Help with planes

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Petey83

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Joined
19 Mar 2014
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Enfield
Hi All

to put this into context from the get go i am still fairly new at this and am in the process of building up a tool collection and currently am limited to working in the garden and storing kit under the stairs.

I already have a No5 and No4 bench plane as well as a block plane so i went looking for a No7. I picked up Stanley number 7 bench plane from ebay and paid what seemed a bit of a premium for it but the photos did seem to show it in very good condition as described. On arrival today it turns out the sole is cracked quite badly right on the edge of the throat.... :cry: So its return to seller..... This seems to becoming a familiar pattern as i have not bought 6 planes from Ebay and all but 1 have been returned!!

So i am now at the point where I cannot be bothered with the ebay lottery anymore so am contemplating alternative options. Do i look at saving for a new No7 bench plane or would a cheaper electric plane be able to do do the job?

I am planning on using reclaimed timber as there is a non profit reclaim yard in St Albans near me so makes sense but am expecting to have to do some work to get it trued up.

any help pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated
 
For reclaimed timber, I would start off preparing the stuff with an electric plane. You need to get rid of the top layer where grime and other horrid bits and pieces has accumulated. Equally, finding a nail, screw or other metal object with the base of your hand plane which inevitably takes a chunk out of the blade and the mouth is best left to a cheap electric plane with disposable inserts. Once cleaned up, and metal detected, a nice no 8 is far better at straightening edges. The extra mass length and width makes it easier to edge / flatten boards. When pulling back a plane after a stroke, don't lift it off, tip it onto one if its side edges and stag it back. Takes a lot less effort, and stops the bkade becoming dulled from being dragged backwards.
 
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