deema":22v2wlda said:
I think buying your first plane brand new is the very best decision.
I understand where you're coming from, and in principle I agree. The problem is that the plane many beginners want isn't, as far as I know, actually produced by any manufacturer!
Many beginners are impatient and want a plane that works straight from the box. They also want a plane that's fairly straightforward to keep sharp and serviceable with hand power alone.
In truth you can meet
one of these criteria with a new plane, but not
both. Probably the closest to meeting both targets is Andy's suggestion, a second hand Record or Stanley Bailey type plane from a reputable used tool dealer who has checked it over and will accept returns.
The problems with current new planes are these,
-The premium planes from the like of Veritas or Lie Nielsen can be used straight from the box and will give perfectly acceptable results with no fettling. But they have massive 3mm plus thick irons. I generally regrind an iron after about five or six honings, and re-hone after about ten minutes solid planing in hardwoods. In other words I'm normally regrinding after about an hour of solid hand plane work. Regrinding one of those super thick premium irons by hand however is the labour of Hercules. If you've got soft office workers hands, or you're past the first flush of youth, you might do it once; but I very much doubt you'd go back for a second attempt! Therefore maintaining a thick iron plane really requires a power grinder. If you go for a traditional dry wheel grinder then you'll almost certainly want to buy a replacement wheel, you'll probably also want a replacement tool rest, you'll need bench space for it, and of course you'll need to learn how to use it without bluing your blades. So, all in all, neither cheap nor simple enough for the instant gratification most beginners crave. Which is why so many beginners get wet wheel grinders like the Tormek. Okay, not quite so demanding of skill or quite so gruelling on your fingers, but the truth is they're very very slow, unbelievably slow in fact, so it won't be all that much quicker than hand grinding. The third option is a belt grinder or linisher, but really good models like the Sorby Pro Edge cost more than a premium plane!
-Modern Bailey style planes from the like of Record or Stanley are very unlikely to give acceptable results without at least
some fettling. It's not particularly hard to do, but it is necessary. However the internet isn't really the beginner's friend when it comes to getting the fettling advice they need. Yes, there is some excellent advice out there. But as a beginner how do you separate the genuinely excellent advice from all the nonsense spouted by over excitable retired gentlemen with little practical experience but passionately held hobby horse beliefs and prejudices? To the beginner they unfortunately all sound plausible enough, but the "short on experience, long on opinion" crowd will spin him around with their conflicting recommendations! However, if the beginner can overcome these hurdles, then the massive advantage of Bailey style planes is that their 1.5mm thick irons are fairly straightforward to keep sharp. Regrinding by hand takes about ten minutes brisk exercise on some coarse abrasive paper, and they're thin enough that some users don't even bother with separate grinding and honing angles. Let me be clear on this for the OP's sake, hand grinding Bailey irons isn't a walk in the park, but it is at least reasonably viable, where as hand grinding a Lie Nielsen or Veritas iron isn't viable. It's
possible, but it isn't
viable.
