Thread: Luban Hand tools

I believe that Luban planes are made by Quansheng who also make Wood River planes.
These are very similar in design to Lie Nielsen planes.
The quality is OK but they are not LN or LV.

It seems the Quansheng factory produces planes at different levels of finish for different resellers at different price points.

I have Luban #1 which I purchased as an ornament.
I would never justify a Stanley and its way too small for my hand.
It is nicely made but has the same issue as some LN planes in that you can't set the cap iron/chip breaker very close to the edge of the blade.

At the Brisbane TWWWS I got the opportunity to examine the Wood River plans on Jim Davies' stall and the Luban planes on the McJing stand; both were surprisingly well made compared to other Stanley clones such as Anant and Kunz. Hiroller's comment about Quenshang producing varying quality according to the reseller's requirements would seem to hold water as the Wood River's were very pretty; they've even copied the Stanley "knuckle" lever cap on one of their block planes.

I would say that the Luban's are more utilitarian and the WR's are a more premium quality taking into consideration the lower costs compared to LV & LN.

IanW purchased a Luban copy of a Record 2506 side rebate plane at the show for only $85 from the McJing stall; perhaps you could PM him and ask his opinion. I'm still kicking myself now for not buying it myself; especially as I could use one RIGHT NOW!

I got a block plane from McJings for $60 a few years back. Very solid and works well. Not as classy as LN or Veratas but does do the job quite well. Better than Stanley or Record put out. I think that Luban items are perhaps slightly better finished than the McJing gear.
Regards
John

I see in the UK they come with a lifetime of the owner warranty. In Australia 5 years. I have a Woodriver 4 1/2 and it is well made.
Regards,
Ross

I prefer to spend the money on LN or LV and be done with it for the "core" planes that I know I'll use a lot - block, smoother, jack, etc. However, for other items which I'll only use from time to time, Wood River is more than good enough. Picked up a Wood River #7 from Jim Davey when they first became available, and no complaints at all. LN in particular get very expensive in larger planes, and the Wood River is a much more reasonable price. Sure it doesn't quite have the quality feel, but it is 95% of the plane at about 50% of the price !

I've got a #5 and two block planes that I bought from McJing. Very minor fettling required compared to a modern Stanley or Record, definitely a step above. If you're not a millionaire and want a 'user' you can't go too far wrong with a Luban and Max and his wife are always a pleasure to deal with.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

....IanW purchased a Luban copy of a Record 2506 side rebate plane at the show for only $85 from the McJing stall; perhaps you could PM him and ask his opinion. I'm still kicking myself now for not buying it myself; especially as I could use one RIGHT NOW!...

Ya gotta be decisive, CT.
I know the feeling, a few months ago I was dithering over an old Stanley #79, which was in reasonable nick & selling for about the same price. But I decided I should "think about it" & not be impulsive. Of course by the time I decided I did want it, & went back, it was long gone...

I have only had a quick test drive of the McJing plane, so don't take this as a "review". While you are sort of right in calling it a Record 2506 copy, it isn't quite. The blades are much shorter, and sit in a slight recess, which makes it very awkward to get at them to adjust the depth of cut. The best method I have found so far is to get a very small screwdriver in there & twist it to push the blades forward. There is also a mild flaw in the system in that a single keeper holds both blades, so you have a bit of fun getting both blades adjusted at once (this is also the case with the 2506, so not unique to the McJing). I gave up on my first attempt to get them both cutting equally and just got the blade for a right-hand cut working well. Once I had that working I tried it on a couple of shallow rebates, both with & across the grain & it peeled off shavings satisfactorily. I'll get back to it at a later date, and give a report once I have given it a good workout.

On the plus side, it is very nicely machined, and the Bubinga knob is spiffy. Once I sort it out, I think it will do its job more than adequately. We'll see....

Cheers,

I agree that the current Record and Stanley offerings should be quietly forgotten about, and consigned to history. The name persists, but that's about all. Much better products to be had from a variety of Chinese factories/brandnames.

Thanks for all the replies, I am looking at these as a gift for a friends wife who is taking up woodworking and I do not want to supply Stanley and these seem to
be a good quality item I will be the go to person for any help mate knows absolutely nothing about wood work, might send off a order

If they are made of the same stuff as Woodriver planes they should be pretty durable. Have a look at Chris Schwarz - smashing planes on YouTube.
Regards,
Ross