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.
I think this hand planer may be junk
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
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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Take it back, HD has a good return policy. Tell then it didn't work.
Herb
Herb
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
Next time I’m in Calgary I’ll make darn sure I stop at Lee Valley
Ya their actually pretty good. It’ tough to right off 70 bucks when your not working . Sooner spend double for something decent.Take it back, HD has a good return policy. Tell then it didn't work.
Herb
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
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:
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:
I’ve got a Makita planer ,but I’ve never had good success . Take too much out , make a unbelievable mess of wood everywhere .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:
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.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 .
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.
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.
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.
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.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...
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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...
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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