For the LA crowd

Re: You know.....

Rod Cole

>Greg, hard to say. I can tell you how it worked for me.

I was nearly dirt poor when I started. I was putting myself through college and coveted the $10 block plane at the local Kmart. Fortunately times change...

But I don't think my circumstances are too rare to beginners, who may be early on the career ladder, or may be trading off childrearing costs or whatever.

I think for people with shallow pockets the ability to buy a little at a time is another important aspec of this.

LOL, I think I'm a bit off the track of your question.

Given the ability to buy users off the internet, which is how I get my #7, and given the large number of articles on the web on rehabing planes, and user formums like this one, I would say it is now much easier to pick up used planes and pick them up quickly, and rehab then than when I started. But also slightly more costly if you want your planes quickly as the internet sellers are not likely to grossly underestimate the value like Joe Blow selling Grandpas old hand planes at a yard sale.

- Rod Cole

also

Rod Cole

>As to which to buy, I don't think knowing which old plane to buy is any harder than knowing which new plane to buy. Either way there are a ton of options and somehow you pick one.

I also don't know that it is all that important to know just what year Stanley to buy, for example. The differences are small and lost on the beginner anyway. They all work.

- Rod

only need two

Rod Cole

>I have some experience that says if you are working with S4S, or even hit or miss, you can get by with a jack and block.

Not optimal, but that and a hand saw and a few cheap chisles and you are in busness!

- Rod Cole

Tools and skills

Bob Hackett

>Picking up whatever tools you may need isn`t as difficult a task as mastering the skills involved in using them properly.I`d rather screw up learning to sharpen a flea mkt plane than a new LN.

If you find that the plane you just bought at the yard sale is not the optimum model then chances are you can still use it and sell it to cover the cost of that better model later on,especially if you`ve followed directions from the folks here when it comes to tuning.

All told I`d say the most important tool for any newbie(or accomlished WWer for that matter)is to get involved in a local club or guild and to also sign on to a forum such as this.

When I asked one of my early mentors what the best tool for the job was he replied"the one you have at hand",it`s still sage advice.

Mainely,Bob

As a lawyer, I'm paid to split hairs!!!!

Gerry Doll

>

Re: IT decision management

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>Rod, for this generation of IT jobs, decisions on what to buy are easy; you just look around until you have found the most expensive one, and that's it ;)

Re: IT decision management

Greg Sloop, Portland Oregon

>Rod, for this generation of IT jobs, decisions on what to buy are easy; you just look around until you have found the most expensive one, and that's it

LOL - isn't that the way it goes...

I've seen six figure power point presentations...Really, the customer purchased almost entirely on a flashy power-point show. (As a side note, I postulate that the dot-com boom/crash would have never happened without Power-point. 'Oh, but they were so pretty, and it was so expensive, it must be wonderful.'

So, we really can blame the tech crash on MS!

As to which to buy, I don't think knowing which old plane to buy is any harder than knowing which new plane to buy. Either way there are a ton of options and somehow you pick one.

I also don't know that it is all that important to know just what year Stanley to buy, for example. The differences are small and lost on the beginner anyway. They all work.

This is really true. Plus, perhaps one is making a much lower investment in a tool that may turn out to be a bust. I forget easily, obviously...

Flip side, if one gets a dog, they may be turned off of planes/hand-tools alltogether - figuring they're all this crappy...

Oh, well, a whole bunch of "On one hand...on the other hand...."

Thanks for the refreshing thoughts.

Cheers,

Greg

Re: only need two

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>That is where I was going with this. I don't think you need to be McGyver to get by with a minimal tool set. The important thing is getting into the game. I think that I learned the most about how planes work by making my first old plane go back to work. The wispy shavings that followed my learning to fettle a plane were the most satisfying ones I've ever taken. With a little enginuity and elbow grease anyone can turn a rust barrel plane into a user, you just have to get a little dirty.

If you're anything like me, just think, the more tools you have, the less time you get to master each and every one. The reason I started this thread is because I'm starting to pare down what I will consider to be my user set. Some tools will go into a medium sized wall cabinet I'm going to start to build, and some will go into a portable tool box that I also have on the planning table. The rest will either be put away due to sentimental value or saved for my kids toolboxes. Whatever is left after that will be sold or given away.

Thanks for your replies, they were right on target

Regards

Jonathan

60.5 AND #5

Bruce, a MN galoot

>is basically what I grew up with. I can still do an adequate job of jointing with a block plane, too. It might take a little longer, but I have more time than money. My dad brought me up as a trim carpenter, and long before the advent of SCMS and other miracles, what you had was a miter box and a block plane.

Bruce

Re: Here, because it has to be somewhere

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>It was necessary, yet truly painful, for me to delete several messages from this thread, due to personal attacks and insults, and subsequent inappropriate comments thrown back in response. These attacks will not be tolerated on this forum.

This message is here, because it is the only place left to post it.

I stress that it was painful to do this, first because much useful information, and constructive responses which ignored the vitriol, was lost to our community in the process, and secondly because I feel like I waited too long to take action, thus allowing the antagonism to continue to build up, and allowing more forum members to experience the strife. I am sorry that my delayed action contributed to this loss to our sense of community.

With the exception of the two antagonists, I think everyone else's actions were exemplary, and are to be commended. I look forward to future discussions on choice of handplane toolsets, as long as they are kept civil, and pros and cons limited to the tools themselves and not to the owners' character.

Remove NOSPAM for e-mail

wrduffield@verizon.net or wrduffield@aol.com

I thought Lawyers were paid to split heirs ;-)

Paul M. in San Diego

>

Depends on the size of the estate

Gerry Doll

>

Re: As a lawyer, I'm paid to split hairs!!!!

Alan Hamilton

>Gerry,

I thought my job was to protect my clients from other members of our profession. Oh well. Live and learn--at least I hope I learn.

Alan

Re: Here, because it has to be somewhere

David Miller from Iowa

>Well done