# Show us your Block plane



## paulm2930 (19 Dec 2013)

As per title peeps,
I have been a long time admirer of this forum and I'm starting out with my own projects soon and I'm really interested
In seeing what sort of tools everybody uses. So show us what you use please.
Paul


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## jimi43 (19 Dec 2013)

Time to bring old Isaac out again....







Worth every penny of the 20p it cost me!

Jim


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## RossJarvis (19 Dec 2013)

paulm2930":31hj7im2 said:


> As per title peeps,
> I have been a long time admirer of this forum and I'm starting out with my own projects soon and I'm really interested
> In seeing what sort of tools everybody uses. So show us what you use please.
> Paul



Welcome Paul  

I'm a "Sunday Carpenter" and although I've got a lot of tools, the ones below are what I use for 95% of the time, sitting on the toolbox that I made with 'em (includes block plane 60 1/2);


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## richarnold (19 Dec 2013)

4 inch Bill carter gunmetal and bronze mitre plane


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## tobytools (19 Dec 2013)

richarnold":7vwi1vh1 said:


> 4 inch Bill carter gunmetal and bronze mitre plane




Wow,
:0

I have the QS LA, comes with 3 irons, I'll get a fancy old school one soon tho 

TT


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## Harbo (19 Dec 2013)

Bill Carter wooden plane:







Rod


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## Berncarpenter (19 Dec 2013)

A couple of Veritas QS Clifton and a car boot buy with no makers name 






A lovely bronze Lie Nielson and a cheapo Stanley which are in the everyday site box






Cheers Bern.


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## Preston (20 Dec 2013)

I probably have an advantage over some of you in that I may have been at it a little longer than some, in any case here are the block planes I have been lovingly using over the years. Soon I'm going to find a new home for them.


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## bugbear (20 Dec 2013)

Berncarpenter":27mvgwwl said:


> Cheers Bern.



Oh, that's lovely - elegant and simple in the English tradition. The beam for the wedge is particular good.

BugBear


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## Cheshirechappie (20 Dec 2013)

Blimey peeps - there's some serious plane porn going on in this thread ! :shock: 

Paul - welcome to the forum, and don't be put off is yours doesn't match up to the ones shown in the porn!

I started out with a mid-1980s Record low-angle block plane. Never really got on with it - sometimes it cut, sometimes it wouldn't, and in my supreme state of woodworking ignorance at the time, I didn't work out why. I still have the thing, and one of these days I must have another go at making a reasonable plane out of it. 

A couple of years later. a chance purchase in a Chester antique shop of a vintage Preston bullnose shoulder plane gave me a plane that fitted my hand beautifully and cut like a dream, so it became my 'block plane'. Using a shoulder plane (albeit a short one) like this is all wrong, of course, but it just works for me.

Scroll on about a decade, and I invested in a Lie-Nielsen low-angle cast iron bodied block plane. It's a superb plane, and for two-handed use, works like a dream. However, I find it's a bit too heavy for comfortable single-handed use, so I still tend to reach for the old Preston.


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## paulm2930 (20 Dec 2013)

wow, im impressed! keep em coming people.
cheers 
paul


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## paulm2930 (20 Dec 2013)

Part of the reason for this thread was to gauge what others used so I could
Choose my first, I'm considering the axminster brand 60 1/2 or 9 1/2, or their
Rider version, or possibly spending a bit more on a quangsheng, can anyone share
Opinion on either of these?
And thanks for the welcome
Paul


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## Racers (20 Dec 2013)

I have a LN 60 1/2 and a Stanley 60 1/2 the LN works much better than the Stanley, I can't say anything about the others as I haven't used them.
The Veritas ones look cool!

Pete


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## jimi43 (20 Dec 2013)

Welcome Paul....I think you will enjoy the forum.

I have an older Stanley 60 1/2...






I use this fine plane all the time too and you can get cheao ones on Fleabay.

I don't think much of Axminster ones...but the QS ones from Workshop Heaven are lovely...worth saving for

Jim


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## marcros (20 Dec 2013)

Preston":3fuzbgz6 said:


> I probably have an advantage over some of you in that I may have been at it a little longer than some, in any case here are the block planes I have been lovingly using over the years. Soon I'm going to find a new home for them.



Is that a stanley 140 top right?


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## Preston (20 Dec 2013)

marcros":195fino6 said:


> Preston":195fino6 said:
> 
> 
> > I probably have an advantage over some of you in that I may have been at it a little longer than some, in any case here are the block planes I have been lovingly using over the years. Soon I'm going to find a new home for them.
> ...




Yes but I sold it to hackney tools last month, in fact these pictures are from his site. I hope he doesn’t mind.


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## Corneel (20 Dec 2013)

I have a QS low angle and an old Stanley #18 with a crack up the side. But I am not much of a blockplane user. I prefer a benchplane mostly.


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## tim burr (20 Dec 2013)

The Axminster Rider plane is good after a bit of fettling however Rutlands have their quangsheng low angle block plane on offer for £50 at the moment which is better machined and has a better cutting iron.
I bought a Juuma branded quangsheng from Germany however when it arrived I found the bed had been machined on the water, making the plane virtually unusable, so I'd recommend buying one from this country to make returns easier if the quality is below what you'd like.
I've also got a veritas low angle block and low angle apron plane, the apron plane is a little on the small side fro what I use them for and the low angle block I find is a little wide for comfort, the quangsheng is right in the Goldilocks zone


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## paulm2930 (20 Dec 2013)

quangsheng low angle block plane on offer for £50 at the moment 

these are out of stock though, i'd be tempted.


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## tim burr (20 Dec 2013)

May be worth ringing them and finding out when they'll be back in stock, or if you're not in a hurry order it and just wait for it to arrive. A few people have had issues with Rutlands before but personally I've never had a problem with them.
Normally I would advise buying from either Workshop Heaven or Peter Sefton however their planes are nearly twice the price so if budget is an issue I would hold out for the Rutlands one.

Another option is the Stanley sweetheart range at about £55-60, not far off the quality of veritas and a cracking cutting iron, only sold mine as it was near enough identical in size to my veritas and again I found it slightly uncomfortable.


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## jimmyhenson (20 Dec 2013)

Here is my veritas dx60, I tried a few planes but this felt perfect in my hand. Some beauties on display here


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## AndyT (20 Dec 2013)

Well, having seen the earlier posts, I feel somewhat under provided for in the showy block plane department!

But here are some I have found useful. 
My default proper block plane is this modern Stanley (though old enough to have been properly made in Sheffield) which I bought second hand in Bristol Design about 30 years ago






If I want to plane down the ends of dovetails, I find this Mujingfang small smoother ideal - there is more length in front of the blade, which helps keep things level. 






Another block plane job is to knock off a sharp arris, which is conveniently done with a small plane you can hold in one hand. This unnamed woodie fits the bill; I think they are still common and cheap. 






If you can't find one, these, even tinier, can be bought on eBay for about a fiver, direct from Hong Kong. Almost suitable to hang up as a decoration on the Christmas tree. 






And here is a group shot, to show the relative sizes:






But all in all, I am left thinking that I might still have room for a few more planes yet...


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## yetloh (20 Dec 2013)

I have one of those Stanley's, Andy, my first block plane. Much fettled with a Japanese laminated blade it is very good and much nicer to use than the LN 60 1/2 (awkward to adjust) which I sold. I also hae a Veritas NX60; beautifuly made and with many refinements but not as comfortable as the Stanley.

Nearly forgot the Veritas skew version; a superb little plane and infinitely superior to the LN equivalent the sale of which helped finance the Veritas.

Jim


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## jamesicus (20 Dec 2013)

*Stanley No. 203 circa. 1937*

James


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## RossJarvis (20 Dec 2013)

An additional thing might be discussing the use we get out of our block planes.

I've got a Stanley 60 1/2. It actually took a fair amount of fettling to get right (flattening the bottom/sole and filing the bedding angle to get the iron straight to the mouth). I find it great for end grain, I.e. squaring and flattening off the end of boards etc. It's also great for chamfering edges (relieving arrises) and flattening short bits of boards. I think it's brilliant for end grain work and doing jobs that hand planes are too big for, so it gets a lot of work. I also use it for trimming small bits of wood, such as making dowels, by holding the plane firm, up-side down and running a bit of wood over it (any other plane can do this too). So it's also better at shaping rounded wotsits.

I'd also think about the cutting angle and how that affects the work you're doing. A standard block plane ends up with a cutting angle similar to a standard plane (due to being bevel up), but a low angle block plane with a low cut bevel can be a bit better at tasks and woods a normal plane isn't due to ultimately being "sharper".


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## MIGNAL (21 Dec 2013)

I have a few. '80's Stanley 60.5 - perfectly good block plane. Stanley 102 that dates pretty early - not a bad little trim Plane. 
Quangsheng - Very nicely made but a bit heavy for one handed use. Veritas Apron - blade isn't the greatest but I probably got the duff one.
The little Muji - nice little woodie with a very decent bit of steel.


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## pedder (21 Dec 2013)

I Have a Lie.Nielsen 60 1/2, Lie-Nielsen 102 and Kunz 100.






Cheers
Pedder


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## carlb40 (21 Dec 2013)

paulm2930":n3215fd6 said:


> Part of the reason for this thread was to gauge what others used so I could
> Choose my first, I'm considering the axminster brand 60 1/2 or 9 1/2, or their
> Rider version, or possibly spending a bit more on a quangsheng, can anyone share
> Opinion on either of these?
> ...




I would go with the quangsheng. I have the LA rider and i have yet to sort out the mouth/ bed on it. The machining of the support at the mouth is off. One side is higher that the other - so only half of the blade cuts. Plus you will get a better blade with the QS. I have one of their blades and chip breaker in my 4 1/2 and can recommend them. 
Next year i will get myself a LA QS from mathew for work.


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## tobytools (21 Dec 2013)

If I could go back I would get a veritas block, preferably a low angle one. Veritas also do a great shoulder plane. Not a fan of their bench planes but at the end if the day is all about what you can afford and preference. 

So, what direction are you going? 

TT


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## Preston (21 Dec 2013)

I will get rid of these beauties as soon as I get myself together and learn how to.
And I'll be pricing them according to these sites:
http://www.record-planes.com/record-no- ... ock-plane/
http://www.record-plane-reviews.co.uk/r ... 0-half.php


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## yetloh (21 Dec 2013)

carlb40":f6spt8bm said:


> I have the LA rider and i have yet to sort out the mouth/ bed on it. The machining of the support at the mouth is off. One side is higher that the other - so only half of the blade cuts.



Why would want to sort it out? A blade bed that is not aligned with the sole is unforgiveable, even on the cheapest plane. Send it back, it's not fit for purpose, or in consumer protection speak, not of merchantable quality.

Jim


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## rxh (21 Dec 2013)

Here are my block planes and some other small planes. The Record 60 1/2 gets the most use. If I had none, I think I'd look for an old Record/Stanley or maybe a new QS.


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## paulm2930 (23 Dec 2013)

tobytools":1y38kwdl said:


> If I could go back I would get a veritas block, preferably a low angle one. Veritas also do a great shoulder plane. Not a fan of their bench planes but at the end if the day is all about what you can afford and preference.
> 
> So, what direction are you going?
> 
> TT



Well I will be making myself a bed frame soon, possibly made of oak, but I would like to start making furniture and see how things go.
I bought a QS number 6 which should be delivered soon and will complement that with a decent block plane, I just didn't want to go mad
Spending on a high end block if cheaper ones do a perfectly good job.
Thanks for the advice all

Paul


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## tobytools (24 Dec 2013)

paulm2930":3f4le32v said:


> tobytools":3f4le32v said:
> 
> 
> > If I could go back I would get a veritas block, preferably a low angle one. Veritas also do a great shoulder plane. Not a fan of their bench planes but at the end if the day is all about what you can afford and preference.
> ...



Never used a QS bench plane myself but have heard good things, in regards to Cheaper tools doing a perfectly good job, there are a few older threads that will confirm this. Do you want flashy high end tools (nothing wrong with this) or vintage tools, I myself use a range of brand new and vintage (I'm sure most are the same)
I favour some woodies over modern ones, but that's me.

Any tool will preform well enough once tuned and used properly.
Good luck

TT


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## yetloh (24 Dec 2013)

tobytools":170edfol said:


> Never used a QS bench plane myself but have heard good things, in regards to Cheaper tools doing a perfectly good job, there are a few older threads that will confirm this. Do you want flashy high end tools (nothing wrong with this) or vintage tools, I myself use a range of brand new and vintage (I'm sure most are the same)
> I favour some woodies over modern ones, but that's me.
> 
> Any tool will preform well enough once tuned and used properly.
> ...




You certainly won't go wrong with QS planes from Workshop Heaven although I have heard that QS from other suppliers are not necessarily of the same standard.

Buying used can be a bit of a minefield and it is true that pretty much any plane can be made to work well but, if you are unlucky, it can be an awful lot of work and you need to ask yourself whether you would prefer to be spending your time making furniture rather that fettling tools. Some people seem to spend most of their time restoring old tools; nothing wrong with that but I like making stuff out of wood.

Jim


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## Karl (24 Dec 2013)

paulm2930":2nlbj0ay said:


> Well I will be making myself a bed frame soon, possibly made of oak, but I would like to start making furniture and see how things go.
> I bought a QS number 6 which should be delivered soon and will complement that with a decent block plane, I just didn't want to go mad
> Spending on a high end block if cheaper ones do a perfectly good job.
> Thanks for the advice all
> ...



I have just ordered the Stanley premium low angle plane. £53 inc delivery.

If it's as good as the low angle jack, it should be well worth the money. I'll post my thoughts up on here when i've received it. 

Cheers

Karl


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