Recommend a block plane....please

[busy builder]

I need a small block plane to sling in the tool bag for general use. Trouble is I lost my last block plane a couple of years back and have struggled along since.
I went into my local hardware suppliers and they have 3 Stanley and a Record....all different and costing as much as £48 + VAT !!! I nearly fell off me perch.

Trouble is I never took much notice of my old one and I'm flummoxed !!

Any suggestions please. TIA

 

[ByronBlack]

A good one (Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Clifton) will cost you more than that, I would suggest picking up an older record/stanley from ebay and give it a good clean and sharpen. You should be able to get one for between £15-20 for a decent one.

Something like this would be useful for basic work:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stanley-Block-Pla ... 240%3A1318

 

[shim20]

veritas low angle all the way, but im getting the 01 blade soon as the a1 i cant get on with

 

[busy builder]

Thanks but somehow I can't see me taking a £140 plane out on the job !!

the ebay Stanley option looks okay.

I just checked out Axminster....fer flips sake....the choice is unbelievable but should I go low angle ?? any ideas ?

 

[ByronBlack]

I have the veritas low angle and love it to bits.

If you want an axminster plane a low angle should be fine, basically, they'll all work to a degree on basic stuff with a good sharpen and tune up. However, you will get a better plane if you buy an older record/stanley than a new axminster branded plane, they are pretty rubbish unless you want to spend a fair bit of time setting them up.

 

[busy builder]

okay, thanks for your advice and help. Looks like an older Stanley.

 

[Smudger]

I've got a Stanley 60½ and a LN 60½.
There is almost no comparison, the LN is far better. I use it a lot.

 

[woodbloke]

LN 60.5, cost you a big wedge, fantastic...just don't lob it in the tool bag - Rob

 

[Mr Ed]

Well OK, I have to admit to having both a Stanley 60 1/2 and a LN 60 1/2.

I keep the LN exclusively for workshop use. I keep the Stanley in my toolbox that I carry about for general work on the house and occasional odd jobs away from home, which it is perfect for.

If I were looking for a toolbox block plane I don't think I could bring myself to go for the LN, it would just feel wrong chucking it about. Its not like I use the Stanley for knocking in nails or anything, but I don't feel the need to handle it quite so carefully as the LN.

Cheers, Ed

 

[wizer]

Obviously you don't want to chuck an expensive plane in the tool box. It's perfectly possible for an old stanley to be fettled to work sufficiently well onsite. But I still wouldn't chuck it in the tool box.

 

[Aled Dafis]

As it happens, I have a Lie-Nielsen 103 block plane for sale at the moment. Check it out here

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27673

This small block plane would make an ideal toolbox plane if you store it in a little box, or one of those plane socks.

I know it's a little over your budget, but it may just open the door to a new appreciation of quality tools - and a fun ride down the "slope".:roll: :roll:

Cheers
Aled

 

[wizer]

I do hope that these new stanley planes will at least be good enough for the pro trades to use. When you tell the average tradesman that he should be paying £150 to get a good quality block plane, it's not surprising that they scoff.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

If you put a modern Stanley block through a few bake/freeze cycles to help settle the unseasoned casting, deburr it, flatten it, correct the blade bedding and cap contact and add a decent iron it should work (not an LN, but OK) - certainly my brother's is OK now (the original iron was made of Edam or some similarly rubbery substance)

 

[Mr Ed]

My Stanley 60 1/2 is relatively new (about 6 years old) and works fine without any of the fettling hoo-hah that gets described. I obviously sharpen the blade, but other than that its fine as it came out of the box.

NB - this comment applies to the capacity in which I use it, as a general toolbox plane, not for fine cabinetmaking.

Cheers, Ed

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I'd say that you should go for a Stanley 60 1/2, which is a low angle block plane, then hone a 30-35 degree bevel. This will make it a good all round performer (face, edge and end grain).

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[bugbear]

...and costing as much as £48 + VAT !!! I nearly fell off me perch.

I don't think you're going to enjoy the recommendations

BugBear

 

[busy builder]

No, recommending LN planes indeed :shock: LOL !!

I don't mind buying quality tools, but when I go to someones home to install a kitchen or whatever, I don't want to lose a LN plane.

I once lost my (leather handled) Estwing claw hammer down a stud wall and the client wouldn't let me cut a hole in the wall to retrieve it :shock:

 

[bugbear]

I once lost my (leather handled) Estwing claw hammer down a stud wall and the client wouldn't let me cut a hole in the wall to retrieve it :shock:

You just don't have enough tools...

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 42356&ap=1

or

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 42356&ap=1

If you actually have a requirment that all your tools be cheap enough to lose without worrying, you have my deepest sympathy.

BugBear

 

[Benchwayze]

I have had the Stanley offerings for about five years now. From new, so they are not the world's best tools.

But there isn't a lot of labour in flattening these and getting them to cut well is no real trouble. My only complaint is of course the irons. They just don't hold an edge for long and you soon get down to a blade that's too short. Since I got my L.N I have to be honest; there is a universe of difference! And like you, I wouldn't want to take such tools on site. So I think a Stanley or maybe a Record would be suitable. I'm sure you wouldn't throw any block plane about, so maybe there's something on 'Flea-Bay' you could fettle.

Meantime, I'll have a look in my glory hole and see what I can find.

Regards
John

 

[busy builder]

I once lost my (leather handled) Estwing claw hammer down a stud wall and the client wouldn't let me cut a hole in the wall to retrieve it :shock:

You just don't have enough tools...

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 42356&ap=1

or

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 42356&ap=1

If you actually have a requirment that all your tools be cheap enough to lose without worrying, you have my deepest sympathy.

BugBear

Perhaps we're not all rich like you.