On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:13:50 -0600, "Mike H."
wrote:

I'm wanting to purchase my first real hand plane (smooth plane), but I don't
have the $ for a Lie-Neilson (the Cadillac?). Therefore, I was going to get
a Veritas. After reading reviews and shopping online (and according to the
2005 Tool Guide from Taunton), the Veritas planes appear to be the best
value for the money.

But the Stanley planes *look* descent enough, and are about half the price
of a Veritas. And I have seen photos of Stanleys in professional wood
workers' "favorite hand tool" selections. So I was wondering if anyone out
there might have first hand experience in providing a side-by-side
comparison of the Stanley vs. Veritas hand planes (in particular smooth
planes). Amazon had a nasty review for the #4 Stanley, but the fellow
didn't say why it was such a horrible hand plane.

So what's the difference? Please help.
TIA.

-Mike

It's a lot easier to make a tool look good than it is to make it
perform well. The Stanleys look good -- if you don't look too closely.
They can even be made to perform well -- but it usually takes an awful
lot of work.

I have some Stanley planes as well as a Veritas. The best way to think
of the Stanleys is as a plane kit. The parts are all there but it
takes a lot of work to turn it into the real thing. By the time you
get done flattening the sole, fooling with the frog, etc., you'll have
a lot of time into the plane. By the time you get it right you will
have learned a tremendous amount about planes as well.

If this is your first plane, I would strongly suggest spending the
money for the Veritas. It may still take some tuning, but you'll be
making shavings a lot sooner and you'll be a lot happier.

--RC

"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.