Jointer Plane Dilemma

[DavidE]

Hi there,

For various reasons I am being drawn further down the slope of flat woodworking (rather than making wood dizzy! )

Anyhow I am going to need to joint some boards soon. I haven't got the space for a planer at the moment. So my current plan is to use a router on a table then finish off with a quality No. 7 Jointer Plane. This is where the dilemma lies. My current rationale is (picking from Axminster):

Stanley - not quite there
Clifton - Just right (Or from another supplier Veritas similar quality?)
LN - I can't justify the price for what I am going to do.

Then reading the posts by BryonBlack (and others) about the secondhand route. I was looking at the oldtools.co.uk site and there are some reasonable looking planes there.

So can anyone offer some tips? I'd like a good quality plane that will be set up right out of the box so that when I hone/maintain it I know what is "good" from day one. My worry with a second hand one is my tuning knowledge is not at a good enough level to get it right.

Thanks
David

 

[ByronBlack]

David

The record No.7 I recently purchased was ready to go almost instantly after honing the blade and re-establishing a bevel, only took about 20mins on some waterstones and I was off and running. I paid £70 for mine and I have to say it's excellent value.

I did order a veritas one but couldn't get in time for when I needed it and that was about £170 and to be honest with you despite all the excellent feedback on the veritas i'm really really happy with my record and does exactly what I want it to do.

My Advice for you would be, if you can afford the veritas/clifton etc and want perfect use out of the box and use a lot of difficult woods, then get one of those.

However, if you want a good solid tool to joint some boards and it's not overly difficult wood and you don't mind spending a quater of an hour sharpening a blade, I would go for a second hand one, also with the money you are saving, you could put that towards a hock blade, or some more timber, or even some more planes!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi David,

People get quite passionate about planes, so there are lots of opinions. Here's mine for what it's worth. I have used Record planes since 1970 (#04, #05, #05.5 & #07). They have been OK-ish and I've been down the road of upgrading the blades and cap irons. However, I was never really satisfied with them. About two or three years ago I bought a Clifton #7 and the difference was significant. I've since added Clifton #3, #4.5 & #6. They are very well made. They are heavier. They have Bedrock frogs which mean that the blade seats very precisely and you get no chatter. The Bedrock frog also allows you to adjust the mouth without dismantling the plane. The thick Clifton blades and cap irons are superb.

However, others prefer Veritas or Lie Nielsen. A lot of it comes down to price and the feel of the tool. If you get the chance try some out and see what you think.

Whatever you go for, it's quite a bit of money to fork out so try to be sure before you buy.

Good luck.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

PS I should perhaps add that most planes will work well on wood with very sweet, straight grain. It's when you get to "difficult" and very hard woods that the better planes come into their own - the difference needs to be experienced to be appreciated, which is why, if possible, you should try before you buy.

 

[sparky]

i don't have the bevel up jointer but i do have the LA Jack from veritas. and i can't be more happy. the design is wonderful =D> and changing blades for different uses and wood temperments is a fantastic feature. i also read that the front of the sole on the jointer has the same lenght as a normal #8 plane making it a bit easier to begin jointing a board because there is more surface to register the start of the cut (again i don't have one but it IS on my list for future purchases :tool: ) and as an added bonus (and expense) it does have a jointing fence that can be attached...which for me it great since i am very new to jointing with a hand plane. alf has reviews on all of these (very informative )

it is the one that i will be getting when the finances are right or if santa is ever really good to me :ho2

sparky

 

[Waka]

I had the Clifton #7 which was fine until I got my hands on the Veritas BUJ, I now swear by the veritas BUJ, Smoother and Jack. Again this is all a matter of choice, I'm sure BB Stamnley #7 performs very well, sokme of the older stanleys I beleive are as good as some off the new models.

Depending on how deep youre pockets are should determine which route you go down.

 

[Amateurrestorer]

David I have a Stanley #7 sweetheart ,original blade and back iron and I love it.It does everything I ask of it and cost me £60 a couple of years back.

 

[DavidE]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the good thoughts and advice so far.

ByronB - It's good your plane was nearly ready to go. I don't mind sharpening the blade to get it going. In fact as sad as it is I do find that sharpening stuff is very satisfying! (when it works :wink: ) I'll be planing a load of pitch pine - some of which has very Curly grain.

Paul - extremely good point - I often tell other people they need to try things out in the flesh on topics I am more knowledgable on. I hadn't considered it too much for a plane.

Anyone know of any shops in Lancashire or the surrounding counties where I could get my mitts on a Clifton etc plane to try out?


Sparky - thanks for your thoughts. I've just been looking at the BUJ now and I was reading the fence review by ALF earlier. Looks good - I guess the BU design reduces the chance of tearout which I guess could be problem on softer woods with that style of low blade angle?

Waka - interesting.. I think as Paul said I need to try some planes out. My pockets are deep enough to go to Clifton, Veritas or second hand not LN though

Amateurrestorer - thanks I am keeping a second hand Record/ Stanley plane in mind.

Cheers
David

 

[paulm]

Hi David,

The bevel-up planes are very good for many applications but the low angle of the blades is likely to increase problems of tear-out on difficult timbers rather than reduce it. If you anticipate that kind of problem then you need a higher effective angle rather than lower. You can achieve this on a BU plane by honing a higher angle micro-bevel, otherwise you might be better with a different type of plane altogether, traditional with a york pitch frog for example.

Plenty of others more experienced with this than me though, but just thought I would pick up on that particular point !

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Anyone know of any shops in Lancashire or the surrounding counties where I could get my mitts on a Clifton etc plane to try out?

David, one of the woodworking shows can be a good opportunity to try out tools. Woodex is on next month http://www.woodex.co.uk/ Don't know if that would be convenient for you. It's always difficult to know who will be exhibiting these days. Last year Mike Hudson from Clifton was there with their complete range, as were BriMarc with their Veritas range. Even if BriMarc is not there, there is usually someone selling their Veritas tools.

Here's a link to other shows https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3239

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[DavidE]

Thanks again for the replies.

Chisel - The PP does plane pretty well though I have experienced tearout around some of the madder grain bits. I know from turning it you have to cut, the slightest hint of scrapping creates serious tearout. I think perhaps for now a traditional one is probably best.

Thanks for the link Paul, I'll bear that show in mind (dangerous place to go though! ). Trouble is I could do with one before then. I'll have a think about it.

Cheers
David

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

If interested, my review of the LV BU Jointer and jointer fence is at
http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/dCohen/z_art/LVBevelUpJointer/index.asp

It is contrasted with a vintage Stanley #7.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[DavidE]

Hi Derek,

Thanks for posting the link to your review, it is very interesting and thorough.

Thanks again, David