Early Access Video: The Surprisingly Essential Plough
Added 2021-09-25 11:00:03 +0000 UTCFriends:
As our hand-tool journey moves forward, there's one tool that we may need to drop a little money on: the plough plane. This tool is essential for drawers, nice doors, and a whole world of frame-and-panel construction. I know I'm the "make it yourself" guy, but this tool probably isn't worth the effort.
In that spirit, I present a brief introduction to understanding and acquiring a good plough.
As usual, the plans are being re-drawn now and will be available here (and on the plan archive) on Wednesday morning.
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
Comments
Rex, I've seen you mention elsewhere that Mujingfang tools were respectable; have you looked at their plough plane? Available on Amz, under a variety of "brands", more often described as a "grooving planer" than "plough plane", for $50-$65. (Careful: some only come with 1 iron; I am now waiting a couple months for an order from AliEx of the other 4 irons.)
Wil Cooley
2021-10-06 05:38:50 +0000 UTCI've been going to flea markets and garage sales, as well as reading the ads for our area, but have never ever seen a plough plane for sale at all, anywhere. Where's the best place to look ?
Howard Tuckey
2021-10-01 03:13:58 +0000 UTCNo problem. I put that at the top of the post.
Michael Bennett
2021-09-30 23:24:53 +0000 UTCThanks, Rex! I'll look into it. I hope I can get some closer to me, though. I know a guy who knows a guy ... Actually, I only know a guy. I don't know who he knows, but I've bought several vintage tools from him. He's a patron too, I think. Tanley & Lane is the name of his shop. He gave me the almost unused E.A.Berg iron for my wooden fore plane free of charge :^)
Thomas Hverring
2021-09-30 12:57:54 +0000 UTCHaven't even taken my router out of the case for over a year!
Rex Krueger
2021-09-30 12:37:08 +0000 UTCIt's fine with me if you put them on the forum so long as its understood that the forum has nothing to do with the sale and makes no warrantees of any kind. In regards to the planes, I'm a massive lover of wooden planes, even wooden plough planes, I just think metal plough planes are a smarter buy. That's all.
Rex Krueger
2021-09-30 12:36:41 +0000 UTCVery hard, but Patrick Leach will have them. supertool.com
Rex Krueger
2021-09-30 12:34:49 +0000 UTCI felt exactly the same way when I figured it out!
Rex Krueger
2021-09-30 12:33:15 +0000 UTCDude. This is a seriously needed video. I wish I had known years ago how much you need a plough plane.
Eric Paisley
2021-09-28 00:59:23 +0000 UTCThere's something weird going on with the audio. I was wondering if it was just me, but apparently not...
Otto van Biessum
2021-09-27 12:20:24 +0000 UTCBy far the best choice is the combination plane. Firstly it will only cost a little more and you can find either a Stanley or a Record 45 or 045. I think Record got bought by Stanley a while back so its the same plane and parts are interchangeable. I have had several over the years but was intimidated by them and never learned to use them. Just bought another Stanley and I have already started using it. As well even though there are blades missing(always are) the Veritas fit them perfectly except they are much better made.
Paul Boegel
2021-09-27 04:14:07 +0000 UTCI'm still debating if I want to buy the plow plane they sell or the combination plane. The combination plane is so much more expensive, but it's also so pretty... Though I'd be fine with the the normal plow plane, too.
TwoRavens
2021-09-27 01:11:51 +0000 UTCI have had several of these over the years and have recently picked up a nice Stanley 45. Be advised that Lee Valley Tools(Veritas) also makes a new version of this plane in left or right handed and can supply ALL of the cutters for ANY of these planes. Their catalog is drool worthy. After I build my Moravian bench I will make a box for the plane right off. A router will do a lot of this work but often it takes longer to set the damn thing up than to make the cut and decent router bits are expensive. Thanks for the vid.
Paul Boegel
2021-09-26 05:08:07 +0000 UTCGreat video! I have a wooden plough plane already. Unfortunately I only have one iron for it and it's difficult to find more sizes.
Thomas Hverring
2021-09-26 01:59:35 +0000 UTCAs usual my spelling is terrible. plow=plough
Richard C von Brecht
2021-09-26 01:54:07 +0000 UTCSame here, I finally got some in yesterday.
Richard C von Brecht
2021-09-26 01:51:13 +0000 UTCThanx for this video. I've been on the fence about buying a combo plane for quite a while. As you may have read on Discourse, I bought a "lot" of hand tools from an estate. No combo planes, but it includes a large selection of wooden planes. While I'll be selling off the iron and transitional planes, I've decided to keep most of the wooden planes. The majority of the bench planes are all from Scioto Tool Works (the 2nd tier of Ohio Tool). One of the planes was a 5/16" grooving plane. It has a full-size 'skate' clad in thin sheet steel instead of the traditional boxwood. It looks like it was user-made, but rather well-made nonetheless. So, with all these 'new' planes, I've decided to get rid of most of my iron planes and move to almost all wooden planes. Pretty much the exact opposite of the message in your video. For now, I'm keeping my #78 and #80, a few Millers Falls block planes (and maybe one or two others), and selling off all the rest as I buy or make replacements. I told the widow that I bought the lot from that I'd pass on the majority of the tools to beginner woodworkers. Her husband was a high school shop teacher and collected tools to use in the school and to give to students that showed promise. So, I'd like to offer them up thru the Discourse, at well-below going prices, to those who need them, if that's OK with you? I wanted to put them on eBay and/or FB Messenger. But how can I know they are needy beginners and not just someone who will turn around and sell it again?
Michael Bennett
2021-09-26 01:43:45 +0000 UTCThank you Rex and James for the grooving plane video. I have looked at these on eBay and thought "Would I really use it?" Now I know I need one to go with my rebate plane and I can move away from my electric router.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-09-25 23:19:10 +0000 UTCIt is worth repeating Rex's observation that a plough plane or metallic combination plane will also accomodate a tongue and groove cutter set. A more pedestrian form of joinery than a dovetail joint perhaps, tongue and groove joinery is more than useful for cabinet backs, wainscoating, and flooring repairs/patches/replacement. Pretty handy for high moisture environments like splashboards as well.
Ed Balko
2021-09-25 20:19:46 +0000 UTCSome of the Stanley 50's don't have the screw adjustment for cutter depth. Adjustment is by tapping the cutter to advance or tapping the end of the plane to withdraw the iron. I'm not very skilled at getting the depth I'm after. Same shortcoming with the Stanley 46. I prefer the Stanley 45; the screw adjuster makes the tool easier for me to use.
Ed Balko
2021-09-25 18:30:00 +0000 UTCOk, it's time to dig out my 45 and see what it needs to be functional. It has been packed away since I moved, 6 years ago. Side note: Did you "film" this closer to the wall than usual? The Saqqara Bird on the plywood behind you seems to be trying to land on your left shoulder.
Jeff Tinsley
2021-09-25 17:53:06 +0000 UTCThere is a woodwrights shop episode where Roy briefly covers all the stuff in a 55. He borrowed a nearly complete set and it is mind blowing.
Benjamin Fouty
2021-09-25 16:47:12 +0000 UTCI had the Stanley combo plane and found it to be complicated. It worked, but I spent a huge amount of time adjusting it after each few strokes. Even using a screwdriver to tighten the adjusters. They work, but. Veritas took the concept and fixed almost all the flaws. So much so that I sold my Stanley Combo and plough. However, they do cost, ouch. Being who I am, I still want to get a Veritas Plough plane. I have a 1/4" plough I made myself and use it for all my panels and drawers, even though I have the combo plane. The one I made is ready to go just as it is. So it gets grabbed most of the time. I have to agree with you, if you are just starting out, maybe make a 1/4" grooving plane. they work surprisingly well. Oh, I almost forgot, you can use a router plane for grooves if you have one.
William Allen
2021-09-25 16:40:29 +0000 UTCAn excellent point was made about allowing for seasonal variation with wood movement. So bring on the plow plane. Love James Wright
Richard C von Brecht
2021-09-25 15:43:02 +0000 UTCThank you Rex and James for another great video.
John Hiemstra
2021-09-25 15:23:42 +0000 UTCHahah! I finally was able to buy an affordable mortise chisel after The Great Rex-induced Mortise Chisel Shortage of 2021. š Rex, it warms my heart every time I see you and James collaborate.
Peter Schmiedeskamp
2021-09-25 14:05:22 +0000 UTCHey Rex, could I use a router plane with a shoulder attachment or do I really need a plough for a groove?
Jacob Hussey
2021-09-25 13:44:58 +0000 UTCThe only have shoulder planes and a tongue-and-groove plane. But if they did, you probably won't be able to buy it again until 2024 I guess :-/
Daniel Bohrer
2021-09-25 13:44:32 +0000 UTCMan, now I have to tell myself, ānot until you need it for a project, not until you need it for a project!ā, though I did go straight from here to look at Records on eBay. There are some 43s for sale, some full sets with the original box. NO NOT UNTIL YOU NEED IT FOR A PROJECT AARON!
Aaron Wasielewski
2021-09-25 13:12:39 +0000 UTCI second the question about audio, definitely up to your normal standard.
Mad Hamish
2021-09-25 12:32:26 +0000 UTCAnother valuable service for us. Thank you. I had no idea about the Record version of these planes. (aka SixTenthsChristian).
Larry W Thayer
2021-09-25 12:26:04 +0000 UTCThat's a pretty sweet deal. Over the past year I haven't seen a 45 going for less than $90 USD, and then that was ending in the middle of the week. Weekend auctions would usually be closer to 120 (without irons). A lot of people wait until the last few minutes on eBay, then the real war starts!
Jean-Raymond Raynal
2021-09-25 12:21:31 +0000 UTCNo mention to Veritas? There are also some Chinese makers who have plough plane, however I do not expect Rex to talk about them ;). Does Lie-Nielsen make a combo plane?
Jean-Raymond Raynal
2021-09-25 12:19:17 +0000 UTCI just had a look on eBay. There's a Stanley 45 with 16 blades on auction, currently at CDN$16 plus shipping (from Newfoundland)! The auction closes in 6 days from the time of writing this. Is there a problem with the audio?
Brian Taylor
2021-09-25 12:16:20 +0000 UTCI think the Stanley 55 is the coolest tool I've ever seen. It looks like the optimus prime of hand tools, awesome
Hagen
2021-09-25 11:39:03 +0000 UTCJust going to say that you don't necessarily want to worry about the beading cutters. Dedicated beading planes are so common that I managed to acquire two complete sets in 12 months during a global pandemic without even looking for them. In any case, 2 or 3 sizes of beading plane will do just about every bead you could want on small furniture projects.
Martin Hartley
2021-09-25 11:18:48 +0000 UTC
