Discussion
Custerdome said:
Looks great, nice and warm and goes with the floor.
I think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
that looks stunning - though to be fair, anything from Workshop Heaven does tend to be rather beautifulI think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
That does look nice.
There is an argument that older woodworking planes by Stanley or Record are still more than up to the job and if bought well and set up correctly will still have years of use in front of them.
On the other hand, it is really nice to buy a high quality tool new and enjoy that out of the box feeling. I do like that feeling.
I don't know much about Quangsheng planes but Workshop Heaven have a good reputation... and are the only company I know of that have Holtey planes in stock so they must be good.
Here's an alternative to buying new. I've found Old Handtools and Collectables good to deal with.
https://www.oldhandtools.co.uk/metal-planes/record...
There is an argument that older woodworking planes by Stanley or Record are still more than up to the job and if bought well and set up correctly will still have years of use in front of them.
On the other hand, it is really nice to buy a high quality tool new and enjoy that out of the box feeling. I do like that feeling.
I don't know much about Quangsheng planes but Workshop Heaven have a good reputation... and are the only company I know of that have Holtey planes in stock so they must be good.
Here's an alternative to buying new. I've found Old Handtools and Collectables good to deal with.
https://www.oldhandtools.co.uk/metal-planes/record...
Custerdome said:
Looks great, nice and warm and goes with the floor.
I think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
Looks very pricey for a very basic #4 to me. Don't get me wrong, it's your money and if that's what you want fair play to you but it doesn't look anywhere near worth the sticker price IMO. I think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
I have two #4s, a #5 and an old SB3 none of which cost me more than about £15 on eBay. None of them took more than a relaxed afternoon to set up and get them working perfectly. No brand new hand plane will work any better than any properly set and sharpened old Bailey pattern plane in decent shape.
I've used a Lie Nielsen plane and it was a lovely thing to look at and to hold and it performed beautifully but no better than my £10 Stanley #4 (which admittedly has little paint left and looks old and scruffy).
The only part that really wears out is the iron, but that's true of any other plane and they're easy and inexpensive to replace. The hardest thing I've had to do to repair a plane is gluing a broken tote. I could have bought one easily enough but Araldite was quicker and cheaper.
marksx said:
I've an old and very tired record plane that was my grandfather's. Half tempted to do it up.
I hope you go for it mate. They are generally not difficult to sort out as long as you want a working tool and not a concours restoration. Pretty much all the bits are available if anything's lost and the "how to" is easy to find on the web. It's immensely satisfying to get an old tool working properly again.
Can you post a picture of it? Just being nosey but I'd be interested to see it.
Oh gawd, already ordered, and due for delivery today.
I got some marking knives and chisels from Workshopheaven last year and they're pretty good, and the shop does seem to have a good rep. Part of the problem I guess, is that I have no experience with setting up a plane so don't have much of a yardstick, - all my planing has been done with a small Stanley plane that I got at B&Q about 25 years ago. It definitely doesn't have the number of parts and level of adjustment that bigger planes seem to have, so that's something I'm going to have to get the hang of. There's a local 'sharpener' with a good rep and he put a fresh edge on the blade (for £7) and it's been ok, just. I've since bought a small sharpening jig and waterstone and will give these a go when needed. It'll be interesting to use another plane, especially one that looks to be a quality item and compare.
I got some marking knives and chisels from Workshopheaven last year and they're pretty good, and the shop does seem to have a good rep. Part of the problem I guess, is that I have no experience with setting up a plane so don't have much of a yardstick, - all my planing has been done with a small Stanley plane that I got at B&Q about 25 years ago. It definitely doesn't have the number of parts and level of adjustment that bigger planes seem to have, so that's something I'm going to have to get the hang of. There's a local 'sharpener' with a good rep and he put a fresh edge on the blade (for £7) and it's been ok, just. I've since bought a small sharpening jig and waterstone and will give these a go when needed. It'll be interesting to use another plane, especially one that looks to be a quality item and compare.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
Custerdome said:
Looks great, nice and warm and goes with the floor.
I think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
Looks very pricey for a very basic #4 to me. Don't get me wrong, it's your money and if that's what you want fair play to you but it doesn't look anywhere near worth the sticker price IMO. I think I'm going to take a plunge with a plane, - I usually try and buy one tool every other project and so in theory gradually build up a decent set.
This is the one I'm thinking of going for:
https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-4-bed...
I have two #4s, a #5 and an old SB3 none of which cost me more than about £15 on eBay. None of them took more than a relaxed afternoon to set up and get them working perfectly. No brand new hand plane will work any better than any properly set and sharpened old Bailey pattern plane in decent shape.
I've used a Lie Nielsen plane and it was a lovely thing to look at and to hold and it performed beautifully but no better than my £10 Stanley #4 (which admittedly has little paint left and looks old and scruffy).
The only part that really wears out is the iron, but that's true of any other plane and they're easy and inexpensive to replace. The hardest thing I've had to do to repair a plane is gluing a broken tote. I could have bought one easily enough but Araldite was quicker and cheaper.
Ie, a big jointer used on hardwood wearing down in the middle a bit, and needing the sole flatting.
Or the blade just becoming worn, and needing to know how to re-sharpen with a bevel.
I've just bought a 'reconditioned' 5 1/2 Stanley on eBay so I'll see how that goes, but I know I'll be tinkering a lot to get it how I want it.
I'm now looking for something along the lines of a 4 for fine smoothing.
I took a look at the Quangsheng ones, but wasn't keen on the 'bedrock' design with the squared edges. I note however that some of the other plane makers do a bedrock frog seat but with the nicer flowing Bailey pattern sides.
I did contemplate the benefits of these easier adjustments, but to me it's easier still just to buy another plane already adjusted to the purpose needed.
I'm very tempted by a Faithful 7 jointer for £50... just to see how good I can get it. The Rider one is £200... and even used Stanley/Record ones on eBay are £150 in an apparently 'good' condition.
I think the biggest issue with a big 6/7 is probably sole flattening. Most of the super-flat surfaces you buy just aren't that big. I'm not sure how flat my kitchen worktop is but the wife might not be happy with me using it to flat planes
Sharpening and honing plane irons and chisels is easy. There are loads of "how to" videos on YT. Once you have done it and got everything proper sharp it's even easier to keep them sharp with literally a minute or so maintenance. Waterstones are fine although I have come to prefer my diamond plates which were not expensive.
Tip: use car type window cleaner trigger spray for lube, not water. Also make sure its car type - domestic spray is salty. Cheap stuff from Tesco is fine.
Tip 2: get a piece of strop leather and some polishing compound. Doesn't really matter much what grade, I use blue because that's what I have a big block of. Stropping the edges makes a real difference.
I used to follow Paul Sellers method for sharpening but he does it all by eye and feel. I don't have his half century of experience so I use a honing guide now which works better for me. The angles aren't super critical but ideally about 30 degrees for planes and spokeshaves and 25 for chisels for general use, although some tools might benefit from bigger angles e.g: mortise chisels. I also keep the cutting edges narrow with a different back-bevel simply because there's less work in resharpening a narrow edge than a wide bevel.
Tip: use car type window cleaner trigger spray for lube, not water. Also make sure its car type - domestic spray is salty. Cheap stuff from Tesco is fine.
Tip 2: get a piece of strop leather and some polishing compound. Doesn't really matter much what grade, I use blue because that's what I have a big block of. Stropping the edges makes a real difference.
I used to follow Paul Sellers method for sharpening but he does it all by eye and feel. I don't have his half century of experience so I use a honing guide now which works better for me. The angles aren't super critical but ideally about 30 degrees for planes and spokeshaves and 25 for chisels for general use, although some tools might benefit from bigger angles e.g: mortise chisels. I also keep the cutting edges narrow with a different back-bevel simply because there's less work in resharpening a narrow edge than a wide bevel.
Mr Whippy said:
After just a week of thinking/reading, it becomes quite clear that over time even an amazing new plane will require maintenance.....
I think the biggest issue with a big 6/7 is probably sole flattening. Most of the super-flat surfaces you buy just aren't that big. I'm not sure how flat my kitchen worktop is but the wife might not be happy with me using it to flat planes
A new plane is no different to a decent old one in terms of maintenance needs.I think the biggest issue with a big 6/7 is probably sole flattening. Most of the super-flat surfaces you buy just aren't that big. I'm not sure how flat my kitchen worktop is but the wife might not be happy with me using it to flat planes
"Melamine" type worktops are usually very nice and flat. You can almost certainly blag an offcut from a kitchen fitter for nothing.
I got some pieces of plate glass from the scrap box at a local joinery shop which is ideal too. I just glued it to a bit of scrap ply.
You can stick wet and dry paper to the glass with cheap double sided tape.
It's possible to overdo it with flattening and polishing the sole. If it's too shiny it tends to want to stick to the work if it's at all damp. A nice fine crosshatch pattern like a newly honed cylinder bore is perfect.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
A new plane is no different to a decent old one in terms of maintenance needs.
"Melamine" type worktops are usually very nice and flat. You can almost certainly blag an offcut from a kitchen fitter for nothing.
I got some pieces of plate glass from the scrap box at a local joinery shop which is ideal too. I just glued it to a bit of scrap ply.
You can stick wet and dry paper to the glass with cheap double sided tape.
It's possible to overdo it with flattening and polishing the sole. If it's too shiny it tends to want to stick to the work if it's at all damp. A nice fine crosshatch pattern like a newly honed cylinder bore is perfect.
That's exactly what I do except I used a granite offcut where the hob was in our kitchen as a base then a old glass plate from a printer/scanner that was skipbound."Melamine" type worktops are usually very nice and flat. You can almost certainly blag an offcut from a kitchen fitter for nothing.
I got some pieces of plate glass from the scrap box at a local joinery shop which is ideal too. I just glued it to a bit of scrap ply.
You can stick wet and dry paper to the glass with cheap double sided tape.
It's possible to overdo it with flattening and polishing the sole. If it's too shiny it tends to want to stick to the work if it's at all damp. A nice fine crosshatch pattern like a newly honed cylinder bore is perfect.
Work your way through the wet and dry grits and it comes out perfect. You can even get honing guides to keep the angle perfect which also work for chisels.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-honing-guide/...
For ease of use I buy the Scary Sharp self-adhesive paper and stick strips (coarse to fine) of it to a piece of glass, lubricate the whole lot then just move along getting finer. Takes a few minutes to do a couple of chisels and a plane iron.
I started using a honing guide, but I found you can 'feel' the angle by rocking the plane iron or chisel back and forth so just do it by hand now. Properly sharpened and set up planes are a thing of joy, but I'm not quite at this level yet... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6QzM4aFjjg
I started using a honing guide, but I found you can 'feel' the angle by rocking the plane iron or chisel back and forth so just do it by hand now. Properly sharpened and set up planes are a thing of joy, but I'm not quite at this level yet... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6QzM4aFjjg
Custerdome said:
Andrew, interesting to see the mitered joints, mitering is something I haven't tried yet, are the joints held together with biscuits?
No biscuits involved.First of all I used a router to cut the slots in the end of each frame piece. Then when the mitred ends were butted up the slots joined to create the L shape 'mortice' you see here:
Each frame was just glued and held with a band clamp (£5 from Lidl)
Then each corner leg is L shaped in cross section and has an L shaped tenon at each end. The leg is glued into place with the tenon slotting into the L shaped frame mitre.
The tenon therefore holds the leg in place against the frame but also acts as a sort of vertical biscuit holding the two mitres together.
crmcatee said:
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
A new plane is no different to a decent old one in terms of maintenance needs.
"Melamine" type worktops are usually very nice and flat. You can almost certainly blag an offcut from a kitchen fitter for nothing.
I got some pieces of plate glass from the scrap box at a local joinery shop which is ideal too. I just glued it to a bit of scrap ply.
You can stick wet and dry paper to the glass with cheap double sided tape.
It's possible to overdo it with flattening and polishing the sole. If it's too shiny it tends to want to stick to the work if it's at all damp. A nice fine crosshatch pattern like a newly honed cylinder bore is perfect.
That's exactly what I do except I used a granite offcut where the hob was in our kitchen as a base then a old glass plate from a printer/scanner that was skipbound."Melamine" type worktops are usually very nice and flat. You can almost certainly blag an offcut from a kitchen fitter for nothing.
I got some pieces of plate glass from the scrap box at a local joinery shop which is ideal too. I just glued it to a bit of scrap ply.
You can stick wet and dry paper to the glass with cheap double sided tape.
It's possible to overdo it with flattening and polishing the sole. If it's too shiny it tends to want to stick to the work if it's at all damp. A nice fine crosshatch pattern like a newly honed cylinder bore is perfect.
Work your way through the wet and dry grits and it comes out perfect. You can even get honing guides to keep the angle perfect which also work for chisels.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-honing-guide/...
Or some sponginess?
But it seems to work given the results I hear about.
I’m thinking to just buy that scary sharp kit from Axminster, then a diamond sticky pad at about 250 grit… then some 800 grit paper to go with the stuff that comes in the scary kit to fill the gap.
Both the blades I have with this plane are far from scary sharp, so eager to get them properly honed!
I think the plane I’ve just bought is pretty ok as planes go.
It’d apparently been fettled/reconditioned but as a complete novice I think I could spend another hour on it to make it genuinely good.
It’s covered in something that’s leaving my hands a bit black after use…
Definitely a sticky wet and dry type paper on a guaranteed flat surface is essential though, as all my various levels are telling me different stuff about the flatness of the sole.
Just the tiniest hollow 5” across the mouth (about 0.02mm at a guess), but it means a boat load of material would have to come out front and back to level it.
Apparently working pressure can flatten them out but I’m not sure how when the load is either over the front or rear, you’d need to be he-man to bend the mouth area flat by pressing 4” ahead or behind it…
It has gone up a bit in price since I bought it, but I have one of these for sharpening planes and chisels etc. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393000913177
Just found it cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-FTS-KIT-MK2B-Sharpe...
Can get a cheaper version from Toolstation with less grit varieties
Just found it cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-FTS-KIT-MK2B-Sharpe...
Can get a cheaper version from Toolstation with less grit varieties
Edited by S6PNJ on Wednesday 8th March 22:10
crmcatee said:
I don't even use sticky tape; clart the wet and dry with water and it'll stick to the glass.
Hmm I might just use glass and good quality wet and dry then.The Veritas glass is £15 and 355mm long, so pretty much long enough to do a 5 1/2 plane with short strokes… diagonally
So you just glue the glass up to plyboard? A big blob of silicone?
Can you recommend a good source of wet and dry?
Just a Veritas honing guide to buy then I can get these two blades set up.
I’m tempted by a wooden scrub plane now.
Mr Whippy said:
Hmm I might just use glass and good quality wet and dry then.
The Veritas glass is £15 and 355mm long, so pretty much long enough to do a 5 1/2 plane with short strokes… diagonally
So you just glue the glass up to plyboard? A big blob of silicone?
Can you recommend a good source of wet and dry?
Personally I just put the glass on my granite (as the granite is flatter than my workbench), So less chance of the glass getting a chance to break with a bit of downward pressure. No silicone.The Veritas glass is £15 and 355mm long, so pretty much long enough to do a 5 1/2 plane with short strokes… diagonally
So you just glue the glass up to plyboard? A big blob of silicone?
Can you recommend a good source of wet and dry?
I also just went for a multipack of assorted grits up to 320. And a pack of 1200. Wash rinse, dry up, repeat.
S6PNJ said:
It has gone up a bit in price since I bought it, but I have one of these for sharpening planes and chisels etc. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393000913177
Just found it cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-FTS-KIT-MK2B-Sharpe...
Can get a cheaper version from Toolstation with less grit varieties
I decided the non kit version wasn't a good deal by comparison to the full setup, especially if you found a good supplier. Just found it cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-FTS-KIT-MK2B-Sharpe...
Can get a cheaper version from Toolstation with less grit varieties
The lapping fluid to go with it is OK, though comes out at silly prices depending on source.
The Trend diamond block cleaner they have as an accessory is just a pencil eraser so just use a normal cheap one!
Well, the Quangsheng plane arrived...
It looks and feels like a quality item (and comes in a nice wooden box, if you like that sort of thing), the little Stanley one I've got looks like a toy in comparison.
I'm intending to make a chopping board out of strips of hardwood in the next few days for a friends wedding present, so that should give me a chance to set it up and try it out.
It looks and feels like a quality item (and comes in a nice wooden box, if you like that sort of thing), the little Stanley one I've got looks like a toy in comparison.
I'm intending to make a chopping board out of strips of hardwood in the next few days for a friends wedding present, so that should give me a chance to set it up and try it out.
Sounds good. Is everything nicely set up with regards just honing blade and getting to work?
I’ve just bought a bunch of bits to sharpen plane blades, I went for the Veritas Deluxe mk2.
I had a Faithful 7 jointer from Axminster in my basket, only £52… but bottled it haha. I read a few Amazon reviews which didn’t fill me with confidence.
Main issue being flatting a huge No7 plane if required.
I’ve just bought a bunch of bits to sharpen plane blades, I went for the Veritas Deluxe mk2.
I had a Faithful 7 jointer from Axminster in my basket, only £52… but bottled it haha. I read a few Amazon reviews which didn’t fill me with confidence.
Main issue being flatting a huge No7 plane if required.
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