dflan004 Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Anyone have any experience with the woodriver planes from woodcraft? Are they any good? Right now all i have is a cheap Stanley i think i paid 25 bucks for it. However i really wanting to upgrade to a better want. I don't want to get in the business of restoring and old one unless its a last resort. Right now im looking at woodriver and similarly priced Stanley on amazon ($120). Thoughts? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 The WR are what I would consider to be just barely sub-premium users. This ignores boutique which I would consider super premium or collectors. As users they equal Bailey pattern planes of most eras. They can be a touch more fettling than LN or LV. They are a great value, but because they are manufactured in China. Global market issues aside, I can recommend them. If fettling does not scare you, you have to balance the used market around you. I say this with LN, LV, WR, and older Stanley planes in my kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I have a Woodriver #4, #5,and a block plane. They are much better than the $25 Stanley but they are not quite up to a Lee Valley or Lie Neilson plane. Graham Hayden did a review a while back on the Woodriver #4 plane. Do a search on this site to see that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I have gotten some great $25 Stanley planes. That is why I say it can depend on your local market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dflan004 Posted January 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Fettling? Im not familiar with that term? Is it referring to sole flattening and blade honing? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Yes, as well as removing burrs or easing edges. Those sorts of things. Not as much honing, that will be needed at some point any way. EDIT: looked up fettle and it is literally the removing of rough edges on a casting by definition. I think we use it for more than that in usage. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 This is Graham's review. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 WR planes seem to be very well reviewed. Jay Bates just did a side by side with his WR #4 1/2 and a LN #4 and says they perform nearly the same, though the LN was straight from the box and he had honed the WR. Of course at the end he says he would buy the LN if he were to do it over again. For the price though, they are a very reasonable alternative. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 1 hour ago, dflan004 said: Anyone have any experience with the woodriver planes from woodcraft? Are they any good? Right now all i have is a cheap Stanley i think i paid 25 bucks for it. However i really wanting to upgrade to a better want. I don't want to get in the business of restoring and old one unless its a last resort. Right now im looking at woodriver and similarly priced Stanley on amazon ($120). Thoughts? That depends entirely on your needs, and Neanderthal goals. I have a block, #62 LAJ, #7, and 2 rabbet planes from Woodriver. They work for me and do what I need. But I use planes far less than some and I don't anticipate changing. If I was more involved in the hand tool world I would have spent (more) of my money on better tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I just spent an hour watching Rob Cossman videos and am nearly ready to sell my anemic collection of current planes for Woodcraft's set of three WR's. It kind of bugs me that my planes don't match and I don't see myself gaining a full collection of Lie Nielsens to build off my LAJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Woodriver is the brand name in the Americas. They are known by the name QUANGSHENG planes in the UK (and some other areas of the world). They are seriously good, have T10 irons and I have handled many of their models. I own a Quangsheng chisel plane and a low angle rabbetting block plane. I can confirm both are superb quality, needed very little (if any) fettling and work great. I also have premium planes (LN and LV) to compare against. It is true that the Woodriver (Quangsheng) are not as fine quality as the LN/LV but they certainly are approaching it. Well recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbarry9999 Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I'm fairly new to woodworking, and bought my 1st WR plane last year and taught myself how to flatten, sharpen and use it. While I can't offer insight on how they compare, I can say I've been very happy with quality and ease of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I only have their small chisel plane, but it is well made. Most of my bench planes are vintage, but I do have a low angle jack that's new. I paid the small price increase to get a LV with that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I have a WR smoother and block plane. Of the two I use the smoother a lot more (it's my only smoother). I got it because I was curious about WR planes and figured I'd try it out. I spent some time tuning it up before using, which was a great experience. I think it works really well and it fits my hand almost perfectly. I'm still considering taking the plunge and going all-out with either LN or LV (just to have a set of high end planes that all match ) but for now I'm very pleased with the WR. Shannon Rogers did some reviews of WR planes over on his site (http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/) - just do a search for "woodriver". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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