An excellent demonstration of how knowing how to true up a tool shows that Harbor Freight’s can most often deliver excellent results in knowledgeable hands...
I've never had any plane from anywhere that didn't need some fine tuning. If it weren't for Harbor Freight, pawn shops and auctions I couldn't afford to own tools. And the two screw adjusting system is a joy to use when you finally get the hang of it.
I have the Harbor Freight plane of that style. After sharpening the plane blade it works fine. Paul Sellers called this style plane, when made by Stanley, "junk." It is not a great plane, but can be made usable at a low price.
I have a lot of trouble setting the blade depth and getting the blade to be even in my plane. I am really not liking the twin screw adjustment. Any tips?
@_ David _ i got both because i didn't tune this one in the video properly, now with this video i got it goin' good but i'm still having trouble with the jack plane. hmm. getting the hang of it.
I also bought this plane years ago as an impulse buy. I don't use a plane offended in my shop (I'm a woodturner) but I needed one for a project and got this one. I didn't know any of the tuning tricks you just showed and used it right out of the box (after honing it). I worked ok, but I wondered why it didn't work better. Now I know!! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏾
I have one. I didn't flatten the sole but I did sharpen the blade. I was able to easily adjust this plane to take whisper thin shavings. While the sole is not perfectly smooth a little Johnson's wax helps in that regard. There are differing opinions on the necessity of taking the time to make the sole perfectly flat, assuming the sole is reasonably flat "as is." I am well pleased with this plane, especially considering its price. Keep in mind it's a considerably smaller plane than a Stanley #4. I have a dozen or so Stanley planes but I feel this plane would work well for anyone on a budget and who is able to sharpen the blade properly and make the simple adjustments that are required.
As we say in photography "The camera doesn’t make the image." A brilliant and sensible video that goes against the hype espoused by other channels, very well done indeed.
A bad photographer will make bad pictures with the best camera but the best photographer will never produce sharp pictures with a terrible camera if it's literally incapable of producing a decent picture. Funny that people see this video and think this is producing good result. I see it as a cheap tool that can do a job but is extremely annoying to use, definitely not enjoyable, and will turn people away from the hobby if they expect anything else. For someone who wants a cheap tool and knows what it will be like, this will do a job, but not much more.
I just purchased one as I'm just starting with woodworking, and I also purchased the Stanley 62 sweetheart low block plane too. Thanks for your help and video
I've got several cheap tools like that laying around my shop. Most of them were gifts that I never use, but they're great to keep around when someone asks to borrow a tool.
The current low end Stanley planes make that look like a desirable bench plane. I got a #4 and the same tuning up took me probably 10x the time you spent on the HF one. probably 7 hours just lapping the sole on a poured glass surface with 60/80 grit sandpaper. Add a couple hours on the back of the blade, the edge was cambered, but only on one side, and decidedly tridimensional, the chipbreaker sat 1.5mm (1/16") away from the blade, with one side rounded and one at 90°. Turned out it wasn't just the front of the chipbreaker but the back that sat uneven, so some more time on that. The lock was completely square so I had to grind it for it to have a locking action. The frog was lopsided, too,and I had to epoxy the squeaky handles. It was a new. It was a gift that could not be returned. It couldn't cut pine or MDF out of the box. Not even kidding here, so to me, this was a positive review.
Bought one the other day. Out of the box it looked like a disaster. I am knew at woodworking so wanted to use this as a learning tool to flatten the base and sharpen the blade. Thanks for your video.
First of all, thank you for this video! I feel like I just had a crash course in plane adjustment. I bought one of these planes today because I thought what the heck? Its a $13 (2024) plane. As soon as I got home I opened the box, inspected the tool and went to RUclips and stumbled upon your video. I believe “Windsor” Design may have also seen this video. 7 years later, my blade is square and straight and quite sharp. I’m going to use a fine stone and strop on it just to fine tune it. The base needs flattening, so thank you for teaching us how to do it. I saw another video and the craftsman said this type of blade adjustment is popular in Europe. So maybe this plane has visited Windsor? Anyway, my only issue is the grip. I have big hands and long fingers and find the grip a bit dainty. I’ll probably make a slightly beefier grip. If i do I’ll make a video of that project. Thanks so much!
This is my first plane, and I know little to nothing about planes, but I felt if I could learn this plane it would be downhill after that. Thanks for the tips, I will work it until I'm comfortable with it!
I use mine all the time and yes it needed a tune up, flattering and a little file work on the gullet Great. For beginners to learn how to set one up and understand the mechanics. I started flattening on 36 grit on glass plate then worked up 100 to300 grit at a time to 1000. Same for the blade back. The bevel started at 300. I flattened the frog with a large med bastard file in a vice. Do not overtighten. Same with gullet. Waxed the faces and wala it Compares to my Stanley's. I put an hour into it, but probably could have done less to it. It was fun to fix it up.
I picked one of these because I wanted the marks of a hand plane in the finish I was going for. I simply took it out and adjusted the blade and went to planing. It was yellow pine a d it cut it like butter and the scrub grind left the look I wanted. I will use it as a quick go to for breaking corners and leaving the scrub finishes as originally intended. Some folks pay $10 just wanting something to complain about because it's not the quality of a high end tool.
thanks man, in just starting out with working and been saving for a proper plane, but I got this one today, haven't opened it yet, first thing I did was see if someone who knew what they were doing could use one at all. hopefully after tuning it up I can get a feel for it. thanks for the experiment
Most things from Harbor Freight are about that quality. Ive bought a ton of tools from there mostly for woodworking. I can tell you that for the price, which most time is at least half the price of similar products they are of the same quality if not better. Realistically I have spent about 400 dollars there. Had I went somewhere else I would have easily spent over a thousand. For a hobby woodworker, I have no complaints about Harbor Freight. There is no way that anyone with a reasonable brain could expect to spend 10 dollars and get a 50 dollar product with something like that. Harbor Freight is built for poorer folk that want to get into something rather than splurging a large amount on something they may not be interested in. I would gladly give Harbor Freight money straight out my pocket for saving me the money they have. I do not mind spending some time on tuning up my tools, in fact it has made me respect them and when I can afford the grandioso name brands then I will treat them with the respect that they deserve for the workmanship put in. I can say however that I would not respect the woodworking community to the extent that I do if they werent they type to put in a little extra work.
All this is dependent upon the item. So e things are great for the price, like their f clamps, and especially consumables, but I can't say that you get near the quality comparing their tools to my good ones when it comes to planes, or saws, power tools etc. That being said, I wouldn't have half the tools I do if it weren't for harbor freight!
You are a much more patient man than I am Marty. I bought a cheap footprint from Home Depot "you get what you pay for" is definitely a true statement. Sole wasn't flat....fixed that. Sides were not square.....fine..its no shooting plane. filed up the mouth...sharpened the blade. Still need to clean up the chip breaker....it jams up and clogs the blade. Nothing time and work cannot fix. I will go back to it ...eventually.
+Garry R Sometimes I don't feel like doing any real woodworking, so it's nice to have misc projects that you can spend an hour or so on. I'll get some use out of this plane in the upcoming years.
If the Japanese workers can make a plane out of just wood and a blade and do the job that is unbelievable then I think we can get this plane to work and do the job we need
I bought one of these to turn into a scrub plane. I took the body to work and milled the mouth wider (I'm a machinist) and put a 3" radius on the blade. This makes a great (cheap) scrub plane, although the tote is a bit small.
Good Review. I was skeptical about that plane but after watching you tune that one I think ill pick one up and practice my tuning skills. Thumbs up, Marty.
@ 17:45 I agree!:) I didn't know what I was doing, but decided to try to trim some edgebanding with this right out of the box and ended up gouging the ply. Fortunately, I think I can sand it out, but this video has been super helpful. I was particularly glad for the guidance on flattening the bottom. Thank you!
Thanks for the video! I've been eyeing this plane since I tuned up an old $10 Stanley 4 thrift shop find. The Stanley tuned up great and I'd love a good cheap scrub. This might be my choice now.
I bought one today and turned it into a scrub plane. The lever cap kept popping off randomly. I flattened the bottom it, which had a sand casting finish. I also undercut the slot for the screw to the sole so that the cap slides down the way and the problem stopped. It takes a full sixteenth inch shaving through knots in weathered red oak.
I wanted to get into woodworking with hand tools and wasn't sure i wanted to put forth the large investment in some good quality planes chisels and whatnot so I went to harbor freight. Got this plane and a set of chisels. Exactly as you said "destroy anything they touch" and so it was a bit discouraging but I started watching videos similar to this one and finally had the same result. Been learning with what I got and its been fun but now I know that its something I definitely want to spend a little extra money but at least I was able to get the cheap products and make them work better with a little fine tuning before spending some serious money on something i wasn't sure i wanted to do. Loved this video definitely covers some of the downsides of this tool from harbor freight but its an expectation to not get the best quality from there
Don't have any hand planes yet, but I will look into one. It appears this will be a good intro for me. Thanks for the how to video as well. I always appreciate a good tutorial from an experienced person.👍
I followed your video exactly after I was given one of these planes by a friend who replaced it with a Veritas plane. He said my HF plane is almost as good as his very expensive plane other than the blade adjusters. 2 hours of work between sole, blade, and sides.
Thanks Marty. Everything considered, you can't beat Harbor Freight tools. BUT, buy them knowing that they well may need repairs, tweeking or modifying. Personally, I have a Harbor Freight, a Lowes and a Home Depot within a mile stretch of the same street and always shop HF first. It's just painful paying five times the money at HD and Lowes! LOL all the best, Charlie
+Charlie Zellner Yeah, I'm certainly not above buying HB stuff, but you need to know what you're getting into. A lot of it is junk, but a lot is serviceable too. Thanks for watching.
Just got mine all flattened and sharpened up. Took about two and a half to three hours. I am very pleased at this cheap little plane. And I didn't have to take a loan out to buy it
I have this same plane and haven't tuned it. Hated the awkward bade adjustment so its been collecting dust. I have a decent 7 plane that I restored last year and its my goto for most plane work. Nice to know tuning this one makes a difference. thanks for posting.
+Sean C Wow, using a No 7 for general purpose work is unique for sure, although I've heard of a few other woodworkers who do the same. Yes, the No 33 blade adjustment is awkward at first, but not for long. Someday you should tune it up, you'll find a use for it. Thanks for watching.
Great video. I picked one up recently and worked a couple of hours tuning. The sole is concave by .003" which required 20 plus feet of 60 grit self adhesive sandpaper to reduce this to .0015". QC is highly variable piece-to-piece.
+Buck Rogers Thanks. 20 feet! Wow, that sounds horrible. I hope at least in the end to got it to perform reasonably well. Your QC comment is certainly true.
+Marty Backe Yes, the tuning paid off. It planes acceptably. I went to Harbor Freight today to buy a low cost roll of 80 grit sandpaper. I consumed half a roll of my automotive medium grit paper flattening the shoe. So, to prove I have a masochistic streak I bought a 2nd no. 33 plane. It has the same problems of the first one I bought. The sole is uneven but not as bad. The rear handle required adding a washer to the screw stack to permit enough clamping force to the wood handle before the screw bottomed out. There is still more to do to the iron and adjusting screws besides sharpening the iron. I did plane some pine with the factory edge. It did OK. Bill
I have the same plane and the adjustment screws are either bent or misaligned. I removed them and tap it with a hammer to adjust. That seems to work well.
Point well demonstrated... Before using that out of the box jagged edge blade, out of flat sole, out of flat blade & making it all right first. You have a $10.00, fully functional plane. I did cringe at the use of a high speed grinder wheel on a plane blade, however I forgive you! Lol... After considerable time spent on the sharpening plates, you got some good shavings off that piece of poplar from a $10.00 Harbor Freight Plane. Well done. Bill on the Hill... :-)
Someone gave me one of these 'Windsor' planes (may be the exact model!). I've never had or used a plane before. I'm sure your vast experience with sharpening went a LONG way with it, but it does give me hope for mine! Thank you for the video!
+Walter Kessler It's a perfect beginner plane in a way. You can practice sharpening it and flattening the sole without worrying about ruining something that costs a lot of money. It'll make you appreciate the nicer planes when/if you do more with hand tools. Good luck.
Very true. I want to get a set of chisels as well. I have no sharpening equipment (part of the reason the plane is still in the box). I'm still waffling between stones of diamond plates.
+Walter Kessler I was fully converted to diamond stones after learning from Paul Sellers the convex method of sharpening. He has a whole series of diamond plate based sharpening on RUclips. Check them out if you haven't already seen some of them. Here's his basic plane blade sharpening video: ruclips.net/video/vvTcReENk9g/видео.html
I spent close to an hour on this thing today. The body of it is nearly flat, after using sand paper and progressing to whetstone, and the blade is finally sharp. my biggest issue is the compression piece that's held in by the screw and the knob. when I tighten the knob the entire piece slides off the retaining screw. I will have to do some filing to make a notch in it so it stops moving around. All in all, it costs $33 now and if I had known better I would have never bought it... You can get a vintage bench plane on ebay for a similar price and with a lot better quality.
Thanks for making this video, I bought this plane today for $11.99 with a coupon, I am new to hand planes, Airplanes I have been flying them for 47 years🤣. With HF it is hit or miss on their products. I bought this plane to try/learn about about using a hand plane. I have two antique planes from my Grandfather,s day in age. (1874 vintage,) I brought the plane home a did precisely what you did, clean it of course and flatten the sole with a 300 grit diamond plate. Mine was flatter than your plane. I then mounted the iron into my Veritos jig and worked the iron over a 300 grit and a 600 grit then a 1200 grit diamond plate and then stropped the edge as well as the sole of the plane. I can make pretty thin shavings and the surface is very smooth of the wood I have worked. I just need more guidance on how properly set the blade depth. This will most likely go to my grandson to practice with. If he masters it. He will be really good with a nice hand plane.
I made that exact same impulse buy. I still haven't completed the tuneup yet. :) The iron in mine was way worse. Whenever it was sharpened someone got way happy on one side. I would have returned it but the gas to drive back to HF was likely more than the plane cost me. I don't have good stones yet so all I have is sandpaper. I was afraid that the sandpaper would also cost as much as the plane LOL. Maybe this is enough motivation to convince me to go try.
I've fettled a few planes (older model Stanley's), and they work well. I bought one of these HF planes, flattened the sole, honed the blade, etc. Couldn't keep the blade from slipping, changing depth or angle of cut. The 2-screw mechanism isn't a good design, in a plane, IMO. I deepened the mouth and converted it to a scrub, where it seems to do ok. A hand plane like this, has potential to frustrate newcomers to the hobby. If you want to buy this plane, it would be good to have a knowledgeable person help you get set up.
I bought one of these planes to use in the build of a special purpose plane. Using a H/F straight edge found in the store I went thru 10 or 12 planes before finding one that had a sole flat enough to consider buying. No one bothered me while I was searching
These types of planes are very common here in the Netherlands. Always need work to be usable. And i have seen worse, yours is actually very nice looking. We get them in red paint with plastic handles. A plane is really just a way to consistently hold a blade at an angle. I use a lot of old wooden planes and they work great. Once you get used to the adjustment mechanism, these planes work great. Never seen bigger ones. Thanks for showing the tuneup because i can now further improve my planes!
+Willem Kossen Interesting perspective. And I think more of them are appearing over here too. My video, and others, just demonstrate how easy it is to make any piece of iron and cut wood as nice or as rough as you need.
I have one of those planes and it does a very good job. I'm not sure who makes it, but I do know Harbor Freight doesn't. Probably some tool company that has their name on several tools of the same type. If a person becomes a brand snob they end up throwing money away. I also have a Stanley Bailey #5 plane which is easier to adjust, but does no better job planing a board than this one does once it is in adjustment. After all, a bench plane isn't a rocket ship.
Aside from the handle and tote, this is identical to a cheap Stanley plane I purchased 4 or 5 years ago. The Stanley had plastic tote and handle, but otherwise it is identical. I did basically the same as you did; set it up as best I could. It took fine shavings, but I got really tired of the two lateral adjustment screws. Real fiddly to get them right at times. I got a Millers Falls at a Flea Market locally, and ended up taking everything off of the Stanley and using it with sand paper as a fret leveler for guitar work. But if you were on a really tight budget, it will do the job.
Interesting. Didn't know Stanley made one too. They both are probably made at the same factory :-) Yep, I don't use mine much, it was really just an experiment.
Just for fun I bought one of these and amazingly after a little work on the iron it would make decent shavings. Then I put a serious camber on the blade and now I have a decent scrub plane.
I loved this video . it shows with some knowledge and a little work you can have a decent tool that doesn't break the bank. and for those of us that are just starting out that info is worth a lot. nothing beats a high quality tool . But you can have good results with cheaper tools until you can build up your skill level. a high quality plain is wasted on someone without the skills to match. Thanks a lot for this video loved it .
Thanks for posting the video. I recently bought the same plane and see the same issues. I don't have the same files as you do but will try my best to get it tuned up.
For 10 bucks and a couple hours work it cuts well. Still, I have this thing about HF I just can't get over.... Thanks for the video Marty, I found it very interesting!
+GuysWoodshop I have a HF near me so I can't help perusing its isles when I'm in the area. It's certainly a great place to buy consumables. Yet I've never bought anything that has a motor from them. I'm not necessarily advocating this plane, but I'll get some good use out of it.
I bought one today, a month ago i bought the No4 combo set not real impressed with it, but it worked. Blade wasn't true on it either. I took 20 mins on the belt sander to flatten the top of the blade, and square the edge. i checked the bottom, in the front blade is flat as a can be. Behind the mouth, its true, then there is a hollow down the middle. I was planing down red oak table top i built, smooth as glass going across it with a good edge. I don't see an issue with a little concave in the middle oh yea the tail of the plain is flat even with the mouth and front.
Rex Kruger bought the Stanley version of that plane (12-404) and thought it wasn’t half bad. He took the adjustments out and went with a hammer. He also found out he had to shim up the blade.
I find that just about any plane can work if it's very sharp and the sole is flat. Where the lower quality shows is when the iron becomes dull too quickly because of poor quality steel, adjustments are hard to make, or it's not ergonomic to use. I have used poor quality planes in the past, and while they are serviceable, they're not particularly nice to use for extended periods of time. That being said, lower quality planes are absolutely fine for people on a shoestring budget or as backups if you're willing to keep them sharp.
what i dont get is most people talk trash on these cheap planes saying how junk they are, yet at the same time someone will make their own wood plane and its like the most awesome thing ever
***** I can be a tool snob, to a point. That point lies in what my wallet can bear. Which is why you'll find no Lie Nielsen planes in my shop. I got a really beat up Stanley number 2 plane at a garage sale once. I fixed it up, and even though my repair wasn't great the plane still worked. That showed me that a plane doesn't need to be great in order to do the plane thing. It just needs to be the right general shape to work.
Naturally, there's a lot of emotional attachment to something you made yourself. But quality? ILike anything else you make, it all depends on how good you are at toolmaking and how good the equipment you make it with is (as with other projects, more skill can sometimes substitute for better tools, and vice versa). If you're a beginner at making tools, the first tools you make will probably be crappy. But crappy tools are often much better than none. Which is where Harbor Freight comes in. But cheap isn't always good. A cutting tool that breaks while you're using it is dangerous. And ask me sometime about the Harbor Freight air compressor that burst into flames while I was trying to inflate a tire with it.
Gary Cooper hand tools and electric powered equipment are much different from each other. So what you are making here is an apples and zippers comparison. As even apples and oranges have more in common with each other than what you are mentioning.
Interesting review... I know you know this and I am certain several others have said it, but a garage sale #4 Stanley, MF, Craftsman or Sargent plane can be had for a similar price and even though at times over 100 years old they actually would require a little less work for an even better result. My best #4 was an $11 flea market find. The sole was already perfectly flat and I spent 15 minutes on the blade.
True, but your success at finding said plane greatly varies based on where you live. I live in Southern California and I can assure you that no #4 planes will be found in any garage sale or flea market around here. I often envy the people who live east of the Mississippi and have great access to all the old tools. I agree with you in general, and would prefer an old #4 to this plane, but this was just a fun experiment.
I found mine at the Roseville Auction (AKA Denio's Auction) in Northern California about 18 months ago. I am still kicking myself over the shoulder plane that I passed up from the same guy.
Stumpy Nubs did a video on turning one of these into a scrub plane. I like that idea. May do it... I hate using my Miller Falls/Craftsman #5 for rough work.
Exactly what i did, i also altered the handle a little bit. Seems like it was made for a teenager or maybe an Asian person. Also changed the stain to my favorite burgundy
I bought one of these since it's all I can afford -- if I had more money, there's other tools I need more (or wood). When I first tried to use it, it was pretty much hopeless unless I wanted some nice gouges in the wood. I'm now able to get it sharp enough to take shavings, but it quickly becomes dull again. I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing or if the blade is just too soft. This is also the problem I have with their chisels with the clear yellow handles. Fine for shaving with, but dull the moment I try chopping with them.
I bought the other hand plane. Too, too much time work and fix the many issues upon issues. Still it is really annoying. I'm gonna buy this one instead. Thanks for your insight and experience.
@@supersayainjesus7204 I used to be a white water raft guide.. Class 4 class 5 you ask? That's right I shot a class 45 once amigo and I've never lost a man
Yeah! What's with the adjustment knobs? But I bought this little guy to learn sharpening and sole flattening, and this vid is very helpful. I see that it'll work justfine. Now I'm going to get the Kobalt for 15 bucks! Eventually I'll be ready for a veritas!
Is the cap iron a dual purpose in that it also serves as the chip breaker? I guess you can "polish a turd"? As far as the adjustment goes, I guess it just would take some getting used to. For $10 not bad, but I can find restorable Stanleys around here for $12-15 at flea markets, peddler's malls, and antique shops. Still have to out in the work to make it serviceable, but have a better quality plane in the end. If I were to but a HF plane I think it would be a roughing plane at best, in my shop. Or even like you said, for the more ragged work with plywood and such. Thanks for the review.
Unfortunately, in Southern California, where I live, there are no flea markets that carry old tools. This Harbor Freight plane was bought on a whim just to see if I could make it perform. It was $10 entertainment, that's all.
I purchased one to give my son for rough work and found it wasn't usable at all. The right side adjusting screw was drilled at a different angle than the left which actually worked ok. Even after trying to bend the blade slightly, I could not get the screw to engage the slot in the blade.It was off by around 1/8th inch. I'll save for a better one that is easier to adjust the blade depth also. You get what you pay for I guess.
I had one of these a little while back. Took it right back to the store. The holes for the adjustment screws stripped out, the blade kept popping loose no matter how I adjusted it... I don't know if it was just a fluke in that piece or if they're all that bad. I really liked the design, but if it's not made well what can I do?
Excellent video! I have been on the fence about if these would respond to fine tuning. I will buy one tomorrow! I wonder if some really thin washers on the adjuster screws will help take up the play seen there. I will know tomorrow. Thanks for posting this.
The weird adjustment at the end is what I had the biggest problem with. Seems like I never could get it to be square it was always slightly off on one side.
Don’t you want the bottom to be slightly cupped on the underside? That is, all four edges contact but the bottom center is maybe a 64th from the wood surface while in use. Am I wrong? Is it better to have the entire surface touching the wood?
Nice video Marty. If would have been interesting to have tried it right out of the box first. What do you use for lapping fluid on your diamond plates?
+Alan Erickson I knew it would cut, but the quality would be awful for what I wanted it for. But yeah, I probably missed an opportunity to show it. I use windshield washer fluid.
+Marty Backe My first plane was a similar one and I had no idea of planes. As you showed you can turn some pieces of crap into something more or less useful but for most of them it's the old saying: "Bad tools you always buy twice". Eventually I got rid of the two adjustment screws and tuned the blade with light taps of a hammer so I had at least a bit of control of the blade. Today I keep this plane as a reminder ;-) After buying my next plane I saw the difference, wow. And this one cost only about 100 bucks (a no. 5) and it became my favourite plane for six years now. In my opinion even 10 bucks for it is too much. But nevertheless thanks for your effort.
I wonder if that inexpensive plane may make a decent scrub plane. With the wide mouth and I suspect softer steel blade, it may be an easier conversion and avoid reworking a vintage plane.
I could certainly work as a scrub plane, but I think it's little on the short side of typical scrub planes, which can be closer to a #5 in terms of length.
Nice video I would like to know if the plate mechanism has break on the right because mine. Has like a dent or maybe mine is defect or should I make it flat can you show me yours from the bottom of the breaker plate thanks alot
While cheaply made and of sub-par quality, tools like this do have their place. If you were to need to slightly level out raised epoxy on a surface before sanding, this would be an appropriate tool for the job.
For the price and although the quality is hit & miss, these fit in the category of 'not bad' after a tuneup. It's also a handy in-between size and good for tucking in a toolbox After flattening the sole, I filed the side edges and slots of the blade and then flattened and sharpened the blade. There is slop in the adjustments, but once I got the feel of it, it cut ok. And then I bought a second one. I repeated the tuneup, but I couldn't quite get it to adjust as easily as the first one. After a careful look, I noticed that the left adjustment screw was not quite parallel to the right screw, and I think that this made it cranky to adjust. When I get some free time, I'll see what can be done. By the way, do you wax or lightly oil the sole of your planes?
Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, I wax and oil the soles of my planes, depending on the situation. I have an oil soaked carpet sample embedded in a piece of wood that I use mostly because it's very fast to swipe the plane over it and be done. But if I'm only going to make a couple of passes on the wood sometimes oil residue can end up on the wood. So sometimes I grab a stick of wax and draw some hashes on the bottom of the sole and that works just as well - takes longer though.
I appreciate your time in making the video, however, can you be sure to keep the action within camera frame. I missed several actions that were out of view. thx.
man i love cheap tools. i got a longer one from HF a while back...still trying to work it out. i'm a newbie with this stuff so i have no delusions that it isn't my own fault that i can't get it to work right yet lol.
I enjoyed your video and your expertise. I'm just getting started in woodworking, what types of planes should I look for? What do you think about the harbor freight benchtop drill press and band saw? I would appreciate any advice from anyone who reads this
Thanks. I think when you are just beginning if you're going to buy a handplane, buy a good #4 plane. It's the perfect general purpose plane. Regarding Harbor Freight, I think the general consensus is to buy electrical tools from Harbor Freight if you intend on using them only for a couple of jobs/projects. They don't make tools for the long haul.
Question from a novice. As with Japanese planes, there is a relief cut in the blade and the base except for in front of the blade which is dead flat. Looking at this HF plane, as you said it had a 20 thou gap. What would happen if you kept that relief and leveled out the sides and front of the base? Seems this would help with minimizing friction. Thanks
An excellent demonstration of how knowing how to true up a tool shows that Harbor Freight’s can most often deliver excellent results in knowledgeable hands...
I've never had any plane from anywhere that didn't need some fine tuning. If it weren't for Harbor Freight, pawn shops and auctions I couldn't afford to own tools. And the two screw adjusting system is a joy to use when you finally get the hang of it.
I have the Harbor Freight plane of that style. After sharpening the plane blade it works fine. Paul Sellers called this style plane, when made by Stanley, "junk." It is not a great plane, but can be made usable at a low price.
I agree.
I have a lot of trouble setting the blade depth and getting the blade to be even in my plane. I am really not liking the twin screw adjustment. Any tips?
Thanks for sharing your tune up! Looks like some good shavings! I purchased one on sale so less than $7 now to make it usable
@_ David _ i got both because i didn't tune this one in the video properly, now with this video i got it goin' good but i'm still having trouble with the jack plane. hmm. getting the hang of it.
I also bought this plane years ago as an impulse buy. I don't use a plane offended in my shop (I'm a woodturner) but I needed one for a project and got this one. I didn't know any of the tuning tricks you just showed and used it right out of the box (after honing it). I worked ok, but I wondered why it didn't work better. Now I know!! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏾
I have one. I didn't flatten the sole but I did sharpen the blade. I was able to easily adjust this plane to take whisper thin shavings. While the sole is not perfectly smooth a little Johnson's wax helps in that regard. There are differing opinions on the necessity of taking the time to make the sole perfectly flat, assuming the sole is reasonably flat "as is." I am well pleased with this plane, especially considering its price. Keep in mind it's a considerably smaller plane than a Stanley #4. I have a dozen or so Stanley planes but I feel this plane would work well for anyone on a budget and who is able to sharpen the blade properly and make the simple adjustments that are required.
I have that very same hand plane from Harbor freight. And I had to go through the same process as you did. Now he is one of my favorites.
As we say in photography "The camera doesn’t make the image."
A brilliant and sensible video that goes against the hype espoused by other channels, very well done indeed.
A bad photographer will make bad pictures with the best camera but the best photographer will never produce sharp pictures with a terrible camera if it's literally incapable of producing a decent picture. Funny that people see this video and think this is producing good result. I see it as a cheap tool that can do a job but is extremely annoying to use, definitely not enjoyable, and will turn people away from the hobby if they expect anything else. For someone who wants a cheap tool and knows what it will be like, this will do a job, but not much more.
I just purchased one as I'm just starting with woodworking, and I also purchased the Stanley 62 sweetheart low block plane too. Thanks for your help and video
I've got several cheap tools like that laying around my shop. Most of them were gifts that I never use, but they're great to keep around when someone asks to borrow a tool.
Just goes to show it's not the tool that produces the work, but the hands that hold it
Rather, it's hands that produce tools (making tools is also work).
That’s what she said
The current low end Stanley planes make that look like a desirable bench plane. I got a #4 and the same tuning up took me probably 10x the time you spent on the HF one. probably 7 hours just lapping the sole on a poured glass surface with 60/80 grit sandpaper. Add a couple hours on the back of the blade, the edge was cambered, but only on one side, and decidedly tridimensional, the chipbreaker sat 1.5mm (1/16") away from the blade, with one side rounded and one at 90°. Turned out it wasn't just the front of the chipbreaker but the back that sat uneven, so some more time on that. The lock was completely square so I had to grind it for it to have a locking action.
The frog was lopsided, too,and I had to epoxy the squeaky handles. It was a new. It was a gift that could not be returned. It couldn't cut pine or MDF out of the box. Not even kidding here, so to me, this was a positive review.
Wow, your plane sounds like the plane from hell ;-) But hey, you got it working, which has to feel good. Thanks for the comments.
Bought one the other day. Out of the box it looked like a disaster. I am knew at woodworking so wanted to use this as a learning tool to flatten the base and sharpen the blade. Thanks for your video.
Thank you Marty for the update on the HF #33 Bench Plane. This plane is good for rough wood. Great video.
Your welcome. Yes, this is certainly a capable basic plane.
First of all, thank you for this video! I feel like I just had a crash course in plane adjustment. I bought one of these planes today because I thought what the heck? Its a $13 (2024) plane. As soon as I got home I opened the box, inspected the tool and went to RUclips and stumbled upon your video. I believe “Windsor” Design may have also seen this video. 7 years later, my blade is square and straight and quite sharp. I’m going to use a fine stone and strop on it just to fine tune it. The base needs flattening, so thank you for teaching us how to do it. I saw another video and the craftsman said this type of blade adjustment is popular in Europe. So maybe this plane has visited Windsor? Anyway, my only issue is the grip. I have big hands and long fingers and find the grip a bit dainty. I’ll probably make a slightly beefier grip. If i do I’ll make a video of that project. Thanks so much!
This is my first plane, and I know little to nothing about planes, but I felt if I could learn this plane it would be downhill after that. Thanks for the tips, I will work it until I'm comfortable with it!
I use mine all the time and yes it needed a tune up, flattering and a little file work on the gullet
Great. For beginners to learn how to set one up and understand the mechanics. I started flattening on 36 grit on glass plate then worked up 100 to300 grit at a time to 1000. Same for the blade back. The bevel started at 300. I flattened the frog with a large med bastard file in a vice. Do not overtighten. Same with gullet. Waxed the faces and wala it Compares to my Stanley's. I put an hour into it, but probably could have done less to it. It was fun to fix it up.
I picked one of these because I wanted the marks of a hand plane in the finish I was going for. I simply took it out and adjusted the blade and went to planing. It was yellow pine a d it cut it like butter and the scrub grind left the look I wanted. I will use it as a quick go to for breaking corners and leaving the scrub finishes as originally intended. Some folks pay $10 just wanting something to complain about because it's not the quality of a high end tool.
Yes, there's something for everyone in this world. It's a great time to be alive.
thanks man, in just starting out with working and been saving for a proper plane, but I got this one today, haven't opened it yet, first thing I did was see if someone who knew what they were doing could use one at all. hopefully after tuning it up I can get a feel for it. thanks for the experiment
Most things from Harbor Freight are about that quality. Ive bought a ton of tools from there mostly for woodworking. I can tell you that for the price, which most time is at least half the price of similar products they are of the same quality if not better. Realistically I have spent about 400 dollars there. Had I went somewhere else I would have easily spent over a thousand. For a hobby woodworker, I have no complaints about Harbor Freight. There is no way that anyone with a reasonable brain could expect to spend 10 dollars and get a 50 dollar product with something like that. Harbor Freight is built for poorer folk that want to get into something rather than splurging a large amount on something they may not be interested in. I would gladly give Harbor Freight money straight out my pocket for saving me the money they have. I do not mind spending some time on tuning up my tools, in fact it has made me respect them and when I can afford the grandioso name brands then I will treat them with the respect that they deserve for the workmanship put in. I can say however that I would not respect the woodworking community to the extent that I do if they werent they type to put in a little extra work.
Completely agreed with you.
You said it fine.
And their clamps are cheap and they clamp as clamps ought! Can't complain there!
All this is dependent upon the item. So e things are great for the price, like their f clamps, and especially consumables, but I can't say that you get near the quality comparing their tools to my good ones when it comes to planes, or saws, power tools etc. That being said, I wouldn't have half the tools I do if it weren't for harbor freight!
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 agreed!
Sounded nice cutting...nice review and great job tuning it up.
You are a much more patient man than I am Marty. I bought a cheap footprint from Home Depot "you get what you pay for" is definitely a true statement. Sole wasn't flat....fixed that. Sides were not square.....fine..its no shooting plane. filed up the mouth...sharpened the blade. Still need to clean up the chip breaker....it jams up and clogs the blade. Nothing time and work cannot fix. I will go back to it ...eventually.
+Garry R Sometimes I don't feel like doing any real woodworking, so it's nice to have misc projects that you can spend an hour or so on. I'll get some use out of this plane in the upcoming years.
Cant be any worse that a few planes I bought at flea markets and cleaned up. Thx for the vid marty
If the Japanese workers can make a plane out of just wood and a blade and do the job that is unbelievable then I think we can get this plane to work and do the job we need
I bought one of these to turn into a scrub plane. I took the body to work and milled the mouth wider (I'm a machinist) and put a 3" radius on the blade. This makes a great (cheap) scrub plane, although the tote is a bit small.
Good Review. I was skeptical about that plane but after watching you tune that one I think ill pick one up and practice my tuning skills. Thumbs up, Marty.
+OG Timbercraft It's hard to lose at $10. Thanks.
@ 17:45 I agree!:) I didn't know what I was doing, but decided to try to trim some edgebanding with this right out of the box and ended up gouging the ply. Fortunately, I think I can sand it out, but this video has been super helpful. I was particularly glad for the guidance on flattening the bottom. Thank you!
Thanks for the video! I've been eyeing this plane since I tuned up an old $10 Stanley 4 thrift shop find. The Stanley tuned up great and I'd love a good cheap scrub. This might be my choice now.
I bought one today and turned it into a scrub plane. The lever cap kept popping off randomly. I flattened the bottom it, which had a sand casting finish. I also undercut the slot for the screw to the sole so that the cap slides down the way and the problem stopped. It takes a full sixteenth inch shaving through knots in weathered red oak.
I wanted to get into woodworking with hand tools and wasn't sure i wanted to put forth the large investment in some good quality planes chisels and whatnot so I went to harbor freight. Got this plane and a set of chisels. Exactly as you said "destroy anything they touch" and so it was a bit discouraging but I started watching videos similar to this one and finally had the same result. Been learning with what I got and its been fun but now I know that its something I definitely want to spend a little extra money but at least I was able to get the cheap products and make them work better with a little fine tuning before spending some serious money on something i wasn't sure i wanted to do. Loved this video definitely covers some of the downsides of this tool from harbor freight but its an expectation to not get the best quality from there
I bought one today...don't know anything about hands planes...therefore 10.00 is fine for me. Your video taught me muvj. Thnks.
+J K Glad it was useful. Good luck in your hand tool journey.
This video is a testament to your plane tuning and sharpening skills : )
Thanks :-)
Don't have any hand planes yet, but I will look into one. It appears this will be a good intro for me. Thanks for the how to video as well. I always appreciate a good tutorial from an experienced person.👍
I followed your video exactly after I was given one of these planes by a friend who replaced it with a Veritas plane. He said my HF plane is almost as good as his very expensive plane other than the blade adjusters. 2 hours of work between sole, blade, and sides.
Great instructional video on how to improve this plane.
Thanks Marty. Everything considered, you can't beat Harbor Freight tools. BUT, buy them knowing that they well may need repairs, tweeking or modifying. Personally, I have a Harbor Freight, a Lowes and a Home Depot within a mile stretch of the same street and always shop HF first. It's just painful paying five times the money at HD and Lowes! LOL all the best, Charlie
+Charlie Zellner Yeah, I'm certainly not above buying HB stuff, but you need to know what you're getting into. A lot of it is junk, but a lot is serviceable too. Thanks for watching.
Marty Backe you can stick a piece of wood straight through the entire length of their clamps and they become amaze ballz
PREACH!!
Just got mine all flattened and sharpened up. Took about two and a half to three hours. I am very pleased at this cheap little plane. And I didn't have to take a loan out to buy it
Getting see thru shavings on walnut
Good job on this one China
I have this same plane and haven't tuned it. Hated the awkward bade adjustment so its been collecting dust. I have a decent 7 plane that I restored last year and its my goto for most plane work. Nice to know tuning this one makes a difference. thanks for posting.
+Sean C Wow, using a No 7 for general purpose work is unique for sure, although I've heard of a few other woodworkers who do the same. Yes, the No 33 blade adjustment is awkward at first, but not for long. Someday you should tune it up, you'll find a use for it. Thanks for watching.
Great to see that the cheap ones can be made serviceable, since not all of us have access to the Stanleys
I have one of those.... A little work and a good tool for on the job, if you lose it, your not crying for a week you just get a nother one......
Great video. I picked one up recently and worked a couple of hours tuning. The sole is concave by .003" which required 20 plus feet of 60 grit self adhesive sandpaper to reduce this to .0015". QC is highly variable piece-to-piece.
+Buck Rogers Thanks. 20 feet! Wow, that sounds horrible. I hope at least in the end to got it to perform reasonably well. Your QC comment is certainly true.
+Marty Backe
Yes, the tuning paid off. It planes acceptably.
I went to Harbor Freight today to buy a low cost roll of 80 grit sandpaper. I consumed half a roll of my automotive medium grit paper flattening the shoe. So, to prove I have a masochistic streak I bought a 2nd no. 33 plane. It has the same problems of the first one I bought. The sole is uneven but not as bad. The rear handle required adding a washer to the screw stack to permit enough clamping force to the wood handle before the screw bottomed out. There is still more to do to the iron and adjusting screws besides sharpening the iron. I did plane some pine with the factory edge. It did OK.
Bill
+Buck Rogers Your masochism aptly demonstrated ;-)
+Buck Rogers I have learned that HF sandpaper is cheap for a reason...
+Bill K. ....the sandpaper was 3M.
I have the same plane and the adjustment screws are either bent or misaligned. I removed them and tap it with a hammer to adjust. That seems to work well.
Point well demonstrated... Before using that out of the box jagged edge blade, out of flat sole, out of flat blade & making it all right first. You have a $10.00, fully functional plane. I did cringe at the use of a high speed grinder wheel on a plane blade, however I forgive you! Lol... After considerable time spent on the sharpening plates, you got some good shavings off that piece of poplar from a $10.00 Harbor Freight Plane. Well done.
Bill on the Hill... :-)
Someone gave me one of these 'Windsor' planes (may be the exact model!). I've never had or used a plane before. I'm sure your vast experience with sharpening went a LONG way with it, but it does give me hope for mine!
Thank you for the video!
+Walter Kessler It's a perfect beginner plane in a way. You can practice sharpening it and flattening the sole without worrying about ruining something that costs a lot of money. It'll make you appreciate the nicer planes when/if you do more with hand tools. Good luck.
Very true. I want to get a set of chisels as well. I have no sharpening equipment (part of the reason the plane is still in the box). I'm still waffling between stones of diamond plates.
+Walter Kessler I was fully converted to diamond stones after learning from Paul Sellers the convex method of sharpening. He has a whole series of diamond plate based sharpening on RUclips. Check them out if you haven't already seen some of them. Here's his basic plane blade sharpening video: ruclips.net/video/vvTcReENk9g/видео.html
I spent close to an hour on this thing today. The body of it is nearly flat, after using sand paper and progressing to whetstone, and the blade is finally sharp. my biggest issue is the compression piece that's held in by the screw and the knob. when I tighten the knob the entire piece slides off the retaining screw. I will have to do some filing to make a notch in it so it stops moving around. All in all, it costs $33 now and if I had known better I would have never bought it... You can get a vintage bench plane on ebay for a similar price and with a lot better quality.
Well I watched the whole video and I think those are the best spent 10 dollars for you this week, thanks for sharing!
I loved the watch. I believe that this video proves that tool are are all in the setup. Ballin on a budget with some elbow grease. Keep it up sir
Thanks for making this video, I bought this plane today for $11.99 with a coupon, I am new to hand planes, Airplanes I have been flying them for 47 years🤣. With HF it is hit or miss on their products. I bought this plane to try/learn about about using a hand plane. I have two antique planes from my Grandfather,s day in age. (1874 vintage,) I brought the plane home a did precisely what you did, clean it of course and flatten the sole with a 300 grit diamond plate. Mine was flatter than your plane. I then mounted the iron into my Veritos jig and worked the iron over a 300 grit and a 600 grit then a 1200 grit diamond plate and then stropped the edge as well as the sole of the plane. I can make pretty thin shavings and the surface is very smooth of the wood I have worked. I just need more guidance on how properly set the blade depth. This will most likely go to my grandson to practice with. If he masters it. He will be really good with a nice hand plane.
Thanks for the reply Marty!
I made that exact same impulse buy. I still haven't completed the tuneup yet. :) The iron in mine was way worse. Whenever it was sharpened someone got way happy on one side. I would have returned it but the gas to drive back to HF was likely more than the plane cost me. I don't have good stones yet so all I have is sandpaper. I was afraid that the sandpaper would also cost as much as the plane LOL. Maybe this is enough motivation to convince me to go try.
I've fettled a few planes (older model Stanley's), and they work well. I bought one of these HF planes, flattened the sole, honed the blade, etc. Couldn't keep the blade from slipping, changing depth or angle of cut. The 2-screw mechanism isn't a good design, in a plane, IMO. I deepened the mouth and converted it to a scrub, where it seems to do ok.
A hand plane like this, has potential to frustrate newcomers to the hobby. If you want to buy this plane, it would be good to have a knowledgeable person help you get set up.
I bought one of these planes to use in the build of a special purpose plane. Using a H/F straight edge found in the store I went thru 10 or 12 planes before finding one that had a sole flat enough to consider buying. No one bothered me while I was searching
These types of planes are very common here in the Netherlands. Always need work to be usable. And i have seen worse, yours is actually very nice looking. We get them in red paint with plastic handles.
A plane is really just a way to consistently hold a blade at an angle. I use a lot of old wooden planes and they work great.
Once you get used to the adjustment mechanism, these planes work great. Never seen bigger ones.
Thanks for showing the tuneup because i can now further improve my planes!
+Willem Kossen Interesting perspective. And I think more of them are appearing over here too.
My video, and others, just demonstrate how easy it is to make any piece of iron and cut wood as nice or as rough as you need.
I have one of those planes and it does a very good job. I'm not sure who makes it, but I do know Harbor Freight doesn't. Probably some tool company that has their name on several tools of the same type. If a person becomes a brand snob they end up throwing money away. I also have a Stanley Bailey #5 plane which is easier to adjust, but does no better job planing a board than this one does once it is in adjustment. After all, a bench plane isn't a rocket ship.
Aside from the handle and tote, this is identical to a cheap Stanley plane I purchased 4 or 5 years ago. The Stanley had plastic tote and handle, but otherwise it is identical.
I did basically the same as you did; set it up as best I could. It took fine shavings, but I got really tired of the two lateral adjustment screws. Real fiddly to get them right at times. I got a Millers Falls at a Flea Market locally, and ended up taking everything off of the Stanley and using it with sand paper as a fret leveler for guitar work.
But if you were on a really tight budget, it will do the job.
Interesting. Didn't know Stanley made one too. They both are probably made at the same factory :-) Yep, I don't use mine much, it was really just an experiment.
I would almost bet on that.
I had the exact experience with the one I bought. I did have to replace the tote so I could hold it. I use it as a scrub plane
Just for fun I bought one of these and amazingly after a little work on the iron it would make decent shavings. Then I put a serious camber on the blade and now I have a decent scrub plane.
Just bought a €10 (about $12) plane (my 1st plane) from a big box shop in Europe hopefully I will be able to tune it as you did. Thanks for sharing!
Good luck with your plane. It's a nice inexpensive plane to practice your plane-tuning skills with.
I did manage to make it a usable plane and made a video too.
Fantastic, another usable plane has been brought into the world :-)
I loved this video . it shows with some knowledge and a little work you can have a decent tool that doesn't break the bank. and for those of us that are just starting out that info is worth a lot. nothing beats a high quality tool . But you can have good results with cheaper tools until you can build up your skill level. a high quality plain is wasted on someone without the skills to match. Thanks a lot for this video loved it .
I'm glad you enjoy my little video. Thanks so much for the comments.
I like the Harbor Freight after tuning it, in part because it is light weight for its size.
Thanks for posting the video. I recently bought the same plane and see the same issues. I don't have the same files as you do but will try my best to get it tuned up.
For 10 bucks and a couple hours work it cuts well. Still, I have this thing about HF I just can't get over.... Thanks for the video Marty, I found it very interesting!
+GuysWoodshop I have a HF near me so I can't help perusing its isles when I'm in the area. It's certainly a great place to buy consumables. Yet I've never bought anything that has a motor from them. I'm not necessarily advocating this plane, but I'll get some good use out of it.
I bought one today, a month ago i bought the No4 combo set not real impressed with it, but it worked. Blade wasn't true on it either.
I took 20 mins on the belt sander to flatten the top of the blade, and square the edge.
i checked the bottom, in the front blade is flat as a can be.
Behind the mouth, its true, then there is a hollow down the middle.
I was planing down red oak table top i built, smooth as glass going across it with a good edge.
I don't see an issue with a little concave in the middle oh yea the tail of the plain is flat even with the mouth and front.
Rex Kruger bought the Stanley version of that plane (12-404) and thought it wasn’t half bad. He took the adjustments out and went with a hammer. He also found out he had to shim up the blade.
I find that just about any plane can work if it's very sharp and the sole is flat. Where the lower quality shows is when the iron becomes dull too quickly because of poor quality steel, adjustments are hard to make, or it's not ergonomic to use. I have used poor quality planes in the past, and while they are serviceable, they're not particularly nice to use for extended periods of time. That being said, lower quality planes are absolutely fine for people on a shoestring budget or as backups if you're willing to keep them sharp.
I kept hearing this... "I don't really want to say anything good about this because... Harbor Freight... But it's pretty good!!"
what i dont get is most people talk trash on these cheap planes saying how junk they are, yet at the same time someone will make their own wood plane and its like the most awesome thing ever
Wood planes are pretty good, for what they do.
*****
I can be a tool snob, to a point. That point lies in what my wallet can bear. Which is why you'll find no Lie Nielsen planes in my shop. I got a really beat up Stanley number 2 plane at a garage sale once. I fixed it up, and even though my repair wasn't great the plane still worked. That showed me that a plane doesn't need to be great in order to do the plane thing. It just needs to be the right general shape to work.
Naturally, there's a lot of emotional attachment to something you made yourself. But quality? ILike anything else you make, it all depends on how good you are at toolmaking and how good the equipment you make it with is (as with other projects, more skill can sometimes substitute for better tools, and vice versa). If you're a beginner at making tools, the first tools you make will probably be crappy. But crappy tools are often much better than none. Which is where Harbor Freight comes in. But cheap isn't always good. A cutting tool that breaks while you're using it is dangerous. And ask me sometime about the Harbor Freight air compressor that burst into flames while I was trying to inflate a tire with it.
Gary Cooper
hand tools and electric powered equipment are much different from each other. So what you are making here is an apples and zippers comparison. As even apples and oranges have more in common with each other than what you are mentioning.
Use a properly tuned pre-WW2 Stanley and tell me what you think.
Interesting review... I know you know this and I am certain several others have said it, but a garage sale #4 Stanley, MF, Craftsman or Sargent plane can be had for a similar price and even though at times over 100 years old they actually would require a little less work for an even better result. My best #4 was an $11 flea market find. The sole was already perfectly flat and I spent 15 minutes on the blade.
True, but your success at finding said plane greatly varies based on where you live. I live in Southern California and I can assure you that no #4 planes will be found in any garage sale or flea market around here. I often envy the people who live east of the Mississippi and have great access to all the old tools. I agree with you in general, and would prefer an old #4 to this plane, but this was just a fun experiment.
I found mine at the Roseville Auction (AKA Denio's Auction) in Northern California about 18 months ago. I am still kicking myself over the shoulder plane that I passed up from the same guy.
+Marty Backe They are getting harder to find.
Rub it in ;-)
Stumpy Nubs did a video on turning one of these into a scrub plane. I like that idea. May do it... I hate using my Miller Falls/Craftsman #5 for rough work.
Exactly what i did, i also altered the handle a little bit. Seems like it was made for a teenager or maybe an Asian person. Also changed the stain to my favorite burgundy
I bought one of these since it's all I can afford -- if I had more money, there's other tools I need more (or wood).
When I first tried to use it, it was pretty much hopeless unless I wanted some nice gouges in the wood.
I'm now able to get it sharp enough to take shavings, but it quickly becomes dull again. I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing or if the blade is just too soft.
This is also the problem I have with their chisels with the clear yellow handles. Fine for shaving with, but dull the moment I try chopping with them.
Either the metal is too soft or your blade bevel is too shallow. I would use a 30 - 35 degree bevel.
I’ll consider getting one of these when I see Paul Sellers using one
Very nice work, relaxing to watch, and motivational! Subscribed.
I converted mine to a scrub plane and it works great!
Great Video Marty! Thanks for making this! You are a Great teacher Sir!.....Gus
Thanks :-)
Lots of people skip the thumb nuts. Tapping the iron left or right
I bought the other hand plane. Too, too much time work and fix the many issues upon issues. Still it is really annoying. I'm gonna buy this one instead. Thanks for your insight and experience.
I believe the blade is made of chineseium...
Your AvE is showing!
I see you like taking other people's jokes and passing them off as your own. Tsk tsk
B Souza 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Chineseium! HAHAHAHAHA!
@@supersayainjesus7204 I used to be a white water raft guide.. Class 4 class 5 you ask? That's right I shot a class 45 once amigo and I've never lost a man
Such a racist man making an Asian joke, you racist!
Good video,try putting some springs over the threaded rod to keep tension on the nuts.
An interesting idea worth pursuing.
Great video i will be buying this tomorrow.
Yeah! What's with the adjustment knobs? But I bought this little guy to learn sharpening and sole flattening, and this vid is very helpful. I see that it'll work justfine. Now I'm going to get the Kobalt for 15 bucks! Eventually I'll be ready for a veritas!
Stanley has one on Amazon for around $20 that is basically the same plane as far as construction and adjustment,
Is the cap iron a dual purpose in that it also serves as the chip breaker? I guess you can "polish a turd"? As far as the adjustment goes, I guess it just would take some getting used to. For $10 not bad, but I can find restorable Stanleys around here for $12-15 at flea markets, peddler's malls, and antique shops. Still have to out in the work to make it serviceable, but have a better quality plane in the end. If I were to but a HF plane I think it would be a roughing plane at best, in my shop. Or even like you said, for the more ragged work with plywood and such.
Thanks for the review.
Unfortunately, in Southern California, where I live, there are no flea markets that carry old tools. This Harbor Freight plane was bought on a whim just to see if I could make it perform. It was $10 entertainment, that's all.
I purchased one to give my son for rough work and found it wasn't usable at all. The right side adjusting screw was drilled at a different angle than the left which actually worked ok. Even after trying to bend the blade slightly, I could not get the screw to engage the slot in the blade.It was off by around 1/8th inch. I'll save for a better one that is easier to adjust the blade depth also. You get what you pay for I guess.
I had one of these a little while back. Took it right back to the store. The holes for the adjustment screws stripped out, the blade kept popping loose no matter how I adjusted it... I don't know if it was just a fluke in that piece or if they're all that bad. I really liked the design, but if it's not made well what can I do?
Excellent video! I have been on the fence about if these would respond to fine tuning. I will buy one tomorrow! I wonder if some really thin washers on the adjuster screws will help take up the play seen there. I will know tomorrow. Thanks for posting this.
I think my main problem with this plane is the height adjustment on the blade. Its pretty difficult (at least for me) to get the blade straight.
hey, i think i'll try it...never used a plane and don't have the money to buy a nice one, so $10 and a few hours is well worth it to me!
The weird adjustment at the end is what I had the biggest problem with. Seems like I never could get it to be square it was always slightly off on one side.
thanks for sharing, I'm still a novice with planes and spokeshaves most of the time, not sure if it's the user or the tool leading to my frustrations.
+68jacen Thanks
Don’t you want the bottom to be slightly cupped on the underside? That is, all four edges contact but the bottom center is maybe a 64th from the wood surface while in use. Am I wrong? Is it better to have the entire surface touching the wood?
Nice video Marty. If would have been interesting to have tried it right out of the box first.
What do you use for lapping fluid on your diamond plates?
+Alan Erickson I knew it would cut, but the quality would be awful for what I wanted it for. But yeah, I probably missed an opportunity to show it.
I use windshield washer fluid.
+Marty Backe My first plane was a similar one and I had no idea of planes. As you showed you can turn some pieces of crap into something more or less useful but for most of them it's the old saying: "Bad tools you always buy twice".
Eventually I got rid of the two adjustment screws and tuned the blade with light taps of a hammer so I had at least a bit of control of the blade. Today I keep this plane as a reminder ;-)
After buying my next plane I saw the difference, wow. And this one cost only about 100 bucks (a no. 5) and it became my favourite plane for six years now.
In my opinion even 10 bucks for it is too much.
But nevertheless thanks for your effort.
I wonder if that inexpensive plane may make a decent scrub plane. With the wide mouth and I suspect softer steel blade, it may be an easier conversion and avoid reworking a vintage plane.
I could certainly work as a scrub plane, but I think it's little on the short side of typical scrub planes, which can be closer to a #5 in terms of length.
Marty Backe stumpy nubs has a video about turning that particular plane into a scrub plane
Yes, I've seen it.
Nice video I would like to know if the plate mechanism has break on the right because mine. Has like a dent or maybe mine is defect or should I make it flat can you show me yours from the bottom of the breaker plate thanks alot
While cheaply made and of sub-par quality, tools like this do have their place. If you were to need to slightly level out raised epoxy on a surface before sanding, this would be an appropriate tool for the job.
For the price and although the quality is hit & miss, these fit in the category of 'not bad' after a tuneup. It's also a handy in-between size and good for tucking in a toolbox After flattening the sole, I filed the side edges and slots of the blade and then flattened and sharpened the blade. There is slop in the adjustments, but once I got the feel of it, it cut ok.
And then I bought a second one. I repeated the tuneup, but I couldn't quite get it to adjust as easily as the first one. After a careful look, I noticed that the left adjustment screw was not quite parallel to the right screw, and I think that this made it cranky to adjust. When I get some free time, I'll see what can be done.
By the way, do you wax or lightly oil the sole of your planes?
Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, I wax and oil the soles of my planes, depending on the situation. I have an oil soaked carpet sample embedded in a piece of wood that I use mostly because it's very fast to swipe the plane over it and be done.
But if I'm only going to make a couple of passes on the wood sometimes oil residue can end up on the wood. So sometimes I grab a stick of wax and draw some hashes on the bottom of the sole and that works just as well - takes longer though.
I appreciate your time in making the video, however, can you be sure to keep the action within camera frame. I missed several actions that were out of view. thx.
Definitely a good choice to practice your tune up skills. Wonder how much their quality varies from plane to plane?
Just use some feeler guages to check your gap for the alignment. Pretty easy.
man i love cheap tools. i got a longer one from HF a while back...still trying to work it out. i'm a newbie with this stuff so i have no delusions that it isn't my own fault that i can't get it to work right yet lol.
I didn't see it on your play list, can you make a video of the sharpening stones you use.
It's on my todo list ...
where did you get your sharping stones from, I'm in the market for a good set of sharping stones Thanks for any info you can provide.....
I use mine for rough flattening when renovating my house. Works great. Wouldn’t use for finish work
I enjoyed your video and your expertise. I'm just getting started in woodworking, what types of planes should I look for? What do you think about the harbor freight benchtop drill press and band saw? I would appreciate any advice from anyone who reads this
Thanks. I think when you are just beginning if you're going to buy a handplane, buy a good #4 plane. It's the perfect general purpose plane. Regarding Harbor Freight, I think the general consensus is to buy electrical tools from Harbor Freight if you intend on using them only for a couple of jobs/projects. They don't make tools for the long haul.
Question from a novice. As with Japanese planes, there is a relief cut in the blade and the base except for in front of the blade which is dead flat. Looking at this HF plane, as you said it had a 20 thou gap. What would happen if you kept that relief and leveled out the sides and front of the base? Seems this would help with minimizing friction. Thanks