Thread: New Stanley planes

Richard,
There have been many who ask the same questions and you will get all sorts of differing opinions.

My view is that the current line of Stanley planes is this. There are better made and more useable tools out there and it would be more encouraging to a beginner to have tools that do not lead to constant frustration etc.

The fact that the pdf you posted has a layout error in the first page picture pretty much sums it up for me. The text on the right side of the pic with the arrow pointing to the "jappaning" (the black paint) would seem more pertinent to the blade and the text pointing to the blade applies to the jappaning.

I know that the tool makers have nothing to do with the artwork or the glossy brochure design but in my view if a company is unable to get simple things like the artwork right, then the quality control throughout is going to be pretty lacklustre.

Have a look at a few different threads in the hand tool forum, search facilities up near the top of the page and these will give you an idea of the depth and breadth of the opinions out there.

Originally Posted by richardlbt

I am looking at a new stanley #4 What i would like to know is
a) Is that plane any good?.

Some people can get these cheap (& nasty) planes to perform, but you'd be lucky to get a reasonable one (poor quality control).

Originally Posted by richardlbt

Which one is it 12-204 or 12-404?.

If you do get one, get the 12-204 (the 12-404 is even nastier)

Originally Posted by richardlbt

b) What other planes should i be looking at to get myself started.?.

Stanley have just brough out a new #4 with a solid frog and thick iron, but it's not available in this part of the world yet (IFAIK). It more expensive than the two you list, but it gets reasonable reviews. Probably you best bet is to pick up a second hand one either from e-bay (if you don't mind fettling it yourself) or from a one of the few who do up old planes. If you can afford one, Clifton, Veritas and Lie-Nielsen make excellent modern planes (google them and have a look).

You will probably need a block plane too.

Cheers, Vann.

If you buy one of the current Stanley/Record planes (even a 'good' one) you will likely spend a great deal of time flattening it, getting the mouth square, squaring up the sides, etc. Some of them are so bad that they are competely unfixable. Been there, done that.

You will also need to buy a decent blade (e.g. Clifton) to replace the rubbish one that comes with it.

So.....LOTS of time and money later, you have yourself a decent plane....

Unless you have a strong desire to learn about tuning planes the hard way, avoid the grief and buy something decent. Veritas or LN work perfectly out of the box, so you can just get on and enjoy your woodworking. If you add up all the time and money spent fixing up a current Stanley product, Veritas starts to look cheap believe me !

i agree mr brush.

when i bought my first stanley no.4 1/2 in northern ireland at the tender age of 17 it was a beautiful hand tool. i lost it 2 years later on a building site.
nobody warned me these tools eventually grow feet and go for walks!

well we have came a long way since those days. stanley has gone down the toilet now. the quality of their hand planes is a disgrace. i would not waste my hard earned cash on third rate tools.
and to think that all the current high quality tool makers use the old stanley planes as a bench mark.

i understand stanley is now researching and developing a whole new line up of planes and chisels.
i believe the pressure from other companies such as lee valley/ veritas and lie nielsen has forced stanley to re-evaluate their current line up of tools.

this is certainly a good thing, the more competition the better. i look forward to seeing the grand old days when a stanley plane was a joy to hold and use.

my advice, buy veritas or lie nielsen.

regards, justin.

What about a HNT Gordon? Good aussie made plane that works well.
Cheers

justin - the person that nicked your old Stanley had good taste; that's why older secondhand Stanley planes still command very good prices on eBay etc.

Stanley have indeed brought out a range of upmarket planes, aimed at competing with LN/Veritas, etc. (and priced not far short of them as well ). Unfortunately, all the reviews I have seen so far have highlighted quality issues with these new Stanley products, so some things don't change it seems.........

HNT Gordon are excellent quality planes, just 'different' to traditional metallic planes.

In fact - there's an idea for richardlbt........the Mujingfang wooden planes would outperform the current Stanley/Record items, and at a fraction of the price.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

justin - the person that nicked your old Stanley had good taste; that's why older secondhand Stanley planes still command very good prices on eBay etc.

Stanley have indeed brought out a range of upmarket planes, aimed at competing with LN/Veritas, etc. (and priced not far short of them as well ). Unfortunately, all the reviews I have seen so far have highlighted quality issues with these new Stanley products, so some things don't change it seems.........

HNT Gordon are excellent quality planes, just 'different' to traditional metallic planes.

In fact - there's an idea for richardlbt........the Mujingfang wooden planes would outperform the current Stanley/Record items, and at a fraction of the price.

Hmm.. think i've seen those around (Mujingfang).... Have not seen any LN/Veritas in Singapore yet. Will look at amazon cause i am getting some T tracks from the US so can ship together. Thanks for all your advice. Will drop the stanley unless i can get an old one. Time to go antique shopping..

I reckon the best way is to pick up older ones at garage sales and markets. A lot of people inherit them and have no idea what to do, and assume because its blunt and rusty its useless. Perhaps look for ones that have only cosmetic rust, and once you sharpen them up they are a joy to use. Reconditioning or replacing handles is sometimes a good project in itself. I've picked up beautiful old Stanleys to use at work from between $10 and $45.

Good luck!

The review of the new Stanley Sweetheart Smoother in Aust Wood Review was less than glowing sadly.

If someone has more time than money then rehabbing an old Stanley and fitting a decent blade would be the way to go. AWR #57 has an article on how to do this.

Well said Ern......

If you have more time than money, fettle an old plane (and learn lots along the way).

If you have more money than time, buy Veritas, LN, or HNT Gordon

If you don't have any money OR time, buy Mujingfang.....

I read that review of the new super duper quality Stanley planes as well, and have seen numerous other reviews online. It seems all they have done is improve the bling factor - nice shiny machining, shiny wooden handles, etc. Unfortunately the same basic machining faults and lack of QA seem to have carried through from the cheaper range

Remember - these were samples supplied by Stanley for review, i.e. they must surely think they were OK . I'd hate to think what you'd get if you or I ordered one.......

Yeah, Stanley must be stuck in a time warp. Good design, poor execution. Do they think a market that appreciates LN or Veritas will be fooled? Maybe they're just aiming at the Dad's gift buyers.

Agree, Muji's good value; just takes a bit of practice if you've been brought up on Stanley types.

Alt is an HNT Gordon Jack kit; a bargain at $105. HNT Gordon - Aussie Jack Kit Plane

Thanks all for your advice.

Finally got my no 4 from ebay. A little pricy though. UK 29 for the plane and UK 21 for postage. Blades a little short, less than an inch from the hole. Need to look out for some new baldes. Cheers and thanks again.

Happy to ship to you from New Zealand if you find anything you like on Trade Me ? New Zealand online auctions and classifieds. Browse, buy and sell online on trademe.co.nz. May work out cheaper than paying pounds?