected tool can be a great learning experience.  The need for frequent sharpening may not be a terrible thing when you are learning and need practice.  Also, depending on how you look at it, the buy twice thing isn't all bad.  You get the joy of having a new tool, gain skills making it work, and then later, if you want, have the joy of buying a better one at a point when you are more able to appreciate it.

Well said Pete!

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I only have 2 planes right now, as I sold all my other ones (I plan to switch to wood).

My low angle is the Veritas apron plane. It's not the cheapest on the market, but considering what you get, it's pretty cheap.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,41182,48942&p=46791

my standard angle plane is this old #15, Fitted with a hock blade i can use it like a mini smoother.

http://www.dans-hobbies.com/2009/11/06/stanley-15-block-plane/

http://www.dans-hobbies.com/2009/11/16/refinished-15-block-plane/

I'd recommend getting a plane with an adjustable mouth if you can, as the are more versatile in my opinion.

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I'm quite happy to buy and use cheap(ish) tools. Buy five cheap tools, one hardly ever gets used, three work just fine, and only one needs upgrading  - and by the time i know which one I'll know exactly what I want in an expensive one.

 

My Groz block plane was cheap as chips, and does what I ask of it - It's not one of the tools on my upgrade list.

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I have found some vintage stanly plainers at pawn shops, most times you can get them for a steal since many pawn shops don't know what they have, for example I got a 24" stanly shooting plainer for 24 bucks a week latter I found a stanly 89 in the $5 box, they have age  on them but they were built when tools were tools, with a little love and care I brought them back to life and been using them for years and hope to use them for years to come, on a side note, I have bought some cheap block plainers and most times they never leave the draw, I have a few that I keep falling back on one being an AMT brass block plainer, nothing fancy but had yet failed me,

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