Thread: HNT Gordon

If I had my time over I think I would purchase the a55 with the screw adjuster. No problem with the planes I have but they do take a bit of getting used to.

Cheers

Yep, great planes, one of the best of its type. I would also buy the a55.


SB

I have one of the Japanese looking smothers. It is very easy to adjust. I like it. You can reverse the blade to use it as a scrapper.

It is about selecting the correct tool for the job.

IF you are working predominately in exotic hardwoods, I.E. from South America, Africa or Australia, then they are well worth investing in HNT Gordon. If you work more temperate hardwoods, like oak, elm, ash, walnut, then their application becomes a little more limited. Because they are bedded at 55º or higher they perform better in difficulty, hard, abrasive timbers with lots of reversing grain. Because there action is closer to scraping cut etc. etc.

A second factor is that 45º the standard bedding angle for most Western planes, is a good compromise between surface finish and planing resistance. The steeper the bedding angle the more work force is needed to keep the plane in motion. I think one high angle plane should be in most peoples arsenal for the occasional problematic timber, however a full armoury of only one type of gun, is limiting, as the saying goes if the only tool you have is a hammer then all problems are nails.

Contrast the above with a Japanese Kanna (plane) bedded around 38º and used mostly on softwoods like cedar. These planes are like spaceship strapped to ice skates. Low cut, low resistance flying through softwood.

I am a temperate hardwood and softwoods convert, there is nothing effeminate about not being a masochist.

IF you have never tried it take a scraper and scrape some pine, the result is not pleasant.

Originally Posted by juryaan

Hello everyone,i am new to this forum and would like some advice on the HNT Gordon planes.
I really like the way they look ,but do they really perform as well as they say?
And then would you prefer the A55 style or the japanese looking ones?
I live in the Netherlands and have no means to try one before i buy one so i try to gather some information before i wil order one.

I have a couple of reviews of HNT Gordon planes on my website:

Smoother and Trying Plane: THE HNT GORDON SMOOTHER and TRYING PLANE

Dado plane: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRev...DadoPlane.html

Spokeshaves: THE HNT GORDON SPOKESHAVES

Superior planes.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I am fortunate to own a number of HNT's (both 'japanese looking' and A55) and (far too many!) metal planes of many types. In any category where l have multiple planes, the HNT usually becomes the go-to plane. The A55 is VERY much easier to set up and adjust so, if you can afford the extra, l would certainly go for an HNT A55 for your common use plane/s. Where HNT has not become my go-to, is any application which MUST be done by low angle and small-always-in-hand planes.
The increasing range of HNT specialised planes contains some real winners with the dado planes being quite simply beautiful.
fletty

I would like to thank everybody for al the advices so far ,it has been very helpful.
I found a internet shop in Europe who sells a few of them(only the two smoothers)
Australian Planes made by HNT Gordon ,i think i wil go for the A55 smoother.
I have one more question before the final decision, since it is a wooden plane does the sole of this plane need a lot of flattening in the future or maybe not at all?

HNT Gordon and Co Classic Plane Makers Australia

Read up on them on Terry's website. I have not had a problem with the base of mine in the 4 years I have had it.

Cheers

Originally Posted by juryaan

I would like to thank everybody for al the advices so far ,it has been very helpful.
I found a internet shop in Europe who sells a few of them(only the two smoothers)
Australian Planes made by HNT Gordon ,i think i wil go for the A55 smoother.
I have one more question before the final decision, since it is a wooden plane does the sole of this plane need a lot of flattening in the future or maybe not at all?

You should check the sole of any plane, be it metal or wood, is flat. A twist or hollow in a steel plane, even a small one is not fun to remove. Wooden planes need a little more checking from time to time but it is easy to flatten them with a little sandpaper on a flat surface.

Cheers

I have the A55 Trying plane, very smooth glider, timber on timber, no other way to describe the smoothness with which it glides.

I really like the ability to micro adjust with the screw thread.

I also have the Curved Sole Spoke Shave, compared to anything else I have used, nothing short of brilliant.

Both of mine are made with Gidgee timber.

My trying plane sole hasn't required much maintenance, other than to use very fine sandpaper atop a piece of glass once, in the last four or so years I have had it. I only needed to reduce minimal material, then into it again.

Straight out of the box both worked very well indeed, re-sharpening is done with a Tormek 7 unit; that combination works extremely well for me.

Mick.