Hand Plane Question

[roughsawn]

Who makes a good, affordable #7 hand plane? Do you guys have any suggestions for a brand for me to look into? Thanks!

The 2 I have now are Woodriver.

[JohnG]

What do you consider to be affordable?

For a new plane, Woodriver is probably the cheapest you can get a decent plane. Or look for an old Stanley and fix it up. If you’re patient you might be able to find a refurbished Stanley for a decent price. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 11/26/2023 at 8:58 AM, roughsawn said:

Who makes a good, affordable #7 hand plane? Do you guys have any suggestions for a brand for me to look into? Thanks!

The 2 I have now are Woodriver.

I have the Bench Dog #7 (BD is Rockler's "premium" line). 

And it's actually a halfway decent performer. 

Bench Dog planes... Are not great in my opinion. I've used their #4 and their LAJP and found them to be lacking in many areas.  The lateral adjustment lever is very cheap and poorly designed. There's a ton of play in the blade advance knob. The blade and soul are not terrible. 

I think the mass of the #7 is what makes it work a little better than the smaller planes. 

I would say that you should stick with Wood River. It'll probably be a little more expensive than Bench Dog, but probably in the same ballpark. 

If you are looking to get one as inexpensive as possible (and you don't want to restore an older plane), then the Bench Dog might work for you. 

 

Edit:

Rockler has the #7 on sale today for $244. 

Woodcraft has the Wood River for right around $350. 

When not on sale, they both retail for around 350. And if they're that close in price, i would go Wood River all day everyday. 

[gee-dub]

+1 on used for a good price.  However the used market is closing the gap in some cases on things like Veritas and Lie Nielsen.  Used No 7's seem to be under $150 and some times under $100(???).