Thread: Stanley #7

Originally Posted by Tahlee

Aaahhh the No7 ... great looking piece to adorn the workshop wall .... but really folks how many of them out there actually get used in real production.

My Pope Falcon (circa 1950) is just too heavy and difficult to get a good run up with .... prefer the Stanley SH No 6 any day....

Rob, I think you'll get quite a few dissenting views in this section of the Forum!

Can't speak for the Pope-Falcon version, but my Record 07 (don't know its age, but it has Rosewood handles, so it was possibly born around the time I was) isn't significantly harder to push than the #6 which preceded it, but its longer sole does seem to make straightening an edge easier for me. The 6 was traded soon after the 7 appeared, the 7 gets used almost daily. As my youth is behind me, I do pay more attention to keeping it sharp, and I don't use it for hogging off 1mm thick shavings like I once did, I get the scrub plane out for that, now.

However, each to his own, if the 6 does what you want & you prefer using it, that's the size for you. For the longest time the only bench plane I had was a #5, so it did duty as scrub, jointer, jack & smoother. The addition of several more planes dedicated to those tasks made life several times better for me. I went through a few types & sizes (old & new), before settling on the stable I now run.

There are so many ways to skin a cat - my small collection does all I ask of it (well, most of the time), but I don't think I've ever seen anyone else with a set like mine, even when we do much the same sorts of jobs with them. We all seem to run a different herd when it comes to planes. I'm sure it was ever thus, and the reason why so many sizes & types exist - like back saws!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by markharrison

Corrugated soles cannot make any difference to the friction coefficient.

If you think about that for a moment, friction is the effect of weight over drag. Given that the weight difference between a corrugated sole and a flat sole is negligible, effectively the same weight is being dragged across a smaller surface contact area.

The net difference would be unmeasurable.

.

My understanding is that the thought process behind the corrugated sole was not about drag; more about preventing the sole of the plane (or a part of the sole in a larger plane) forming a localised vacuum seal and "binding" to the surface of the work.

In which case there won't be any drag at all because everything comes to an abrupt halt. Corrugations will maintain air flow beneath the plane at all times.

It has been known to happen. Whether the occurrence is frequent enough, or enough of a serious problem, to require a design and engineering solution is another question.

The answer to the another question probably being no, given that the C sole idea has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

Originally Posted by goodvibes

My understanding is that the thought process behind the corrugated sole was not about drag; more about preventing the sole of the plane (or a part of the sole in a larger plane) forming a localised vacuum seal and "binding" to the surface of the work...

And I'd heard corrigated soles were for green timber - to reduce pitch/tar sticking to the sole...

Who knows

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

That link is a snapshot of recent sales mainly in July and only going back as far as May; as such it shouldn't really be considered a definitive example of pricing. As with everything on E-bay the market is extremely volatile and what sells for a fortune one day will go for peanuts the next; an example is the NOS Stanley HSS iron I just picked over the weekend for $48 shipped; I have never seen one go for less than $100 dollars before now.

I agree, sub $100 7's are not normal; but they are there. Patience is the key; one WILL come around.

I get what you are saying, but my experience is that the (Ebay) pricing structure you talk about is over the longer term more typically aligned with No 6 planes than No7s.

However. The number of people who are prepared to wait for 3 months and spend time each week monitoring what's available to save 50 bucks or so is limited.

I won't wade into the price debates but I have a 'normal' Record 6 and Stanley 8 and a corrugated Stanley 7. I got the corrugated because the price and condition were good - I'd read that the corrugations were intended to reduce the friction between plane and surface but to be honest I think it was just marketing fluff back in the day to sell more planes. Got flat soled planes? Well get these whizz bang corrrrrruuuugaaated planes, they're better, we said so! Don't really see any difference in practice. I think the thinnest stock I've used it on is ~19mm, no real difference between flat and corrugated, to me anyway.

I do tend to use my 6 more than 7, but I've also been lured away from doing all my board prep and jointing by hand so the 7 and 8 don't get as much of an outing these days.

Originally Posted by Tahlee

Aaahhh the No7 ... great looking piece to adorn the workshop wall .... but really folks how many of them out there actually get used in real production.

My Pope Falcon (circa 1950) is just too heavy and difficult to get a good run up with .... prefer the Stanley SH No 6 any day.

Hope No 7 enthusiasts are not offended ... that's just my preference.

Regards

Rob

Somehow I've ended up with three #7s, but I actually prefer using my #8 these days.

Originally Posted by Colin62

Somehow I've ended up with three #7s, but I actually prefer using my #8 these days.

if you ever want to part with one, send me a PM

Originally Posted by Lappa

if you ever want to part with one, send me a PM

The shipping from South Africa will be a killer I think, but if you know of someone who is willing to put one in their luggage, a plan could be made. )

Hi Lappa; if you're still after a jointer plane THIS RECORD 7 has just hit Fleabay; $50 starting bid. It's a pre '56 so it has all the good features such as the better frog. The "WAR FINISH" stamp on the lateral adjustment lever indicates it was made during WW2 where nickel plating wasn't available.

Old post, but just to offer input, for my workshop projects I have jointed quite a few boards, the no 7 is king!
I have a 7, 6, 5 1/2, 5, 4 1/2, 4 and a 3. the 7, the 4 and the 3 do the most work (in that order), sometimes the 5 gets used, but the rest are decorative.

It might be because I'm a noob, but that is what works for me.

Originally Posted by Tahlee

Aaahhh the No7 ... great looking piece to adorn the workshop wall .... but really folks how many of them out there actually get used in real production.

My Pope Falcon (circa 1950) is just too heavy and difficult to get a good run up with .... prefer the Stanley SH No 6 any day.

Hope No 7 enthusiasts are not offended ... that's just my preference.

Regards

Rob

Peter, if you want to try out a 6 and 7 I can grab them from storage on the weekend.

Peter, have you got your #7 ?

Originally Posted by Tahlee

Aaahhh the No7 ... great looking piece to adorn the workshop wall .... but really folks how many of them out there actually get used in real production.

My Pope Falcon (circa 1950) is just too heavy and difficult to get a good run up with .... prefer the Stanley SH No 6 any day.

Hope No 7 enthusiasts are not offended ... that's just my preference.

Regards

Rob

I used to joint boards with a No 6 for years until I lashed out at a tool sale and bought My first 7 . It was a surprise to me how much better it jointed than my 6 for the stuff I do . From then on the 6 had a camber ground into the blade and it is the plane I true up boards on their tops now . Traverse planing on what ever has to be flattened.
I produce for a living and every apprentice I had from that point was made to buy a 7 with the money the Govt coughed up for their tools. A nice fresh tight example is a good way to go . The earlier the better I reckon, as long as it has the large knob at the front and large adjuster wheel.

If you want to offend someone , give them a Bldy Falcon to use for a while .
I did this with apprentices all the time . Give them one to use to smooth boards for days . Get them to sharpen and adjust it in and use it . Then hand them a nice quality Stanley SW no 3 or 4 and let then do the same . Point out all the little things that make a difference and they would spend the day working with that . They always got it straight away . And I didn't have to try and explain it . And they all went and bough the same .

I did have a Blue Pope no 7 . It was a ripper. I sold it to a mate and I wish I didn't . It never gets used now and I see it on his wall looking forgotten.
Rob

I've read in a blog somewhere a suggestion that the main reason for the corrugated sole was a marketing response to concerns by craftsman that the new metallic planes were heavier and harder to push than their wood counterparts. The rationale put forward by manufacturers was that the suction of the sole to the wood was the reason and the corrugated sole was the answer to this issue as it vented the base and could also hold lubricant to further reduce friction and as a bonus they could charge quite a bit more for the corrugated versions. Put up a plausible line of bull and it will continue for over 100 years.
All the best
Jeff