Thread: No 7 Jointer - advice please.

I bought an oldish (50s-60s probably), but very tidy, english #7 for NZ$65, which is about what they typically go for here. I added one of the new blades, and it's awsome - works very well indeed.

I wouldn't bother with a new Stanley or Record.

I agree with Stu - Dont buy a new Stanley or a new Record whatever you do.

There's two camps - buy old/fettle and buy new/ready to go.

If you decide to buy used - you should be able to buy a second hand #7 for well under $200 (probably half that) on ebay or from a second hand tool seller. There's a few sellers on the forum who might come along soon.

Buying new - Depending on how settled on a no.7 you are, a new woodriver no.6 is about $235 from Jim Davey and the Veritas Low Angle Jack is $220 + postage from Lee Valley.

I inherieted a few 1950's planes of various sizes, collected one brand of old ones for a while and then bought 2 Veritas planes. For me the new ones were a revelation, they work right out of the box, the blade steel is high quality, they're shiney...no guessing which side I'm on now.

Cheers,

Sam

Originally Posted by NZStu

I bought an oldish (50s-60s probably), but very tidy, english #7 for NZ$65, which is about what they typically go for here. I added one of the new blades, and it's awsome - works very well indeed.

I wouldn't bother with a new Stanley or Record.

The second hand ones seem to go for a lot more than $65 over here.
I had an unpleasant experience with a new Stanley spoke shave. Rough castings had to be ground off as the cap would not even fit into the tool. I was wondering if the new planes were of similar quality.

No connection but this might be worth watching to gauge the price...

Stanley No.7 Jointer | eBay

Steck,

Don't limit yourself to just a No 7. Keep your eyes out for a No 6. I managed to pick up a No 6 from another forum member at a very reasonable price and it is fantastic.

G'day

I'd also avoid all the new propositions you have put forward. I went through a similar process a few years ago and looked at all the options you have listed and a few more. At that end of the price range the new tools require a lot of fettling to get up to what I consider an acceptable standard and are unpleasant things to use even then. The castings are often rough and unfinished and the general standard of components is low.

I'd recommend going second hand in that price range. One trap to be wary of is that the recent model second hand stanleys are nothing like the quality of the earlier ones. If you do a bit of web searching and read up on the design of stanley planes you'll soon learn what to look out for.

The best "bang for your buck" is probably a 50's or '60s era plane. The castings and hardware are of an acceptable quality and with a little fettling their performance can be brought up to scratch. $120 (+ postage if required) should get you a good user plane from the well-known online aution site. However, you could pick one up at lower cost from markets, garage sales or business closing auctions.

If you want something that will make you smile a little more then consider a pre-WW2 Stanley plane. Good examples are in the $150 price range. The design and manufacturing are of a higher quality and once set up they tend to stay that way longer.

Good luck in your search.

Expect to pay in the region of $100 (plus postage) for a reasonable one off Ebay,
have a look through the "completed items" search function.
The longer you wait the more chance there is of a bargain cropping up.
You can always fettle it up and add a decent blade.

Chris

Originally Posted by steck

The second hand ones seem to go for a lot more than $65 over here.
I had an unpleasant experience with a new Stanley spoke shave. Rough castings had to be ground off as the cap would not even fit into the tool. I was wondering if the new planes were of similar quality.

If you want, I can buy you this for NZ$75 and send it over:

Stanley No.7 Plane | Trade Me


Hell, if you didn't mind waiting a bit, I could bring it over when I'm in Melbourne at the end of February.

EDIT: HA HA - I've just noticed it's Vann that's selling it. My offer still stands.

That plane NZStu has listed is, in my opinion, one of the very best types of Stanley planes ever made. $75 is cheap!

Originally Posted by Horaldic

That plane NZStu has listed is, in my opinion, one of the very best types of Stanley planes ever made. $75 is cheap!

At current exchange rates, that's approx A$57. Being sold by a forum member who's a throroughly good egg and knows his planes. With free delivery to central Melbourne.

Tough decision, no?

Originally Posted by NZStu

At current exchange rates, that's approx A$57. Being sold by a forum member who's a throroughly good egg and knows his planes. With free delivery to central Melbourne.

Tough decision, no?

Hi Stu,
A very generous offer. I will take you up on it.
How will I transfer money to you?
Thanks a heap.
Steve

Originally Posted by NZStu

If you want, I can buy you this for NZ$75 and send it over:

Stanley No.7 Plane | Trade Me


Hell, if you didn't mind waiting a bit, I could bring it over when I'm in Melbourne at the end of February.

EDIT: HA HA - I've just noticed it's Vann that's selling it. My offer still stands.

He sells planes?

I'm shocked!

Originally Posted by seanz

He sells planes?

I'm shocked!

Yes, I had to take a second take when I saw that too.

Steve - I have secured it for you. We'll work out payment etc with Vann.

Originally Posted by seanz

He sells planes?

I'm shocked!

It was a hard decision. For some silly reason I've decided to concentrate on Record planes, and as Seanz has suggested, I have acquired a few. So something had to go.

I've only recently started fettling its replacement (a 1950s Record 07 StaySet) but I have no idea if it will be as good.

So if you find any surface rust on the Stanley - it'll be from my tears

Cheers, Vann.