wooden 17" jack plane

[jimmykx250]

I found an old marples 17" wooden jack plane (mint) with box for 110 bucks. The thing looks like it had never been used much. Is this a fair deal? It will be my first wood plane purchase.

[Bob Rozaieski]

I found an old marples 17" wooden jack plane (mint) with box for 110 bucks. The thing looks like it had never been used much. Is this a fair deal? It will be my first wood plane purchase.

$110 or $10? If the first, run as fast as you can. I regularly see wooden jack planes in good usable condition for $5-10. For something in mint condition, maybe $35. No way would I ever spend over $40 on an old woodie, and even at that price, I'm typically getting hard to find complex molding planes, not a common as dirt jack plane. If you really want a woodie jack, keep looking. You shouldn't have to pay more than $15 for a good user.

[kesac]

I found an old marples 17" wooden jack plane (mint) with box for 110 bucks. The thing looks like it had never been used much. Is this a fair deal? It will be my first wood plane purchase.

It is worth what ever agreement two persons reach. Look on Ebay. You will see what the marketplace thinks those things are worth.

[jimmykx250]

$110 or $10? If the first, run as fast as you can. I regularly see wooden jack planes in good usable condition for $5-10. For something in mint condition, maybe $35. No way would I ever spend over $40 on an old woodie, and even at that price, I'm typically getting hard to find complex molding planes, not a common as dirt jack plane. If you really want a woodie jack, keep looking. You shouldn't have to pay more than $15 for a good user.

Bob-

This is a plane from patricks monthly tool list. I know he is a little high on most of his stuff but this thing is mint. Do you have any suggestions other than ebay or craigs list for sources?

[jwatson]

jimmy i go to antique shows, found my 28 inch wooden jointer for 15 bucks in great condition. didnt have the box but thats rediculous that people expect more because its in the box. mine is a sandusky tools jointer. Sometimes they have monthly flea markets and antique shows that have that kind of stuff. better than ebay because sometimes its hard to tell the condition on a picture.

btw bob your video on tuning wooden planes is helpful i need to do some work to that jointer but i didnt know where to start.

[Bob Rozaieski]

Bob-

This is a plane from patricks monthly tool list. I know he is a little high on most of his stuff but this thing is mint. Do you have any suggestions other than ebay or craigs list for sources?

Patrick is a good reputable dealer, and I buy from him occasionally myself. His prices are a little on the high side, but he knows his tools and is good to deal with. For hard to find stuff, sometimes you have to pay his prices. However, what you are looking at there is a collector piece, and therefore priced for a collector. It's condition prices it high. While I would use it myself, I wouldn't pay $110 for ANY jack plane, wooden or otherwise. They are just too common and for their intended use, they really don't need to be in mint condition. If it's worth it to you, by all means go ahead, but I'd look elsewhere as they are very common.

I like ebay myself, and have gotten pretty good at weeding out the junk from the usable stuff, but I can understand why one might not want to go the ebay route for something like this. Other options I would suggest are local flea markets, farmer's markets and antique shops. Most usually have old wooden jack planes that you can pick up and inspect before you buy.

If you are the online type, check some of the other online dealers. Some that I have bought from myself and can recommend are:

Akbar & Jeff's Tool Hut

Sydnas Sloot (Sandy's Tools spelled backwards)

Jon Zimmer Tools

Rose Antique Tools

The Best Things

Tony Murland's Tools (in the UK)

There's probably a bunch of others I'm not thinking of at the moment as well. Google any of the above dealers, or "Old Tools", "Antique Tools", "Vintage Tools", and you'll find a bunch of dealers. I've bought from a lot of them and every one I've ever dealt with has been a good transaction.

Another option as well is the Midwest Tool Collector's Association, CRAFTS of NJ, and other tool collector's organizations. These organizations usually have one or two meets a year where you can find good stuff at fair prices. Tool auctions are good too. The Brown Tool Auction is a good one. If any of these organizations or auctions are close to you, you can find just about anything you want at one of their events.

Finally, check out some of the classified sections of many of the hand tool forums. Woodnet Swap & Sell and the Sawmill Creek Classified board are good places where wooden planes occasionally come up for sale by other woodworkers. You can frequently find planes that are already tuned up on these boards.

Good luck!

[jlloydparks]

At $110 you would be buying a collector not a user tool. I would hold out for something cheaper. Patrick is a great guy and his monthly list is awesome, however, you have to weed out the collector quality tools from the user quality tools. The price is usually a good indicator of this.

[wilburpan]

Patrick is a good reputable dealer, and I buy from him occasionally myself. His prices are a little on the high side, but he knows his tools and is good to deal with. For hard to find stuff, sometimes you have to pay his prices. However, what you are looking at there is a collector piece, and therefore priced for a collector. It's condition prices it high. While I would use it myself, I wouldn't pay $110 for ANY jack plane, wooden or otherwise. They are just too common and for their intended use, they really don't need to be in mint condition. If it's worth it to you, by all means go ahead, but I'd look elsewhere as they are very common.

All true, but in this case, there's a Marples beech jack plane that looks completely identical to the one on Patrick's December list up for auction on eBay right now. It will be interesting to see where this auction ends.

[jimmykx250]

All true, but in this case, there's a Marples beech jack plane that looks completely identical to the one on Patrick's December list up for auction on eBay right now. It will be interesting to see where this auction ends.

thanks for the heads up i will be watching for sure. Patrick does put out a great monthly list for sure. I guess i might be looking at a collectors item not a user. Im still learning.