# I think this hand planer may be junk



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

or is it the operator? 
I’m not sure as I’ve never owned one , but what a pain this thing is. I tighten the screw iup on top and when I latch it down the part on top that has the brand name on it ends up sliding off as I use it . 
I think you adjust the blade with that bronze wheel while it’s latched down ? 
Anyone else have this brand? 
I wanted a Brand I’m familiar with , but we live in a small town and this is the only option .
I’ve used it so not sure I can take it back 

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/footprint-tools-professional-smooth-plane/1000103406


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

They aren't good but sometimes with some work on them they can be tuned up to get the job done. The only two that come close to working out of the box are Lie Neilsens and Lee Valley Veritas planes. All the others need work. Here's a video by Paul Sellars showing how.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Take it back, HD has a good return policy. Tell then it didn't work.
Herb


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Thanks Charles . I don’t see where I was setting it wrong , but it seems to work for him .
Next time I’m in Calgary I’ll make darn sure I stop at Lee Valley


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Herb Stoops said:


> Take it back, HD has a good return policy. Tell then it didn't work.
> Herb


Ya their actually pretty good. It’ tough to right off 70 bucks when your not working . Sooner spend double for something decent.

It’s been a bad day all around . I sitting here eating wine guns, and theirs a ton of green and yellow ones in the bag . 
Don’t companies know everyone likes the red and black ones lol


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Wasn't that brand mentioned in a thread awhile back? Think whatever I'm thinking of was made in India.

I have several planes, no problems with any. But I don't recall buying them new (except maybe one from HF), they were all pre-owned. I just like using older hand tools. If I ever need another, it will be used also, likely flea market, or garage sale. 

Rick, try a power plane. They will remove a lot of wood, FAST, and are loads of fun to use. Just don't feel like touching the blade while it is running, because it can remove a lot of Rick, FAST.
:grin:


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

JOAT said:


> Wasn't that brand mentioned in a thread awhile back? Think whatever I'm thinking of was made in India.
> 
> I have several planes, no problems with any. But I don't recall buying them new (except maybe one from HF), they were all pre-owned. I just like using older hand tools. If I ever need another, it will be used also, likely flea market, or garage sale.
> 
> ...


I’ve got a Makita planer ,but I’ve never had good success . Take too much out , make a unbelievable mess of wood everywhere .
I don’t think planing is my thing lol .


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I’ve got a Makita planer ,but I’ve never had good success . Take too much out , make a unbelievable mess of wood everywhere .
> I don’t think planing is my thing lol .


They are just the ticket for rounding rough, out of balance, wood in a wood lathe. Go from unbalanced, to balanced, in about 3 seconds. Of course, if you are not paying attention, you could go from a flower vase project, to a pointer project, in about 4 seconds.


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## mark greenbaum (Sep 26, 2010)

Old Stanley and Bailey planes are great if you can find one used at a yardsale or on Ebay or Shopgoodwill. I have a collection of a few small block planes from my Dad, Grandpa, etc. Some made in West Germany (dates from 1945-1990), and they are great to work with. Remember - go WITH the grain of the wood; otherwise you just dig into the wood and tear it out. I've even gotten a set of El Cheapo Harbor Fright tiny planes and sculpted the top of my Les Paul wannabee guitar with them.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Rick.... thats generally considered a "handy'mans" plane....

as a rule, they will require a good bit of attention before they perform relatively well..particularly with the iron
the iron generally does not hold an edge well and often will require readjustments...

But for around the house or in the tool bag,,, not a terribly bad plane.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Rick, it's likely that you haven't tightened the screw enough. Another thing to consider is that you might have too much blade extending beyond the sole and you're binding into the wood forcing the blade to be pushed back. All symptoms that you haven't screwed it down tight enough. That problem would exist no matter which plane you use.

And you are correct that the brass knob is to adjust the blade in and out. Start with the blade fully retracted, slide the plane on a test piece...no cut. Then turn the brass knob a quarter of a turn...try it again...and so on till it makes nice light shavings...


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

Rick, if you are not able to return it, No panic. Flatten the sole if necessary, see if you can polish up the frog bed, and then when you are next at LV, buy their replacement blade and chip breaker combo. Even a useless plane becomes useful. 
I managed to turn a perfectly awful Sheffield-made jack plane into a very reasonable performer, and a Stanley low-angle block plane into a very good little plane. Hell, even my Indian-made fore plane and smoothing planes perked up no end.

Until I discovered LV, I was convinced that I would never be able to plane anything. Turns out that for once, I could justifiably blame my tools (not to mention my ignorance).
Go for the PV VII blade - more expensive, but you will be glad you did.

I think Nick may be right - if the cap screw is too loose, the cap iron will not exert enough pressure on the blade. If too tight, you will struggle to latch the cap iron down.

Regarding Footprint - this was a famous Sheffield brand of yesteryear - they invented the Footprint pipe wrench - my old man had one for decades, so did every plumber around here. I see they have just re-launched them through the local agent. I do not have the strongest hands, and prefer the Stilson pattern, but there is not doubt they worked, and lasted. But I note they have “outsourced some production to low-cost countries”, so no idea where your plane came from.


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

One more thing about the cap screw: the LV blades are generally thicker than the ones they replace. On one of my planes, I have to loosen the cap screw to be able to slide the cap iron under it, then have to tighten the screw some before latching the cap iron, otherwise I get the same problem you describe.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Nickp said:


> Rick, it's likely that you haven't tightened the screw enough. Another thing to consider is that you might have too much blade extending beyond the sole and you're binding into the wood forcing the blade to be pushed back. All symptoms that you haven't screwed it down tight enough. That problem would exist no matter which plane you use.
> 
> And you are correct that the brass knob is to adjust the blade in and out. Start with the blade fully retracted, slide the plane on a test piece...no cut. Then turn the brass knob a quarter of a turn...try it again...and so on till it makes nice light shavings...


Nick's right about the amount of blade exposure and that it might be part of the problem. It's easier to try and take a lot of light passes and make fine shavings than it is to take heavy ones. Try starting with the blade far enough up that it won't take a shaving and adjust it as Nick suggested until it does. After you made sure the blade is flat and sharp.


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## anndel (Aug 18, 2019)

Those planes are cheap and just a working plane. For better ones, Lie-Nielsen, Lee Valley Veritas or old Stanley-Baileys from Ebay and refinish them.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have several Wood River III planes and really love using them. They were nearly perfect when I got them so I didn't have to work much to get the bottom flat and the sides were 90 to the base out of the box. The III third generation designation is a far better plane than the older Wood River models. I have and carefully tuned up a #92 block plane that I use most often.

You need to flatten the back of the iron as per Sellers video. Rob Cossman also covers this 




Thin shavings are the objective as is setting the iron so it takes off the same thickness all the way across. There's a video of a Japanese hand plane competition where the shavings are full width, see through and measure 8/1000 thickness. But we mere mortals probably won't get them that thin.

Nick and the others are on point.

But I offer this word of warning Rick. Using hand planes is addicting. After awhile, you start reaching for a hand plane more and more often because they produce such great results. I have a #4 and #6 in addition to several special purpose planes. I have one Veritas plane that is beautiful and precise, but I also have a fairly coarse rabbet plane that I've worked into a great performer. Once you learn to tune up a plane, you can turn most cheap or used planes into adequate performers. And then, there's that sweet shisssssssssh sound they make and the glassy surface they produce that you just can't get with sandpaper.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I played with length after I watched the first video that Charles posted . It worked but only temporarily.
Had it about 4mm past that piece that’s rests on top . And yes you Guys are very correct , don’t have too much protruding at once .

I think I’m playing with the brass wheel ,and as I loosen it to retract the blade , I’m not tightening it up the other direction to remove the slack .

I’m going to finish this job and take it back if I can , then get your recommendations for one from Lee Valley.
I googled it and there’s not a lot of good reviews on this brand


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> They aren't good but sometimes with some work on them they can be tuned up to get the job done. The only two that come close to working out of the box are Lie Neilsens and Lee Valley Veritas planes.


Wow you get what you pay for


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

I have an older No4 Bailey I need to recondition. It was my wife's father's, and when he died it was given to me by my wife, but at the time I wasn't doing any woodwork, but her brother was so I loaned it to him. Fast forward a few years and he was cleaning up his garage and getting rid of some stuff he no longer used, which happened to include MY plane.
Fortunately because we were visiting I was able to reclaim it before it was lost forever.
It needs the sole cleaned up and the blade sharpened, and probably a good "lube" as the adjustments to raise/lower the blade aren't as responsive as they should.

But I'm glad I got it back and hope to restore it to working order soon. The blade "may" be past it, in which case I'll buy a new set, but it will also serve to practice sharpening on.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Don't write the blade (iron) off so quickly. With care, you may be able to put it back into good working order. For big cleanup, use sandpaper affixed to a piece of thick, flat plate glass, or a perfectly flat metal top. Dry the table and plane off thoroughly when done so you don't get rust on either one. Be patient. If there's rust, you can use some sort of rust remover, including CocaCola. If there's pitting, it could be un tunable depending on where it is and how bad. Don't forget to clean and polist up the frog, rust in there will make the blade hinky. 

On the coarse grits, think about buying a roll of 150 grit of adhesive backed sandpaper. This will give you a longer stroke as you work on the base and sides. Keep that sucker flat. Wet dry paper used wet for the higher grits. The plane itself only needs about 400 grit, but working on the Iron, i have wet dry up to 8,000 grit. Your wife will enjoy seeing you using her dad's old plane. I'd have her share some stories about her dad as you work on it. Give yourself several hours over a couple of days for rust removal, finishing up the body and then working on the iron itself. Take a picture or two.

Here's a diagram just FYI...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I played with length after I watched the first video that Charles posted . It worked but only temporarily.
> Had it about 4mm past that piece that’s rests on top . And yes you Guys are very correct , don’t have too much protruding at once .
> 
> I think I’m playing with the brass wheel ,and as I loosen it to retract the blade , I’m not tightening it up the other direction to remove the slack .
> ...


Too much slop in the adjustment mechanism is one of the major faults of the cheap planes. And the cap irons won't hold them tight enough to compensate for that. The Lie Neilsen planes have even more of a sticker shock Rick. Some of the older Sweetheart and Bailey planes were pretty good but needed tuning. The newer ones aren't worth bothering with according to all the reviews I see. You might have some luck looking at flea markets and yard sales over there.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Too much slop in the adjustment mechanism is one of the major faults of the cheap planes. And the cap irons won't hold them tight enough to compensate for that. The Lie Neilsen planes have even more of a sticker shock Rick. Some of the older Sweetheart and Bailey planes were pretty good but needed tuning. The newer ones aren't worth bothering with according to all the reviews I see. You might have some luck looking at flea markets and yard sales over there.


I didn’t think it was possible to have more sticker shock yet lol . 

This things still jerking me around . No matter where I set things , the top plate keeps coming off regardless of how much the screw is torqued down .
If the blades still ok, maybe they’ll take it back . Pretty much garbage imo , and at this point I’d be more than happy to order something decent from LeeValley


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

you want sticker shock..
try a Clifton...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

https://www.routerforums.com/tools-woodworking/139455-plane-good-value.html#post2043747


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

I am lucky to have a good collection of Stanley original hand planes and some cheapies.

When I was doing a wood work course some years ago, the first few weeks were just spent learning to sharpen and adjust the hand plane.....


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

jw2170 said:


> I am lucky to have a good collection of Stanley original hand planes and some cheapies.
> 
> When I was doing a wood work course some years ago, the first few weeks were just spent learning to sharpen and adjust the hand plane.....


Maybe I should visit for lessons!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Well guys it’s my lucky day, HD let me return it . If they didn’t I was just going to take the hit and throw it in the garbage . 

Maybe I’ll order one from LeeValley soon . 

Question . I seen a guy touch up a rabbet joint that was too tight . That plane would have had to have had a blade that went right to the side of the planets base . 
Is there a different name for that type?


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> Well guys it’s my lucky day, HD let me return it . If they didn’t I was just going to take the hit and throw it in the garbage .
> 
> Maybe I’ll order one from LeeValley soon .
> 
> ...


Rick I have a suspicion that's a shoulder plane? But I'm no expert, only guessing from what I recall seeing a bit of lately. Stick would be the one to provide the answer if nobody else can, as I've seen a number of things he's posted on this subject.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

1fizgig said:


> Rick I have a suspicion that's a shoulder plane? But I'm no expert, only guessing from what I recall seeing a bit of lately. Stick would be the one to provide the answer if nobody else can, as I've seen a number of things he's posted on this subject.


shoulder or rabbet plane...

rabbet...
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/planes/joinery/59999-veritas-skew-rabbet-plane
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/planes/block/65373-veritas-skew-block-plane

shoulder plane..
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...s/shoulder/50273-veritas-large-shoulder-plane

In the Feb., 2013 issue of FWW, they do a comparison of theses two planes. For the shoulder plane, the Veritas Large came out best overall and value. On the rabbet block plane, the Veritas 601/2 was best value with the Veritas skew block plane as best overall. The article also said if you were to have just one, for cleaning up tenons, go with the rabbet. 

but I don't agree...

I think the shoulder plane will do better on cheeks than the rabbet will do on shoulders. If I had to get only one I'd go large or medium shoulder plane...


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Hi Rick,

I bought my low angle block plane from the big orange and it's the same brand. I sharpened the blade and slightly leveled the sole and it has worked well for over 10 years now. I have since purchased several stanley planes from garage sales, flea markets and Kijjiji. I suggest you get a new one to get used to it and then you can venture into the used market once you are familiar with the set ups. I even found a shoulder plane for $20 and it's in prime condition. I plan on buying more planes to have a good variety and collection. My next must be a long smoothing plane. 

Cheers,
Dan


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

what!?!?! no joiner???


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Stick486 said:


> shoulder or rabbet plane...
> 
> rabbet...
> https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/planes/joinery/59999-veritas-skew-rabbet-plane
> ...


Just watched the video , pretty sweet plane . I had no idea they actually made them for making rabbets from scratch


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Rick, 

The difference between a 110 or 220 makes all the difference in the world, plus the length and quality of the extension cord matters too.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

honesttjohn said:


> Rick,
> 
> The difference between a 110 or 220 makes all the difference in the world, plus the length and quality of the extension cord matters too.


Thanks John , but I’m looking at the brands you use by hand


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Link does not work, at least for me. N


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

DesertRatTom said:


> Don't write the blade (iron) off so quickly. With care, you may be able to put it back into good working order. For big cleanup, use sandpaper affixed to a piece of thick, flat plate glass, or a perfectly flat metal top. Dry the table and plane off thoroughly when done so you don't get rust on either one. Be patient. If there's rust, you can use some sort of rust remover, including CocaCola. If there's pitting, it could be un tunable depending on where it is and how bad. Don't forget to clean and polist up the frog, rust in there will make the blade hinky.
> 
> On the coarse grits, think about buying a roll of 150 grit of adhesive backed sandpaper. This will give you a longer stroke as you work on the base and sides. Keep that sucker flat. Wet dry paper used wet for the higher grits. The plane itself only needs about 400 grit, but working on the Iron, i have wet dry up to 8,000 grit. Your wife will enjoy seeing you using her dad's old plane. I'd have her share some stories about her dad as you work on it. Give yourself several hours over a couple of days for rust removal, finishing up the body and then working on the iron itself. Take a picture or two.
> 
> Here's a diagram just FYI...



Tom, you'll be pleased to know I spent some time on it this weekend. The sole needed a bit of polishing up which came up just fine. The frog and all the internal components were still in pretty much pristine condition, original paint and still clean and intact. I oiled the sole carefully to help ensure no rest.
Better than I hoped for.

I spent some time sharpening the iron, and although it's not going to split hairs, it's better than it was. I got some cheaper diamond plates to start me off, coarse medium and fine, then polished up with a little 2000 grit sandpaper. Not too bad, but I think some 6 or 8000 grit would be useful.
All in all though, it cut some nice shavings and is in much better shape. I think another round of sharpening (or a few - I'm still learning my way) will help a lot to bringing it up to full potential. But I'm happy to be using it and it being much better. My wife also thanked me, which just goes to prove your point.
Thanks for the encouragement


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

@1fizgig, see if you can find videos on 'scary sharp'. They will help you with sharpening.


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

Thanks James. I have watched a couple of clips by Paul Sellers and a couple of others too.
I'll look those up for extra help

I forgot to mention, I also sharpened a new chisel. Testing the before and after I definitely noticed the difference. Practice will improve results I'm sure.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I get to scary sharp using a hard felt wheel and green honing compound like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Green-Leat...906889&hash=item213e6d76f7:g:ga8AAOSwbq9a6wng You should be able to find it locally at any place that sells buffing wheels and supplies. It can be applied to a leather strop or a flat piece of wood but I prefer to put it on a power tool. I have a large wheel which I power with a spare motor and arbor but I have a small one like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Felt-Pol...122123?hash=item25db9a728b:g:gM4AAOSwg~9cd0y3 which I power with a hand drill or in my drill press. You could make an arbor for this small wheel using a 10mm bolt and cutting the head off and mounting the wheel between two nuts and fender style washers.

The green compound is equivalent to 8000 grit so you get close to a mirror finish at that grit. If you like using the sandpaper then Lee Valley sells some made for sharpening that goes as fine as 5 micron I think and it will do the same job. Their grit is bonded to thin sheets of mylar so the sheets are fairly tough. My chisels and plane irons will shave hair off my arm when finished.


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## 1fizgig (Feb 11, 2018)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I get to scary sharp using a hard felt wheel and green honing compound like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Green-Leat...906889&hash=item213e6d76f7:g:ga8AAOSwbq9a6wng You should be able to find it locally at any place that sells buffing wheels and supplies. It can be applied to a leather strop or a flat piece of wood but I prefer to put it on a power tool. I have a large wheel which I power with a spare motor and arbor but I have a small one like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Felt-Pol...122123?hash=item25db9a728b:g:gM4AAOSwg~9cd0y3 which I power with a hand drill or in my drill press. You could make an arbor for this small wheel using a 10mm bolt and cutting the head off and mounting the wheel between two nuts and fender style washers.
> 
> The green compound is equivalent to 8000 grit so you get close to a mirror finish at that grit. If you like using the sandpaper then Lee Valley sells some made for sharpening that goes as fine as 5 micron I think and it will do the same job. Their grit is bonded to thin sheets of mylar so the sheets are fairly tough. My chisels and plane irons will shave hair off my arm when finished.



Thanks Chuck. I intend getting some compound soon so I can start stropping.
Question though: do you find that once your tool has been sharpened thus, that it stays sharper longer than if you only sharpened to say 2000 grit? Does it make enough difference to warrant it, or does it lose that "extra" edge quickly so that it's not really much better?

Just curious to know whether or not it's really worth trying to achieve. Mileage may vary, but I figure it's worth asking your experience.


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