Thread: Block Plane Price Differences

Look at them side by side and the difference in quality should be easily visible. The veritas is finely machined and finished, the home brand is not. All that extra work is what you're paying for

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Look at them side by side and the difference in quality should be easily visible. The veritas is finely machined and finished, the home brand is not. All that extra work is what you're paying for

I've only looked at them online so it's pretty hard to see differences like that.

Does the fine machining make a difference in practical terms - i.e. when the tool is in use?

Originally Posted by cpsmusic

Hi,

I'm looking to get a block plane. I've had a look on Carbatec and they seem to vary in price a lot - a Veritas is $279, an Irwin is $199 and their own brand is $74.

Just wondering what the difference between these is? Why is there such a large price difference between the Carbatec and the Veritas?

Cheers,

Chris

The differences are $80 and $205.

Chris, the differences in quality are probably greater than this.

I am not a great fan of the Veritas LA Block Plane - it is excellent and will suit someone, but it is a wide plane and I just find it too large for my hand.

My preference is the LN 102, which is $219 and available from Henry Eckert: https://www.henryeckert.com/index.ph...product_id=300

Both Veritas and Lie Nielsen make models with adjustable mouths, both excellent, with the Veritas shading the LN for ergonomics: Back to Tool Reviews

Regards from Perth

Derek

It may be possible to get the Carbatec plane up to a usable standard, but there's likely to be a lot of fettleing involved. The kind of problems you're likely to strike are non flat soles, sides not at 90 degrees to the sole, poorly machined bed and less than great blade. If you can't bring yourself to spend the money on a Lie Nielsen or a Veritas there are other options that are a big step up on the Irwin and Carbatec offerings.

From the prices you've quoted I guess you're looking at a low angle version? Have a look at the second two offerings from McJing here - https://mcjing.com.au/searchresult.a...=block%20plane or these from Fine Tools - Luban Block Planes - Fine Tools Australia. These planes are made in China by Quiangsheng, the same company that makes Wood River, you'll find they're a fabulous tool for the money.

Originally Posted by cpsmusic

Does the fine machining make a difference in practical terms - i.e. when the tool is in use?

it depends on what you're using the plane for and what you expect it to do for you.

Disclaimer -- I have a soft spot for block planes.

One on mine is permanently setup for the finest of fine shavings, another for a coarser shaving. and another, and another.

Fine machining doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference when taking a rank shaving, but when you just want to take off the thickness of a human hair or less, it does.

Check out the veritas apron plane (it's a corker), similar to Derek's 102 but $159.
Also look at finetools.com.au for Luban brand planes, generally they seem good value.

Block planes are different things to different people. For me, their biggest advantage is portability. There there are millions of them out there & you can often pick up a half-decent 2nd-hand one for small change. Just about any of them can be made to work reasonably well, particularly for the relatively un-demanding work I expect of them. For my purposes, block planes have fairly limited application, they are used usually as a one-handed tool for easing edges and getting into hard-to-reach places. That's not to say they don't get used daily, they do, & I wouldn't be without at least one.

My favourite is the LV 'Apron plane', for the reasons mentioned, but if you can find an old Stanley 61 1/2, it's almost as small as the apron plane & just as handy. If you want to use your block plane to do more substantial work, the longer & bigger the better. That said, I can't see the point of using block planes for substantial tasks, I would far rather spend my money on a decent small smoother that's been made with two-handed use in mind. They can be just as versatile & far more comfortable to use.

Cheers,

I wouldn't be too keen to suggest the wood responds any differently with an expensive block plane. The primary difference in performance lies within the users ability to apply and maintain a sharp cutting edge.

Originally Posted by planemaker

I wouldn't be too keen to suggest the wood responds any differently with an expensive block plane. The primary difference in performance lies within the users ability to apply and maintain a sharp cutting edge.

there's three, possibly four performance issues, of which blade sharpness is only one.
others are,
cutting angle
blade support
user experience / ability

as elan noted above, a purchaser has a choice
pay a manufacture to tune the block plane during manufacture or invest you own time and materials in doing it yourself

Originally Posted by ian

there's three, possibly four performance issues, of which blade sharpness is only one.
others are,
cutting angle
blade support
user experience / ability

as elan noted above, a purchaser has a choice
pay a manufacture to tune the block plane during manufacture or invest you own time and materials in doing it yourself

Setup is a big one. I actually bought a new Stanley low angle block plane off Amazon and the quality control on it was horrific. Took me a good hour to get the sole flat and it was only then that I realised it had a fault with the mouth opening which prevented the blade from getting even contact with the bed of the plane. Wound up returning it and was so put off that I'm likely going to order a Veritas/LN if I can't find an old Stanley 60 1/2.

Bueller; the only thing I had to do with my cheaper Stanley Low Angle Block Plane is maintain a sharp edge on the blade. A basic understanding on how to maintain a sharp edge on your tools aint rocket science, but its of fundamental importance above the brand of the tool.

Originally Posted by planemaker

Bueller; the only thing I had to do with my cheaper Stanley Low Angle Block Plane is maintain a sharp edge on the blade.

You got a good one then, mine was far from it. Read the reviews on Amazon, tons of other people had the same problem.

Hi, I've taken the plunge and bought a Luban from Fine Tools Australia.

Thanks for the answers. From what I've gathered here and elsewhere, an expensive plane is more-or-less guaranteed to be of high quality whereas a cheaper one might be good or might be poor.

Cheers!

Let us know how it goes once you've had time to play!