Hello everyone. First off, thanks for a great resource - I'm new to timber framing and am learning a lot through lurking and the archives.

Over time I am slowly acquiring the necessary tools as I work on a simple 10X12 shed/cabin. I am harvesting the timbers from my own land and milling them with a small chainsaw mill that I machined.

My toolobox is pretty limited, but I am trying to grow it as finances permit. I am thinking of buying a block plane, and wonder which one would be best for general purpose; low angle or standard? Lee Valley offers a Veritas and Stanley, the Veritas is three times the cost. Any opinions out there if it is worth the price difference? Ideally I'd like my tool purchasing budget to go as far as possible, but want to get good tools at the same time.

Thanks for any help.

Matt

There are a lot of old Stanley smoothing planes out there that can be had for a reasonable price. Add in a little elbow grease and you will have it tuned up in no time. I have 3 or 4 old Stanley's and a few Millersfalls #9s They may not be the prettiest but they all work great.

Karl

Low angle is a better multi purpose tool as it handles difficult grain and end grain better than a standard block plane.

A stanley that is properly tuned and sharpened works just fine.

But my Lie Nielson might be my favorite tool.

I have the Lee Valley(Veritas) low angle block plane, it works fine for me.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32685&cat=1,41182,48942

Thanks for the replies. I ordered the Stanley rather than the Veritas. Figured I'll spend some time tuning it up and put the money I save toward one of those swank Barr chisels next payday.

A little late,, but the Veritas is worth every penny.
It's a great machine! I'm sure Lie Nielsons are fine also,, but not quite so readily available up here in Canada.
I think a good rule,, is to buy the best there is of whatever tool you're looking for. You'll never ever regret the money. If you buy a lesser,, you very well may. If you can't afford the best,, wait till you can.

Then again,, my father in law made lots of money with the cheapest tools ever. But he wasn't working wood per say.
my 2 cents!

Oh,, and Buy the Barr. Worth every penny. I bought a 1 1/2 on Mark's recommendation, and love it dearly!

You really do often get what you pay for!

If limited on funds, a hand plane like that wouldn't be near the top of my list in order of priority. It would be pretty low actually. Where do you stand with TF tools? I'd focus on what you need there first. There have been plenty of posts in the past with a list of tools. For me...
the 1.5" and 2" framing chisel and mallet(I really like the one from foxmaple)
7-1/4 circ saw with carbide blade
framing square and combination square
25' dedicated tape measure(for TF only and to be used for all measurements on the project)
Either a boring machine or appropriate drill for boring holes
A chain morticer is nice, but not absolutely necessary(substitute your boring machine or drill with auger bits.
Sharpening method
Some way to do cutoff (chainsaw, or 16in circ saw)
Those are the basics to have first.

I dunno if I would spend $$ on a new chisel. There are LOTS of great old steel available off of ebay and a couple of my fav chisels such as Swan and White came from there at reasonable prices. Even found a matching 1.5" and 2" Canadian made chisel locally too. Very nice steel in it.

Though I did splurge and spend $$ on some LN planes. Worth the $$ and I dont believe Stanley makes anything good in that area anymore.

Thanks for the reply Bruce. I've been unsure about buying a used chisel or not since I don't know how to tell how the chisel has been treated. I've been keeping an eye on ebay though.

Thanks for the info Brad. I have slowly acquired most of the things on your list - still need a 2" framing chisel and a foxmaple mallet (I am presently using a rough mallet I made with a froe and drawknife from a piece of ash - it works but I wouldn't want to use it all day). I bought a 1.5" Sorby mortising chisel and after some effort at sharpening (sandpaper on plate glass) I was able to get a mirror finish and what a difference!

For this project I'm making templates for the mortises and using a 1/2" router with a 1/2" by 2 1/4" long double fluted bit. That first 2" cut seems to provide a nice guide for chiseling out the remainder. I also have an auger bit for any mortises that don't justify making a template. Making that first cut into a timber that I cut, milled and carried to the workshop is quite intimidating.

I'm really having fun with this type of work! Leaving the workshop for food or bed is a challenge.

Thanks for that info. I'm happy to hear that you like the Barr. I have a 1.5" Sorby - it will be interesting to see the difference. I agree that you get what you pay for, and still periodically learn the hard way...

One of the key things to look for when buying old used items is pitting. There are many with little or no pitting at all and it becomes obvious from the photos. DOnt buy if you dont get a nice closeup of both sides.

Learning to sharpen is something you will need to spend time on and when you get up in the AM and shave with your chisel before you head out to the shopm you know it is ready for work!

If you can get yourself a Swan, White or Whiterby you will be happy and should easily be able to get each needed size under $50.

I've re-furbed many old chisels and planes,, and think that there is much much time saved in having a new flat on the back chisel(s). If money is an issue,, then refurb is a great option, provided you have a meathod of flattening the back.
Look out for big pitting (large rust pockets)
I'm running a 1 1/2 barr framing, a 2" Bevel edge sorby and my veritas block plane daily. They are easy to sharpen,, hold edge, and a pleasure to use. The wages lost on them are long forgotten,, since they will be my employ for years to come!
Have yet to get my hands on a lee-neilson,, but might spring for a shoulder plane some day,,,,,,
my 2 cents.
dave

I've found that getting the back flat is the most arduous task in the initial sharpening of any tool. Fortunately I have a retired machinest that is pretty darn handy with a surface grinder. He sharpens tools for local framers, usually for about $4 apiece.


Just after this thread started, I bought a Lie-Nielsen 60 1/2 low angle block plane. It was pricey, but WOW! What a great tool. I didn't get the rabbet version, as I wanted the adjustable mouth, and it's primarily for woodworking tasks, not framing. Has anyone used thet 60 1/2 rabbet? I was wondering if that would come in handy for cleaning up tenons and housings. Thanks.


Dave

I'd fill my truck with stuff to be flattened for $4 a piece.
Tends to take me hours and hours and well,, you get the point.
I suppose if I spent money on a tool to flatten,,,but why not put that money into new chisels, and a piece of float glass?

I just got home with a new flattening tool, a granite lapping platet and silicon carbide grit. I don't know if it'll flatten chisels, but I got it for lapping the soles and cheeks of hand planes. I'll report back later.


Dave

Dave,
I have the LN Scrub, Low angle block & the 10 1/2 Rabbet. The Smoothing plane is next on the list. I used the rabbet plane on every tennon for my addition. If the grain would wander to close to the line when splitting out the waste I would use the Scrub plane to quickly rough it out then a smoothing plane or slick then the Rabbet plane.

All of the LN planes are a pure joy to use! They are not cheep but well worth the money if you are going use them a lot.

Does any body else out there use a Scrub plane? I love this tool!

Surely the LN's are comparable to Veritas?
I'm happy the the veritas,, but often wonder about those other ones. Thanks for the imput.

$4 a piece. I'd be in for that if he did it right. The hardest part by far is getting an old chisel in shape to work for the first time. Once it's dialed in the first time though, future honing is easy. Make sure to protect your tools from rust. I've been rubbing my chisels with gun oil lately. I wonder if it's just mineral oil?

I use the LN scrub plane for larger tenons, or if it is just handy. I have sharpened a fair bit of the radius out of the blade and like it more with every use. Tim