Stanley Block Plane

**chook** · 17th January 2014, 10:05 AM

At the Sunday Market this week I bought this Stanley block plane.
The model number is 12-060. It was new, never been used and in its original box.
One like this.
stanley block plane.PNG

Now anybody who knows anything about the quality of newly made Stanley Plane will be shaking their heads and wondering why I would do something so obviously stupid as to pay money for a recently made Stanley plane. Well there are 3 reasons
1. I needed (wanted?) another block plane
2. Last Sunday this was the only block plane for sale at the markets
3. It was only $45 and I only had $45 to spend. I have not yet won the lottery and since I pay for my tools out of my after tax and hard won income and so as much as my heart said get onto the LN web site my head and pocket said something else.

These planes are sold in Bunning’s for $159 and there is no way that they are worth that much money. For not much more you can get a properly made plane from Veritas. But they are worth $45 and I have previous experience with these planes so I knew what I was getting and I figured I could make it work.

So this morning I fiddled with it to make it work. When I put a straight edge across the sole and held it up to the light and could see most of my garden in the gap between the edge and the sole. It was bowed like a banana. Not only that but the surface was covered in machine marks. You could have grated cheese with the thing. But these things are fixable. So after much lapping on a big piece of glass I have for this purpose, the sole is now dead flat and smooth.

Now the blade. The back of the blade was as roughly machined as the sole of the plane and was not at all flat. But again this is fixable and a bit of time on some water stones soon had the back polished and flat.

The little booklet that comes with the plane advises the innocent to grind the main bevel at 25 degrees and to put a secondary bevel on the edge at 30 degrees. I only put a 27 degree secondary bevel. The blade came from the factory with the bevel not ground square to the sides. But again this is easily fixed and in no time I had the thing square and sharp, very sharp.

The rest of the plane is okay. The blade sits firmly on the bed of the plane and all of the knobs and adjustments work well. There is almost no backlash in the depth adjustment screw. Perhaps the blade is rather thinner than the A2 blade on my Veritas smoother or the after market PMV11 blade I put on a no 7 jointer but that is what you get for $45. (For $159 I would expect more.) Since I have not had it long I do not know how it will hold an edge but it seems easy to sharpen and so I will live with what I get.

So how does it work? Very well as a matter of fact. I can get transparently thin shavings (less than 1.5 thousandths of an inch) along the grain and across the end grain on all the timbers I tried it on, with one exception. I tested it on radiata pine, silky oak, Tasmanian Myrtle, Huon Pine, and Jarrah. It met its match on the Jarrah. The timber is old and rock hard. The plane and I struggled across the end grain of it. But in every other case I got a really nice full width shaving and a silky surface. I don’t make much out of Jarrah anyway, so this is not an issue for me.

So for $45 I have got a nice serviceable little plane that does what I want in the timbers I use. I am pleased with the result. There is no way I would ever part with $159 for one but for $45 and a few hours grinding (which I enjoy) I am content.

That said though I wonder who is the intended market for these planes? I knew what I was getting. I knew it would need fixing and I have both the experience and equipment to do so. And I like doing it. But they sell these in hardware stores to the unaware and innocent. Readers of this forum are not typical handymen. Your presence in this hand tool forum indicates a particular interest and likely skill set that will not be found in the general population. A common man thinks he needs a plane and he goes to Bunnings to get one. "Ah Stanley!" he says, remembering that his Grandfather had one of those in his shed. And he thinks that he is getting a quality bit of gear. He pays top dollar for the thing. He could get any number of cheaper planes for a lot less than $159 but he wants a good one and he knows that Stanley make good tools. So he takes it home, unpacks it and attacks a bit of wood with the thing and it does not work very well. So then he reads the instructions and sees something about sharpening. So he grabs his old and not very flat oil stone and gives the bevel a bit of a rub and the plane still does not work very well! Nobody told him to lap the sole. Nobody told him that before you go grinding any bevels the back of the blade needs to be flat and polished. You take it for granted. Your non-woody friends have never heard of it.

I also wonder about the quality control at the factory that made it. This is the second one of these I have bought and done up (and it graces the shed of my son-in-law) and they have both been the same. I checked out one in Bunnings yesterday. It was in the same condition. If they sold for very much less and if they came with a statement saying something about what needed to be done before use then fair enough. But they don't.

But perhaps there is a reason. I just finished a tool cabinet. I took me ages to make and it is done to the best standard I am currently able to produce. Time was not a factor. I wanted it made as best as I could make it. But Stanley do not have this luxury. They don't even exist to make tools, in the end. Stanley exists to make a profit. And they live in a competitive world. I suppose that if I was reliant upon making and selling tool cabinets for a living I might become more aware of the value of time. Perhaps Stanley have decided that to compete in a competitive market some compromises are necessary. I am not a businessman, not even close and I do not understand the pressures that these companies come under. This is just my guess.

**Thumbthumper** · 17th January 2014, 10:48 AM

I have this identical plane.
It was my first block plane before I understood the virtues of, and the fun in restoring vintage planes. It was $125 from Bunnings (a birthday voucher).

It needed work on the sole, it was bowed and covered in machine marks as chook stated, but it didn't take long to lap. I relieved the sharp edges carefully with a file.
All the adjustments worked well apart from the mouth adjustment, which needs a bit of finger pressure at the tip to close the mouth right up. There's a fair bit of slack in the mouth lever.
The normal sort of work was needed for the iron. I can get it scary sharp and it seems to hold it's edge well.

The sides weren't exactly square, but I use this plane on my shooting board often, compensating with lateral adjustment (I didn't bother lapping the sides). It handles end grain (even on the harder timbers) very well.

I like this plane and I'll keep using it as my go to low angle block plane. I've had it for many years now and it's built up quite a nice patina

.

Is it worth $125 (or $159)?
No.
But it's definitely worth $45. Good score chook.

**Simplicity** · 17th January 2014, 11:30 AM

That was excellent read thanks chook
I can clearly see your rational thought well done

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**orraloon** · 17th January 2014, 01:15 PM

Chook,
That about sums up the tool experience for a lot of us on here and gives credit to this forum for giving the knowhow to allow us to make these so called tools work. It is surprising that stanley and others get away with selling planes that dont work without a full makeover. What happened to fit for purpose.
That said the end of the world is not quite on us yet as there are some reasonable working planes at the lower end of the market. I had been looking for an adjustable mouth block plane a couple of years back and always got out bid on the good old ones. Saw a no name one in McJings for $60 and it worked right out of the box. My other plesent plane surprise was a $10 wood body smoother in Aldi. I guess finding the odd bargin is what keeps us in the tool hunt.
Regards
John

**DSEL74** · 17th January 2014, 02:16 PM

I have wondered about those McJings planes if they were any good. I'd rather pay $60 for a No-Name hat works out of the box than $159 for a Stanley that needs considerable hours work to function.

But i must say Stanley must have gathered considerable good will and reputation in their time, to still be trading on it long after the quality was left behind.

**jimbur** · 17th January 2014, 03:14 PM

I enjoyed the journey Chook (and the fact that there was a destination).
I wondered what sort of mark-up the retailers are putting on these planes.

**Ozziespur** · 20th January 2014, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by jimbur

I enjoyed the journey Chook (and the fact that there was a destination).
I wondered what sort of mark-up the retailers are putting on these planes.

$158.00

**chook** · 20th January 2014, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Ozziespur

$158.00

Yep $156. (not $158 as I sais previously) Hard to believe. I checked it out on the net and went to Bunnings to see first hand. Here is the link to the Bunnings Web site.
Stanley Hand Plane 150x35mm Block Adjustable 12-060 I/N 5767091 | Bunnings Warehouse

When you consider what else lives in the neighbourhood of $150 to $200 then you have to wonder about the price. There is no way I personally would pay that much for a plane that requires so much work to get it going. But to be fair, now I have got it in decent condition it does work really well on the timbers I use. I have no doubt that for 5 to 8 times as much I could have had a better plane but that is only to be expected. It was most definitely worth $45 plus 2 hours of fun fixing it and I am very glad I have it.

**jimbur** · 20th January 2014, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Ozziespur

$158.00

I meant the mark-up on the cost price.

**chook** · 20th January 2014, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by jimbur

I meant the mark-up on the cost price.

I wonder what the cost price would be? Bunnings buys in bulk and would get them at a good price. Stanley mass produce them, with apparently little concern for attention to detail and they are made out of basic materials. I don't imagine the unit cost of production would be very high. But I know nothing about business so I might be wrong.

**Simplicity** · 20th January 2014, 03:21 PM

A lot of retail in oz is based on 100/150% even more in some cases mark up

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**DSEL74** · 20th January 2014, 03:32 PM

Kmart used to sell a padlock for $12, they were buying it from the wholesaler for 0.40c and wanted it cheaper! Imagine what the manufacturer actually produced it for? (It may have been 5-7c but my memory is a bit sketchy on that part).

We bought a pedestal fan during the heat wave last week from target for $16, the table top was $12. The fan has a motor, wiring, plus many parts and is cheap. I imagine bunnings buying power will be much the same so I doubt they pay much for the product at all.

**Ratbag** · 28th January 2014, 09:28 PM

My little Stanley 060 1/2 is my most used plane. As a user, I've never really fettled it too finely, just a bit of lapping on a 8 x 3" fine diamond plate with water.

But it cuts beautifully. I've had it about 30 years, and it's on it's 3rd blade. The depth adjustment is a bit dodgy, but otherwise it will produce the thinnest wafers in the hardest of timber & the crankiest of grains.

As a user I love it's pocketability, & recently rewarded it with a leather pouch. I've dropped it heaps of times, with little or no damage, but if it ever cracks I would buy another (second hand).

It isn't necessarily the best looking, nor the best constructed tool. The dissimilar metals used in the 2 parts of the sole, for example aren't as elegant as they could be.

But it's just so damned useful. I use it for all sorts: ply (its original, intended use), plastics, glue lines, fine trimming, chamfering & bevelling & for finishing end grain.

I use mine almost always diagonally, seldom straight. Don't really know why, but it just seems to work better that way.

**chook** · 29th January 2014, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by Ratbag

My little Stanley 060 1/2 is my most used plane. As a user, I've never really fettled it too finely, just a bit of lapping on a 8 x 3" fine diamond plate with water.

But it cuts beautifully. I've had it about 30 years, and it's on it's 3rd blade. The depth adjustment is a bit dodgy, but otherwise it will produce the thinnest wafers in the hardest of timber & the crankiest of grains.

As a user I love it's pocketability, & recently rewarded it with a leather pouch. I've dropped it heaps of times, with little or no damage, but if it ever cracks I would buy another (second hand).

It isn't necessarily the best looking, nor the best constructed tool. The dissimilar metals used in the 2 parts of the sole, for example aren't as elegant as they could be.

But it's just so damned useful. I use it for all sorts: ply (its original, intended use), plastics, glue lines, fine trimming, chamfering & bevelling & for finishing end grain.

I use mine almost always diagonally, seldom straight. Don't really know why, but it just seems to work better that way.

There are some tools, that at the right price are worth the effort to make work. This is one of them. Mine works like yours and is all I need in a block plane. Some tools are just so horrible that they are not worth the effort. I had some spokeshaves that chattered like they were girls at a birthday party and no amount of reasonable effort made them any better. Radical surgery was required but sometimes the recycling bin is a good option.

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