Thanks for the video. After watching I bought a new SW 60 1/2 expecting to need to flatten it as you did. After unboxing and checking for square I was pleasantly surprised. It came dead flat from the factory. Also the label on the side is no longer ink as you indicated. Mine appears to be laser etched. Seeing that this video is over 8 years old maybe they made some improvements.
I Just picked up a Stanley 12-138 Bailey No.9-1/2 Block Plane. I put in a little set up work and it works great. Also I think they were listing to you and laser engraved the side of the plane now instead of ink stamping.
Great review, thanks. I picked up the standard angle plane from my local woodworking store at about 50% off. It was the demo model. I wasn't considering it due to the aluminum cap iron and thought the rest of the plane must be poorly made. I took a chance and I was quite surprised when I got it home it really is a good plane, not premium but good. Maybe I'll go into business making brass cap irons and replacement bearings for these.
Think these are 20 quid more than the standard Stanley so I reckon it's a no brainer for the money just for the quality of the blade in my humble opinion
The way I see it is, when you buy a new plane, you decide how much of the setup you do yourself, and how much you pay to the factory to do it. I recently bought a regular Stanley #7 because a local hardware store happened to have one, and it was useless to start with. Leveling a big plane like that was a lot of work. Had to level the frog too and everything. It took me many hours to make a plane out of it. Premium planes are almost ready to use out of the box, that's one of the things you pay for. On the other hand, those regular Stanleys are lighter than bedrock planes and I really don't want that big plane any heavier. And yes, I am continuously amazed of how useful a file in that kind of a handle is.The freatboard leveling file is one of my most used tools. It's the block plane of the file kingdom :-)
I have some old Stanley block planes (and bench planes) and as you do, I love them. I think however, I am going to invest in one of the new Stanley 601/2 block planes. Even if I have to tweek it, no big deal. Thanks so much for the video!
Still have yet to purchase one of the newer Stanley planes, but after seeing this, it is giving me some hope in them. Like you, I prefer the old tools. Still slowly warming up to their newer/younger counterparts.
Thanks for the straightforward and brutally honest review! As usual, your videos are entertaining and informative. So many online "reviews" are just a bland reiteration of features followed by shameless hollow praise. I've been eyeballing these for a long time, but after seeing this I think I will stick with fettling old planes or making my own.
TheSinglecoillover I honestly didn't expect to have any issues with this.. I must say that after the work.. 10 or 15 minutes of fettling and it is a much better plane than the bulk of my vintage ones. great steel and when flat great cut. I just wish it came out of the box like that!
I have the Veritas version of this tool. For the $169.00 CDN worth every penny. Perfectly flat, precision tool. This Stanley plane is $59.00 CDN with some fettling it cuts surprisingly well. Thanks for the video.
I suspect that the plane was not fully assembled when the sole was finished at the factory. The tension that is applied by the component parts (as you stated) are what pull it out of flat.
Have you tried Ray Iles plane Iron's? I put a Ray Iles Iron in my old Stanley plane, and it cuts like butter , I have a few Ray Iles Iron's, and they are amazing, like you. I have many plane's, old vintage Stanley's and Clifton's Lie Nielsen's , Preston plane's Veritas, and Norris, and Record pre-war and many others, I started doing carpentry at the age of five years old back in 1965 in my father's workshop , and I have been collecting old vintage carpenters tools and restoring them for many years , I worked as a qualified professional Carpenter for many years, and my two Sons are qualified professional Carpenter's too, I love vintage tools, I have the first Clifton plane's before they changed hands , with the two part chip breaker ,they are absolutely amazing plane's to use, but so are the Stanley plane's with a Ray Iles Iron, best wishes from a vintage Carpenter .
I received today a Stanley 60 1/2 Sweetheart block plane and either unfortunately or fortunately it was damaged when received, probably in transit.This means I am able to return it to the seller through the eBay system. I was able to examine the plane and was appalled by the sloppy fit of components and the complete lack of care with its design and manufacture. This plane. It may be a mid price plane but is definitely on the lower end for quality.I collect block planes and the Chinese made block plane copies of the 60 1/2 Stanley are twice the plane that the sweetheart is. They are well made with beautiful machining. The machining is superior to that on the full size premium block planes from Lie Nielsen and Veritas although the overall finish is not as good as the premium block planes. Having said this I still want an undamaged Sweetheart as it is part of the block plane history or at least a testimate to the declining quality in manufacturing. All the best
It is amazing what companies like quansheng are making in China these days. Stanley have upped their game in recent years but it is still not a patch on what it should be. Since filming this I've founded www.vintagetoolshop.com just so I can build my own collection up and the older tools never cease to amaze me! Thanks for watching! B
I used to work for a guy in Vermont that has probably the largest Stanley tool collection in the USA. a master, working for him and watching him do things was a privilege. if you're interested in knowing who he is let me know.
Just watched this video.!! Whilst not Ideal for a brand new purchase - fettling and tuning a tool makes it yours.. just like making something from scratch.!! You turn something relatively useless into a thing of beauty…P.S.- dremel tool to put some nice eclipses into the sides.!??😁💪🏻
the most efficient, ergonomic and most delicate planes I've ever seen in action on RU-vid are the ancient Japanese wood planes, known as 'Kano' planes I believe? Other planes worth a mention would be Spitfires, Messersmidts, Boeing's and Lockheed's Blackbird.....lol, lol
Crimson Custom Guitars Hi Ben I been waching your video tips an reviews for some time and I making my own proyect but I need to ask you for some tips and stuff where can I contact you??? Thank you.
Crimson Custom Guitars By the way, I have had this idea resting in my mind for quite some time; I just haven't had a chance to execute it. Would it be possible for you to take a carved top guitar, most likely an LP style, and carve a chiseled texture into the top with a spoon gouge? It should provide a very interesting look and feel, similar to the texture of a hand carved sculpture.
Wow! I would of never guessed that this Stanley would of needed the same preps I had to do with my 14" No.5 Buck Bros jackplane , still wish I got the Stanley. My preps (my channel, series 1-6 of Buck Bros,)
Hmm, I might have to get one of these. I don't use planes too often (I repair guitars rather than build), but I do need a small plane. For $67 USD from Amazon and a few minutes to tidy it up, this might fit the bill nicely! I've got a no-name knockoff that sucks as a plane (although it excels as a dead-flat sanding block with sticky sandpaper), so this would probably be a good upgrade without blowing a bunch of cash.
36 dislikes maybe came from Stanley Staffs and their workers.. it might be.. but i think this is fair and comprehensive review eventhough the video has long duration
I bought the Stanley 60 1/2 and have the same issue with the bed not being parallel to the sole. I have to cock the blade as room allows to get a full shaving. I'm going to send mine back to Stanley to see if they will replace it.
Thanks for a very interesting and nicely presented review!. I had the same issue with the throat screw hole burr, and also the same as commented on by Alan W - although flat, the frog does not appear to be machined parallel with the base, so the blade sits at an angle in the mouth, although it projects exactly the same amount below the base. I guess I could sharpen a compensating angle on the blade, but this is disappointing for a "premium" tool. I plan to scrape the frog both flat and level with the base which is going to be a real pain. My Veritas block on the other hand is super precision - but it cost nearly 3 times as much! It proves again that you do get what you pay for - with hand tools as with most things. Keep up the great reviews please.
I have a range of various after market blades on planes and the big difference is not so much the brand or method of production (Forged Vs cut) but the type of steel. The type of steel comes down to two main groups, tool steels such as O1, W1 or even D2 and the second group of alloy tool steels that include A2 steel. The A2 is very tough steel but will not allow as fine an edge as the O1 etc. As the O1 tool looses it edge it just becomes dull where as the A2 developes a "saw tooth" edge of micro serrations. Many people much more knowledgable than me suggest that you don't use 25 degrees but go closer to 30 degrees for A2 blades to avoid the chipping.. I hope your new plane works out for you , I had none of these issues with my LN block planes.
My second comment: The plane itself is good, but its the lousy cap. It is machined out of cheap aluminum. The adjusting wheel already has slop in it, so I can only imagine what it will be like in years to come. I did a drill out and a nice repair, but since Stanley never called me back I'm not discussing how I repaired the cap. And I did buy both types of the low angle planes, and yes, I'll be doing the repair to both of them.
Great review Ben. I'm looking forward to unboxing my first round of Crimson tools this weekend and giving them the same run-through!!! I suspect your marks will be higher than Stanley's. Should be a fun video to make.
LOL! I think the first box sitting on my stoop waiting for me to arrive back home. I believe you'll be shipping a second package containing some nut slotting files in the near future. My order was #1946 from Nov 23. I can't wait to get them unboxed and into full use.
Really enjoyed this review and the sound at 33.30 was bliss. Ben I dont want to sound like the health and safty police but your saw blade must be very blunt if its leaving burn marks on the timber, I nearly burnt my workshop down when my saw burnt through some wood and a hot ember went into the extractor and into a full dust bag....Went in my shop the next day to find it thick with smoke and a bag full of ashes.. Best wishes ..
I don't know if it's the same plane, but it has a 1 star review online! :P If I spend under 60$, I don't mind flattening but after that I expect precision. Next one will be a #6 low angle Veritas ;)
My low angle lie nielson is one of my favorite tools. Sadly money talks where fine woodworking tools are concerned. After the fettling in this video though this is a very very nice block plane and I have used it a lot!
Crimson Custom Guitars Well I need a jointer anyways and anything under 600$ is usually cheap aluminium and poorly designed. The Veritas won't need a blade replacement every few months either, and saves me on the power bill so I can spare the 300$ for it. ;)
Okay.... I watch this video and its great! What I don't understand now is should I still keep looking for cheapo vintage block plane or for modern one? And second question - are those lower end stanley block planes till 40$ worth to buy instead SW block plane for around 80$? I have large vintage 3 and modern 5 Stanley smoothing planes and they are perfect but how about those small block planes? Would be happy if you can make some video by comparing them.
I bought thus plane and it worked very well for a short while,then the little brass screw broke in the thread rendering the whole tool useless,now stanley tell me the screw is no longer available
I bought a Stanley 60 1/2 ( not a s/h ) what a stupid thing to do! I tried to throw it away but the sole was so bent it kept coming back. So far I have 3 hours and counting trying to flatten the bloody thing, it has become a quest. I should have sent it back straight away, but people tell you all planes need a little work and now it has had so much work I doubt they would accept it. So please people don't buy new Stanley planes if you want to preserve your sanity.
so a 0.05mm feeler gauge only just about went through? my god man, if thats what gets you dissapointed! plenty of aerospace components for wings wouldnt even be toleranced that tightly. I like your attention to detail for sure, but I think its overkill for woodworking and for the price point. I personally wouldnt be dissapointed with that level of flatness out of the box and not at 80 pounds. whats next.. taking all our tools for CMM analysis? you may get the bottom lumsden ground or surface ground and even then you might not get less than 0.05mm flatness. with the natural instability of wood for it to shrink and contract, even if you had that perfectly flat on the sole, the wood would negate the difference with its own movement over time, by a larger margin I would imagine too. I like your channel by the way, so this isnt just trolling, just good out and out counter debate with you and enjoying the technicality of what you're trying to achieve. (long time aerospace engineer, short time woodworker)
Peter An aeroplane wing is significantly large than a block plane. In percentage terms the error is significant to the block plane. This small imperfection makes a big difference to a small tool that's whole purpose in life is to flatten and smooth.
Andy Midd there is going to be more contraction and expansion within the wood itself to ever worry about 0.05mm of run out on the block plane. If if that worries you then time to invest in cnc machined planes and cmm inspection to check followed by copious amounts of surface grinding. It's basically a case of diminishing returns and neglible differences. lots of other things could be improved or changed which will give a greater improvement than chasing down a 0.05mm difference. wood Itself will never maintain a tolerance like that across it's its surface from one day to the next. if you or this good man want to chase that down, knock yourself out. Just show me the difference it makes in the real world once you do
Peter That's fair. I think given the choice though, you'd always want have complete flatness out of the box if you can get it - as per Lie Neilson, Veritas etc. I think these more premium Stanley's were supposed to be closer to the quality of them. Some are, some can be patchy.
Thanks for the video, I got one of these over the holidays, and now I know what I need to do to it! One thing about the one I got is the mouth seems to have been cut at an angle to the face. That is, it's thicker on the right than the left. Is there anything to be done, or is it just the way of things?
Hey Alan, so if you advance the blade until it closes the mouth it only touches on one side!? If so I would return it for another, the mouth needs to be even and as small as possible for fine work.. More importantly (at least for my curiosity) is do you also have a burr in that hole underneath the movable plate?
Hey Ben, thanks for the response. To answer your question, yes, I did feel a burr in the exact same place you had one! What I mean is that the blade digs in much deeper on one side than the other when it is perfectly parallel with the mouth. So if you were looking head on so front is closest to your nose, the blade would be higher on the right than the left. So yes, if I adjust the knob as far over as it can go, it's *almost* even, and the blade is quite off-straight.
Would it improve if you sharpened the blade at an angle to compensate?.. I had hoped that the burr in mine was a one off error but it seems not, that saddens me :(
Yeah, on the one hand, poor execution, on the other good mats and starting point to have a good tool. Though my shop is no where near as well appointed as yours to make the necessary adjustments. I guess I'll just have to go get more tools! I'm considering making a filing jig to even out the throat problem. The adjustment is *all* the way over and still not enough. I don't trust myself to sharpen at an even angle to try and compensate. Next time, Veritas it is.
The Modern Stanley Sweetheart range are not premium tools, they are mass produced and the quality control is awful. Saying that i have just bought a new Stanley 9 1/2 block plane(not SW) and i have the same problem. Every Stanley plane i have ever owned(i'm a retired Chippie so i have owned a few)has needed fettling , mainly getting the sole flat, Record planes are a bit better, but not much. Unless you are buying premium planes like Veritas or Lie Neilson you will have some work to do, its Parr for the course i'm afraid.
I got this plane as a gift and im not sure if im just a noob or if i have a real problem. I have the blade inserted bevel up as it should be and the depth adjustment wont allow the blade to extend through the mouth until it is fully out, and then it is just barely put with the mouth fully open. Ive attempted to adjust it but i cant seem to fix the issue. Any suggestions?
+Hudson you should be able to sort it out. Adjust the blade so it is as far IN as possible then remove the cap, lift the blade up and move it forward a step, it should have grooves that register it on the depth adjuster and that is what needs sorting out, your plane is in the wrong groove.. I think... B
Crimson Custom Guitars thanks for replying. This plane does not have grooves, just two holes. The top hole extends the blade way too far, and the bottom not enough. It is the same plane you are using in the video
I hope you have got your problem sorted by now? If not, I think I may know what the problem is. On the adjustment knob, there is a rod with two threads . On these threads are two round bits, one (the larger one) fits down and into the plane body, the other smaller one fits up and into the blade. When you turn the knob, these round parts move apart pushing the blade down and out. It sounds as if these two round parts are incorrectly positioned on the thread. Back the adjustment knob fully back, so the blade is into the body, take the plane apart and lift the rod/adjustment up and out of the body. Now spin just the small round part down the threads to the very end of the rod. Both round parts should now be at the bottom of their respective threads, at the end away furthest from the turning knob. Reassemble, and try?
TheGraniteFlaneur thanks for the follow up, but i had it replaced and the new one works properly. Who knows what was wrong with the last one. I attempted to adjust those screws in every manner i could imagine, but nothing seemed to work. Thanks again
The "unevenness" of your plane could very well be intentional. Japanese planes use a "3 point touch" design. Where there is a very slight (less than 1/64 of an inch) hollow between the 3 points. Explained: giantcypress.net/post/3874908014/japanese-jointer-plane-sole-configuration and as shown in this plane building tutorial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f_CheZ4s4YA.htmlm50s
This does not look good for my future plane buying. But still a new Stanley is my best bet here. I can't get a used one anywhere near, and for a used one to be in perfect condition is even more impossible. Also I can't affor a Lie-Nielsen. I would not mind the setting up/flattening at all if I had a big enough (or any) good lapping stone. Fortunately I don't have the money to spend right now.
You could use plate glass or I've even seen a granite floor tile or chopping board used.. Have you considered using a scraper like an engineer? Not a method I've used yet but could be cool... Thanks for watching and good luck in your search!
Dont buy one,Stanley wont even stand by their warranty,i have spoken to Stanley in Australia and the states and they will not supply the little brass screw which holds the cap iron,which in my plane broke after a very short period of use.
Bro I truly enjoy your videos but here in the USA, Stanley tools are low budget tools. Junk . When I saw made in Mexico on the box I said oh shit. Send it back and stick with your tried and true planes.
Paid $82 for one of these a few weeks ago. Waited 2 weeks for it to arrive. The sole was not flat in either direction, multiple parts were loose/wiggled, that I felt ought not to be loose or wiggling, namely the female threads. It adjusted horribly. I think Stanely has sold out to China or something. Last stanley I'll buy.
there is no need for bottom to be "perfectly flat"... Japanese, many European, and most hand made planes are made from wood and are nowhere near as "flat" or as "stable" as cast metal planes... FACT!... if your bottom is perfectly flat ( 1/10,000 ) of an inch over entire length of sole and you set the blade to make a 1/1,000 inch cut then start cut your rear part of sole (behind blade) will be 1/1,000 of an inch above the surface of the wood you just planed a shaving off... as you move along the pressure you are pushing will press the rear of the sole to the fresh surface and now the plane will be "tilted up" at front of sole.. there will only be two places where the sole is actually touching the surface, first is just before the blade and second is the back end of sole..
+MrMeanderthal true, and I have, use and love my Japanese planes. The problem is this is marketed as flat and even if it weren't the case this was not touching in the same places as Japanese planes. It would have worked, ish, just not as advertised, or designed or as well as it does after a little fettling.
I used to enjoy Japanese plane too.. when I first started woodwork 30+ years ago I made my first planes "Krenov" styles then bought Japanese planes.. I learned how to change shape of sole to do different types of cuts.. jointing and smoothing planes have 2 different set of contact points.. then discovered over time how wood movement changes/distorts sole during the year.. after a while I started buying metal planes because I became a professional woodworker and wanted more consistent performance.. now my planes are Veritas and Lie Nielson and I keep them smooth and polish soles with 1000 grit paper mostly for easy push rather than being "perfectly flat"
Well, well, well. And I thought I was the only one pissed off after buying these new block planes from Stanley. The black woman on the phone from Stanley said I would have new parts sent out immediately. Well, its been almost two months. Change the name of Stanley to Laurel and Hardy Tool works.
Lane Romel I think expectations were higher for these SW premium planes as they are intended to be significantly better. Which they actually are, it is just Stanley don't quite have the QA down. The smoothing plane is excellent though...
The focus issues in this video (too many to mention individually) make me think that just maaaaaybe you should be using a different lens for these videos, you don't really need a paper thin depth of field with stuff like this, and all it does is detract from the viewing experience. So many times you were like "look at this, how nice does this look", and you know what Ben? I really wish I could look at the thing, I'm sure it's beautiful, I trust you like that, but I can't see it because it's out of focus, and that's a damned shame. I love you, I love your videos, but I had to say something.
Half of the instruction book is lawyer talk and denouncements against suits. It really does not carry "information" any longer. I noticed this on the latest Ruger I bought. Mostly it contains "common sense" rules of thumb (like, never use this as a letter opener, or point barrel away from YOU while loading...) that if not followed or known, you have no business using such a tool.
