Thread: Somebody hand me a rolled up newspaper...

You'll excuse me if I feel exactly the opposite Luban. It looks like a damned fine user to me, I'd not be ashamed to have one on these on my bench.

If Stanley are looking to compete in the premium hand tool game again, I'm more than happy to support them at the right price. Dp you know if any are available locally... or when?

Originally Posted by kman-oz

You'll excuse me if I feel exactly the opposite Luban.

excused!

I have no idea about the if and when kman.

fwiw I agree that they look like they may well be great users.. no reason they shouldn't be.. thick blade, adjustable mouth, looks aside the lever cap looks solid and I'm assuming that it acts in place of a cap iron with a bevel of its own.

I'm just a sucker for pretty tools.. they don't have to be old.. just pretty


it's probably also worth me saying that if they do make it to bunnings I'm sure at least the 62 will make it into my shed.. ugly or not

Assuming they're made to similar or (hopefully) higher standards than Stanleys of the past, I'd buy them (if I was in the market for new tools), again, assuming the prices are realistic and not in the LN/LV stratosphere.

The shape of the tote grabs me, it looks ugly and uncomfortable. Make it a bit more curvaceous and I'm sold...

CHeers
Michael

Originally Posted by Slow6

and putting the heart on them is a bit of a cheap attempt.. saw medallion on the tote? anybody?

I don't know.. from those first computer renderings I expected the final plane to improve.. it actually looks cheaper now I think. it looks like a frankenplane to me.

The New 62 looks a little better but still has that gmc router table tote.

Well, I don't mind it at all apart from the handle which looks a little LV-ish to me.
The saw medallion is actually a captive nut as well, that engages the handle bolt that comes up from the bottom.
I think that it could be a good to very good user plane, and I am keen to read a review.
As for the new 62, it also looks the goods, but its handle looks even more clunky.
Again a review will be welcome.
They could both be very good value.
Wait and see.
Cheers
SG

Chris Schwartz has also reported on these:
New Premium Chisels Coming From Stanley in November
Posted 9/17/2008 in All Weblog Posts | Chisels | Handplanes


Stanley Works will unveil a new premium bevel-edge chisel this year that bears some similarities to the company's vaunted Everlasting line of chisels that were made between 1911 and 1942.

Like the Everlasting chisels, the new Stanley chisels will have the blade, head and shank made from one piece of solid steel with wooden scales. The vintage Everlastings were a little different in that the wooden handles completely surrounded the steel shank. The new chisels will have the beech scales infilled into the steel, much like a H.D. Smith perfect-handled screwdriver.

Stanley officials said the chisels will be made from high-carbon steel hardened to 59-62 on the Rockwell "c" hardness scale. The tools will be hand-finished and be available in the following sizes: 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4" and 1-1/2". The tools will be sold individually or in boxed sets of four and six sizes, officials said. They will be available only in woodworking specialty stores. Estimated pricing for the individual chisels is $17.99 to $19.99 each.

Company officials released the two computer renderings shown above. Production models are not yet available for testing.

Stanley has been testing prototypes of this chisel with woodworkers and builders, and 74 percent of those who used it said they'd consider switching to this tool. Because of its heavy-duty construction, Stanley officials said the tool will be ideal for both workshop and installation work.

From a furniture-making perspective, woodworkers will be interested in how narrow the side bevels of these chisels will be. Narrow side bevels are ideal for hand-dovetailing. It's hard to tell from a computer rendering what the tool will look like in steel, so I wouldn't make too much of the illustrations.

Also, many chisel users are keenly interested in how long their chisels will hold an edge. In my book, Stanley has always done well in this department. The yellow-handled Stanley U.K. chisels have always maintained a terrific edge for me. And the company's FatMax chisels have also been surprisingly durable and easy to sharpen (I have a set at home).

We'll obtain a set of these new chisels as soon as we can and report all the details. The chisel market is a crowded one (just open any woodworking catalog), so the quality of these new tools will be closely watched by competitors and consumers.
See
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com...andplanes.aspx

I don't know if they are available yet anywhere, or who will be the Stanley agencies in Australia.
Probably Bunnings and the hardware chains as they carry them now.
Cheers
SG

Trying to claw their way back from ignominy. It would be nice to see them rediscover their roots.

Those chisels look more suited to site carpentry than fine cabinetmaking. The steel through-handle is obviously designed to be struck with a steel hammer rather than a wooden mallet. I can only imagine how uncomfortable the flat end of the handle would be in the palm of the hand and what the weight of the handle would do for the overall balance of the tool. For people like me who endure large hands, there's no scope for re-handling the chisels (without resorting to major surgery).

I disagree with Schwartz about the CAD renderings: If the chisels are produced to the same specs as the CAD models, then they will look exactly like the renderings (the whole purpose of CAD after all and without it, I for one, would be out of business). That's not to say Stanley won't revise the specs prior to production, but at this stage, the "Narrow side bevels" doesn't offer much hope for us pigeon bummers.

I sincerely hope the boffins at Stanley Google "new stanley chisels" regularly (like I suspect they have been doing with the planes) before they translate the CAD models to steel (and a paltry smattering of wood).

I like the look of the planes, but with regard to the chisels, I fear Stanley have neglected the people who actually appreciate quality tools. I certainly won't be buying any of these incarnations of the new chisels. Not happy Stan!

Originally Posted by Woodwould

I like the look of the planes, but with regard to the chisels, I fear Stanley have neglected the people who actually appreciate quality tools. I certainly won't be buying any of these incarnations of the new chisels. Not happy Stan!

Are you suggesting that "the only people who deserve quality tools are the people who do things my way?"

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Are you suggesting that "the only people who deserve quality tools are the people who do things my way?"

Of course! No, you're putting words in my mouth. I think you know perfectly well where I'm coming from.

I was just outside looking for my old beater chisel to cut the steel bands on a crate. I couldn't find the beater and if it doesn't turn up soon, I now know what I'll buy to replace it.

These are some astute observances by Woodwould:

1. The steel through handle is designed to be hit by a steel hammer, and

2. The handle cannot be replaced easily.

If the handle is designed for rough work (hit with a hammer) it suggests outdoor use i.e. carpentry, building. If so you would expect weatherproof handles and not wood.

If it was for interior work then a socket would be the preferred handle; the original Everlastings had leather to insulate the user, these will give you a hand ache fairly quickly. Strange choice, unless the handle is made of faux timber?

The thickness of the edges suggest these are not for fine work, so they do not appear to be very practical, but rather 'pretty' pieces.

Here is a quote from a certain Rob Lee who posts on this forum from time to time, and who is reputed to know a little about handplanes.
While not directly following on in the direction that this thread has gone, it does make interesting reading and gives food for thought.

Hi - While I do have a dog in this fight... I'll throw out a couple of comments...
Firstly - I think they've missed the mark here - as what is really needed is a good quality entry level plane; a replacement for what Record (and long before that, Stanley) used to produce...
I'm not convinced that Stanley, while they do an excellent job in many diverse market segments, has the right corporate culture, or structure, to make this a success. How can they turn out dreck like the 75, and also make a "premium" line? And who're you gonna call if there's any sort of issue with it? Large multi-national corporations just have a very hard time doing "small business" well...
We carried (still have some!) Stanley England planes, as well as Record for many years - and did very well with them, at a price point that made sense. When most of you buy a "premium" product, you are buying the story, the reputation, and the philosophy of a given manufacturer. You are implicitly trusting the manufacturer to deliver a level of quality and suitability to purpose that you can have the confidence is correct. You want a Wenzloff saw, 'cause he's a good guy, is a small business with character, and because you trust that Mike will deliver the value you want... and trust that he has the knowledge to back it up; I doubt many of his customers would view a premium Sandvik the same way...no matter how well it’s made. It’s about a culture of craftsmanship – not production and price – that’s tailed tool thinking…
As far as the country of origin goes - there's no question that good planes can be made in any country - Mexico, China, and India included... all it takes is the will to do so, and a market that's willing to accept it. After all - most of you use measuring instruments made in many of those countries to check your tools... ... why would they not be capable of producing other products? There's already at least one Asian firm producing bronze Bedrocks .... and they've directly "flattered" a few of our products too...
Overall - the trend in the loss of manufacturing jobs in many of our industries continues to trouble me. Every day we see country of origin changes to low cost producers ... and it's hundreds of products annually. The increase in standard of living we've seen in North America over the past decade has largely come from cheaper prices - and not gains in productivity. Yet at the same time - it's the domestic stockholders of public firms and pension funds that demand better returns, and are driving critical manufacturing jobs away. Every day we take another step closer to being a nation of consumers, instead of producers.
As for the woodworking market – I sure don’t think it’s growing. There’s less and less manual activity in our schools, and in our lives. Think of all of the “manufacturing type” activity that is slowly disappearing from our lifestyles – things like sewing, woodworking, mechanical repair … any amount of DIY activity. Yes – the high end will always be there – and while it’s high profile, and vocal, it represents a very diminishing proportion of the industry. To give you a more concrete illustration – we have far more revenue from “rim rollers” to check for prizes on coffee cups, than we do in our best selling plane… and that says a lot right there.
There are far more guitar heroes and poker players than woodworkers, and it's not hard to figure out where the growth continues to be...
Cheers –
Rob
(off the soapbox….)
PS - now if you REALLY wanna see a premium plane....
Edited by Rob Lee (08/26/08 07:40 AM)
Found it here: http://www.norsewoodsmith.com/conten...ium-handplanes


Cheers
SG

As I have said previously on a few occasions, I am happy with my LNs - both planes and chisels.

If I had a shed without good planes and chisels, I doubt if I would consider the new Stanley range.

The chisels as observed by Woodwould have steel handles which none of my mallets would like and I'm hardly going to use a claw hammer.

The planes might be the ants pants but for how long will they be supported? Stanley was going to launch these products last year but but ....... it just didn't happen. I would not like to be left with an orphan tool if the marketing or finance department decided to pull the pin on the elite range.

I am not too concerned about the appearance of the tools, their performance, endurance and ergonomics are far more important to me.

For example, whether I am going to ache after using the plane for a couple of hours per day, if the blade remains sharp and if the tool can repeatedly make floaters is far more important to me than the look of the handle or the the look of the body of the tool.

Because these tools are brand new with no or limited independant reviews I would be quite hesitant.

It looks like a veritas. Know I like veritas but not for the looks though. So for me the new stanleys are a bit ugly but if they can perform I'd at least have a look at them.