Plane purchase advice
Tony Shaftel
>I hope this is a reasonable question, and that my ignorance will be forgiven if it is not.
What should I expect to pay for a basically sound pre-WWII Stanley #7 or #8 that can be brought up to snuff? I see them all over the map on Ebay, auction and antique sites. I don't need a collector's item but it would be nice to own and work with something that has some history.
It's a common enough sad tale of the slippery slope: Innocent power tool user decides it is past time to build a decent workbench. Comes to understand he needs a long plane to flatten the top with. Orders an Anant #5 and #7...
When they arrived I did a little work on the #5, learning from websites as I went. Then I realized that instead of tuning the Anant #7 I'd rather find a sound old Stanley and do the work on that one, or find an old one that's already in good working order.
Just as an aside, I don't at all regret the purchase of the Anant #5. It was quite inexpensive and has already served as a great introduction to a new aspect of woodworking.
