What To Look For When Buying A Hand Plane 

It feels so good watching this video and understanding everything that your talking about (all the parts and terms) and to know that I learnt it all from you and your videos. THANK YOU!

Very interesting. Thanks for that James. My favourite plane is an old wooden Jack plane that I used at school when I was a boy. My school sold off all their woodworking equipment and I was lucky enough to buy it. It needed a lot of work but the blade is an unbelievable piece of iron. Keep taking about your planes. We love it!

Thank you for sharing that information. I have bought some wonderful tools this summer already just garage sale shopping. I'm not afraid of a little hard work, but I expect a hard-working tool to come afterwards. Many blessings to you James and to your Channel!

My dad gave me an old Stanley bench plane. It needs some work but I really didn’t know what to do with it. This video really helps. Thanks James, I’m inspired!

Thank you! This was very helpful

Very good. That helps a lot.

Wish I would’ve watched this before I started buying. I got a craftsman handyman first, thinking it was a 4 and it was a 3. Took it apart and there weren’t even machined surfaces where the frog sat on the sole. It was all covered sloppily with paint. Next I got a Siegley SsS “Stanley steel Siegley” (that’s what my research led me to believe it stands for, apparently there was a StS version that had thicker iron and a wider throat to accommodate that iron), which isn’t bad but doesn’t have a frog adjustment screw, just the 2 frog screws so you have to disassemble the entire thing to adjust the frog. Far better than the craftsman but no Bailey pattern for sure. Lessons learned the hard way, like you said. I would advise people to not get excited until they’ve done their research. Any thoughts on watching for the throat being damaged when purchasing? like can the throat be damaged behind the blade if not too bad but in front of the blade would be a deal breaker?

This is a great video that nobody has covered. Thank you.

Thanks you friend for you video. I love this olds planes. Regards to Uruguay!

Thanks for the info James! 👍😃👊

James “Plane Hoarder” Wright! Nice collection sir

The plane 7:35 < looks to be a Fulton. It looks like a partial decal on the tote, and if I'm remembering correctly Fulton had those colors on their decals. Great video and information!

Great info! I think it would be a good follow-up to show some of your current users and discuss why you chose them and what work you had to do to them.

Out of my collection my favourite has to be my Stanley Bailey No.5.1/2, it's from the ww2 era and has the hard black rubber depth adjuster that was used as brass was needed for ammo shells, and like your one the horn was broken on the tote and a break half way down. My worst buy was a GTL steel no.4, the brass one's are worth getting if not just for the polished up look. Worst new plane I bought was a Stanley Bailey No. 4.1/2, that said it did turn out to be the best buy as after sending photo's and a video to the CEO it was replaced with a sample quality one, and as a goodwill gesture I was also sent a sample quality No.4 and a tool roll with 8 750 series socketed chisels. Stanley Bailey planes are now made in Mexico and the quality is terrible, and in the UK there are still plenty of good quality vintage planes at a similar price. I love rescuing old tools and restoring them, done all the plane's now so I am moving on to a pile of vintage and antique chisels I have amassed. Great video but some of the brands are unfamiliar to me in the UK.

Hi James, thanks for the video, good stuff.

found this video after spending hours trying to shape up a harbor freight plane to no avail. i am a beginner, so i do not think i can manage to make it usable. after all, i'd like to have some successes so i don't get so discouraged. i will find a vintage stanley and try to restore it. thanks!

Sorry for all the comments, but I have had a couple bad buys when pertaining to plane but I was able to get a gem this last fall. I was given a Stanley no.605 Bed Rock for free. It has a tiny chip on tote horn and is a bit dirty but she's still a beautiful beast! 😃

Some interesting non- Stanley planes on the bench here. That last No 5 looks like a Type 11 (1910-1918). Short knob, small Adj. Wheel & I think I see 3 Pat dates in front of the tote. If there's a V logo on the Iron its the original. I have a stable of T 11s from 3-7. Some of them have some odd ball Irons and Knobs but they all have the small wheel and 3 dates.

Great video!!!

Thanks for the abridged video, although I would likely slog through the twenty hour edition. I recently bought dipped my toe into the used plane game. Found a Craftsman #5 size (made by Sargent) $30 at an antique store. It cleaned Up nicely and makes lots of curles. The only drawback is the corrugated wings. When I use it with a shooting board, the corrugated slots dig into my hand. I look forward to many years of use.

Great vid! I am thinking of getting a vintage smoother Stanley #3 or #4 type 12 with bigger adjustment knob ....any suggestions?

Excellent video

Thnx James ......I don't know much about planes and you cleared up some questions I had.......im looking to start doin a lot more of my work with hand tools and this video is a good starting point!!

The Stanley at 11:41 is most likely a type 10 from around WW1 time frame. There looked to be 3 Pat. dates and it has a small depth adjustment. 😁

1st, my screen showed no views. Plane heaven. Also, you kept calling the lateral adjustment lever the lever cap for some reason. You have several there the I would buy at the right price point and restore to useable condition. All in all, a good video. Thanks for sharing.

So what 2 points define these planes does it have anything to do with the rain in Spain

Hi, one of the channels I watch "The Hand Toolery" is mostly a restoration for old tools. The reason I mention this is the product he uses to de-rust tools, "Evapo-rust" this is a none toxic and can be used without any need for gloves and it says that it is safe to dispose of down a house drain. the results he gets are amazing and it can be used again and again. As you will shortly be doing some rust removal I thought you might like to know about this product

was curious what your thoughts are on the miller falls brand when it comes to bench planes

Hangar!!!! Awesome video :D Do you use your No. 8 often? Is there any reason to pick one up if I already have a No. 7?

Great info. I started with a terrible kobalt plane from lowes ... I thought it was me, and in part it was but a larger part was that it was an awful tool. The next one I got was quite good and it was like turning on a light!

Is the SB four Stanley plane worth anything?

Plane handles can always be constructed. Personally - I "would definitely" restore that old n' broken Sargent plane with fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

I always thought that the Craftsman planes with the red frogs were made by Miller Falls? What do you all think? James? In part I'm interested because I own at least one.

Any thoughts on the Millers Falls planes?

Hey James, I have a No. 6 Stanley, in good condition but I think the sole is not perfect. If I decide to true it, do I do so with the blade, etc in place to give the tension it will have later or can it be stripped before trueing? Thanks for the informative video and thanks for your time to answer my question.

I have a couple questions I just bought a few planes the first needs a new handle to make more useable what is a good wood to make out of? Second plane is i think what they call a transitional it has a wood sole and iron frog and frame what should i remake the sole out of i have some pieces of ash, walnut and oak? I am getting back into using hand tools after building a extesiveccollection of power tools over the last 30 ish years.

Hi James, what do you think about wooden planes? I was looking for some traditional Japanese plane and it seems they work good. I personally never used one. I know it's a different world but, what do you think?

That’s a lot of very helpful information. I’m going to be looking for a used block plane at a tool swap meet early in August. Should I use this video as a guide or is their something else I need to look for? Thanks James.

James, u break my heart by saying how easy that is 2 find a stn n5 or 5 1/2...🙏😉 U know why my friend ? Cause i live in Switzerland and here is almost impossible 2 find one...eeven an old rusty one 😥😥😥 would u sell 1 of urs please, the worst u have, no problem, i'll take it... Thank u for this year full of knowledge, thanks 4 sharing 💪💪🙏🙏 Happy christmas and happy new year 4 u and ur family 🙏🥂🙏

Hey James, I just picked up a Sargent 414 at an estate sale for a good price. As far as I can tell it's a type 2. But it appears that the cutting iron and chip breaker have been replaced by Stanley parts. And they don't fit right. I see Sargent chip breakers and irons on ebay. Is there a lot of difference between type 1 2 and 3? Or are chip breakers and cutting irons pretty universal for the 414's?

My first and only attempt at restoring a hand plane was a failure. I spent 10-20 hours and $30 in sandpaper, only to learn that it could not be restored (perhaps as a scrub plane). It's easier to know what to look for when you have actually used one before, which I have not. So my next one I'll just buy new, until I know what to look for. I think most beginning woodworkers should buy their first plane new.

Trustworthy is also made by Stanley

i guess i went cheap and picked up the harbor freight plane but it has a two screw adjustment rather than an adjustment lever, like the one in the video. Im trying to learn and master the tools and techniques with cheap tools to make the learning process stronger. Im having a very difficult time getting it set up properly and not angled one way or the other. Any recommendations?

Thanks, I'm just getting started on my Plane journey. I already had a few block planes, and I have this one un-named bench plane that I'm just trying to identify. It's right at 9" long with a wooden handle and a wooden knob upfront. It is a total of 2" wide. The only words on the entire plane are the words "MADE IN USA" just in front of where the handle meets the base. Near the center of the plane. It has an iron that is 1 5/8th's wide. It's green in color, but I don't think that that means anything. It doesn't appear to be repainted, but what do I know about this? Nothing. It only has a single knob at the top of the "chip breaker" (I think). All and all this plane appears to be super cheap, but I'm really not sure what I'm looking at. Have I said anything that makes you take any notice or ask any questions? I bought this thing at a pawn shop a year or two ago before I knew anything about planes. It was really inexpensive so I bought it. do you think that I got what I paid for? I figure that I probably did. Do you think that it's worth fooling with? It seems really flat, but the mouth isn't adjustable. Thanks, I really like your channel.

I have a Keen kutter that was given to me are they worth using everything is there has a small adjustment knob but seems to work I am new to hand planes ?

The low price you paid are wonderful. In Idaho I paid minimum 10 dollars for even crappy planes. Not sure why that is the case. Maybe less people

I thought I'd mention cracks. They have been my biggest problem when purchasing planes. It seems to be a common problem. I believe if a plane was ever dropped it likely has a crack. I have found that even very very mild rust can make hairline cracks completely invisible until you clean them up. I have even bought one after looking at it intensely for cracks, being 100% positive it had no cracks only to find a crack when cleaning it. I know this doesn't have to be a dealbreaker but its something that really bugs me. I find I just never reach for a plane with a crack. Using it just frustrates me knowing that the crack snuck by me when I bought it.

@4:55 do you think the cheek snapped because someone clamped it in a vise?

There’s a nice old lady that’s selling me 2 Stanley planes one is a #3 and the other is a #4 not sure exactly what type are they but I’m pretty sure I saw some patent # on the back of them, both have some surface rust and both horns are broken. She said $20 each, I told her I’ll think about it, are they worth it??

Are type 17s and 18s good quality wise or are they bad quality?

I got a Stanley Handyman off ebay and does nothing but drive me nuts!

Can some one explain what the numbers mean eg. A number 5; 4; 51/4. No. 10 etc.

I like that craftsman and that 5 1.4 I'm not liking to many baileys.

Off to the swap meets. Ebay is becoming way too expensive. Everybody thinks their plane is an antique worth $200US.

Is he wearing wooden Clogs or is just me? I wonder if they were home made.. that would be taking wood working to a new level :P

Would you be willing to sell any of your #6,7,8s?

I need to build a hanger... to store more wood.

U could post me down a num 7 or 8 mate plz thankslol

It looks like you guys have been using the word 'bonkers' for yonks (AKA 'ages') This is from the Atlantic web site: The precise etymology of “bonkers” is unknown, but it likely came about the way Eric Partridge, in A Dictionary of Forces’ Slang, hinted at in his 1948 definition of the term: “Bonkers, light in the head; slightly drunk. (Navy.) Perhaps from bonk, a blow or punch on the bonce or head.” (“Bonkers” might also be connected to the other verbal senses of “bonk”-to have sex with, as in Mary Roach’s delightfully titled book, or more recently, in endurance sports, to hit a wall.) The word, with its multi-dimensional utility, quickly crossed over to the U.S.; its first known citation in America came in 1965, from the New York Times reporter Israel Shenker, who availed himself of the word’s alliteratively poetic possibilities: “In Paranoia, his newest picture,” Shenker wrote, “Italy’s Marcello Mastroianni goes slowly bonkers sharing bath, bed, and Bedouin with three co-stars.” Since then, “bonkers” has enjoyed life on both sides of the Atlantic, as an adjective and a proper noun: It has given its name to a board game, and an animated TV show, and a children’s party venue in Columbia, Missouri, and a late, lamented brand of chewy candy:

There’s nothing at all wrong with an English made Bailey plane. Made in England, perfectly good for regular use. Even the Handyman models are perfectly useable and to turn your nose up at one as a perfectly serviceable hand plane smacks of snobbery. Disappointing, James.

As a long time wood worker (hobby and professional combined is 50 years or little over) who is now retired, I spend more time sitting around watching videos. As a result, I have been astounded by the sheer volume of videos dealing with plane. I had no idea this plane fetish was so pervasive. As a woodworker, rather than collector, I found them of minimal value. (After borrowing one to fix a sticky bedroom door long ago, I bought one. Years later, I ran across it sitting dusty and rusty and I trashed it.) I am left confused; Do you people drive fasteners with them? Cut boards/panels to length with them??? Judging by the plane fixation, one can only assume this is the only tool some people use. I am just wondering how it's done. (BTW: for half the price of some people's plane collection, they could have a wide drum sander as well as a great power planer. Just an observation...)

you mean: What To Look For When Buying An... OLD... Hand Plane!?!

'Bonkers!' You are the first American that I've heard using this word. It's a great word. I should also introduce you to 'bollocks'. Another fine English word. Your 'bollocks' are your testicles, so it can be used as an insult. Mainly it is used to express poor quality, as in 'What a load of bollocks', or 'you're talking bollocks'. Add it to your vocabulary - start a trend. Incidentally, I used to own a plane that had grooves on the sole, and it did find it easier to use. Unfortunately, I think the grooves compromised the structural integrity of the body, because when it fell off the bench, the sole broke, so I cursed it by yelling 'bollocks'.