The Plane ol' $'s

[John Saxton]

Have a decko at this and imagine the plastic in overdrive?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1098376550

Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[JackG]

Incredible $20K for a hand plane seems a bit outrageous to me.

Can any of you "wisemen" explain to me why hand places are so damn expensive, $200 seems to be the entry level $400 the average and $1000 not uncommon. Is it the blades ? Is it the hype ? Is it customer willing to pay too much ?

Jack

[derekcohen]

Jack

These planes are just collector items. They sit in someone's cabinet and are admired for their rarity. They may, in fact, be good investments if you know what to buy. Anyway, that's what I tell my wife.

Can you imagine using a $20000 plane? Scary. But, then again, I've been restoring a '57 Porsche 356 over the past 4 years, and you should see what some of the parts sell for on eBay!

Regards

Derek (in Perth)

[John Saxton]

Jack, the cost in handplanes without a doubt is in due defference to the quality control in it's production.
Some are produced that require very little if any "tuning" and can be used straight out of the box,whereas others may require some time spent to bring them up to an acceptable standard before usage.
Generally the cheaper mass produced planes require stripping down on getting the plane home the sole and sides checked for a level flat surface and in most cases will need surfacing ..the mouth will most probably need attention as will the frog, blade,backing plate.
Because the famed producers have limited time relative to each unit produced then downtime in quality control is also measured by its own restrictions.
That dosen't mean that if you buy an expensive plane it won't need attention...but this comes down to your experience...strip the plane in the shop before committing your dollars,check for level surfaces look at the casting if a metal plane check the finish for imperfections that may hinder performance.
Irrespective of the plane the blade is still going to need attention with polishing/honing to attract a keen edge.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[derekcohen]

Johnno is correct that we pay for the degree of tuning in new planes. The LN planes retail for about $800 but you can use these straight out of the box. The only LN I own is the small bronze block plane. It required minimal tuning out of the box. In fact the blade was so sharp that I got about 15 hours of use before it required sharpening. By contrast, my favourite plane is an old (and very cheap - free!) Stanley #3. I must have put a good 15 hours into tuning it, mostly in flattening the base, but it is now probably the equal of a new LN. What I (and Johnno) are getting at is that a good plane does not have to cost the earth if you are prepared to do the tuning instead of letting the factory do it for you. There are a great many second-hand planes around (which is what I buy) and, in fact, the older the better. The pre-1965 steel is reputed to be the best and is unmatched by the newer Stanley and Record planes. It is also possible to upgrade a cheap plane with a aftermarket blade (such as from LN or Hock).

Keep an eye on eBay. There are often good buys to be had if you know what to look for. There are also the rare and collectable planes out there as well but don't use these as your measure of what is good and desirable. They are not collected as user planes or because they were useful planes, but only because they are rare (much like stamps I guess). Personally, I don't own any planes like these and probably never will. My latest acquisition is a 1890 Mathieson coffin smoother, for which I paid the princely sum of $15 on eBay. I spent about 2 hours sharpening the blade and now it slices the thinnest of curls.

Good hunting

Derek (in Perth)

[JackG]

Thanks for the info, I am not looking to buy a new plane I have one which I do not use very often but I was just wondering why they are so expensive. After all you buy a descent small table saw for the price of a top hand plane...

Thanks for your answers.

Jack