Stanley 7 Jointer Plane 2.3/8In 1 12 007

It's a Stanley, so it works, it's stable, it's reliable.Having spent 20GBP on a cheap "Pound Shop" own brand plane, ones sees where the extra money goes on a quality product from a quality manufacturer. And one does not regret it. My "cheap" plane is now wedging the workshop door open (it's about all it's any use for.)There's an old adage "buy cheap, buy twice" - at least when it comes to tools. Lesson learned.Hand plane obsessives and/or collectors will no doubt opine that the totes are plastic and not wood, and this and that are some micrometers too big/small, the quality of the cutting iron , etc. - but for an average "handyman" (or woman or non gendered specific individual,) this just gets the job done.Like all planes (and cutting tools generally,) even "new" it will benefit from a bit of "setting up" - e.g. lap the base, soften/bevel the edged, sharpen the iron, check everything is lubricated - I also like to sand down the mould seems on the totes for extra comfort - but once done it's a joy to use. For newbies, there's plenty of YouTube vids showing how to set up a plane.

I'm a novice woodworker, so I would take my rating with a pinch of salt.It has rusted a little in the workshop/shed.Solid, easy to use, and long.A great companion to my new shallow angle plane.

Toyed with the idea of an electric plane, but reviews so good for this product, and I remember my dad having a quality plane, that I chose this. Please I did. Solid, easy to adjust, nice cut and so much more tactile than an electric.Horses for courses, and I might sway to the dark side in the future for a door bottom, but for delicate jobs and thosse where I want greater control on what I'm doing this fits the bill for all budding joiners

I bought this plane knowing it isn't top of the range but it was at the limit of my price range! I'm not disappointed and am really enjoying using it. It is well made, solid and good quality. I'm a novice plane-user and felt a little daunted by it, as I'd read negative reviews which said how long it took to set up.I think the key is, accept you need to spend a good bit of time setting it up before use, but enjoy learning about it too.Firstly the blade needs honing from 25° to 30°. And to do that you'll need to learn all components. Instructions are OK, but not ideal. So I checked out Matt Estleas YouTube channel, one of his videos titled "how to get silky smooth shavings from a plane". He has in fact 7 videos on settings up planes. He explains everything brilliantly and now my plane is set up perfectly❤️ It took a couple of hours perhaps but they were well spent and very pleasant!

Arrived next day on prime.Nicely made and finished as what you would expect from Stanley.The main grip is of course composite plastic and not wooden so the the feel and grip is slightly compromised but I knew if would be. I will used it only occasionally so I'm happy with that. Ive tried it out and it performs as I would expect.

Some of you might find this point a little pedantic. But I was really surprised to discover this item is sold with plastic handles now. The plastic looks cheap and brittle with distinct mould lines. It is not an improvement on the wooden handles that Stanleys used to be sold with.The description for this item does say 'epoxy' handles, so i am at fault for not checking closely. However because this item has received generally favorable reviews and I never expected Stanley to replace wooden handles with plastic ones on such a classic item, I didn't check. It is I think a step too far, it's a terrible decision and one that could not have been made by someone who works with wood and works with hand planes - penny pinching at its worst.The product picture is deceptive as well, it appears to emulate the shine of the black paint the wooden handles used to be finished with. Indeed the box the plane came in sadly shows the original plane with those beautiful wooden handles.If you feel the same way as me, Ebay is a good option. And for the fetishists there is always Lie-Nielson.As for the plane I purchased, the plastic handles will be going in the bin and I will be making some wooden replacements, not the worst of jobs to do..The blade requires honing.

This is a straight forward no nonsense Stanley plane however it does have its quirks!Let's start with the good....Once set up properly this plane is an absolute dream to use, I have successfully managed to get whispy shavings from both long grain and end grain. Jointing boards takes minutes with proper technique and patience.The sole of the plane was also perfectly flat which was nice as I was dreading lapping such a large plane.The bad...This plane DOES NOT come set up. It took me about 3 hours of sharpening and fettling to get it to work as desired. The chipbreaker needs to be bent a little more to provide a more positive fit which then also requires grinding flat.None of the fittings were tight upon arrival so make sure you check the frog etc for tightness.The plane handle and tote are not the best but do work as needed however I had to slightly grind notches into the bottom of the tote to make it index correctly on the plane.The plane iron was quite rough but that wasn't to hard to grind and sharpen as it was already set to 25 degrees.Finally the plane didn't come in OEM packaging which although inst necessary would've been a nice touch.In conclusion...This is a good plane once set up correctly. I have yet to come across a plane at the price range that doesnt have issues. Just be prepared to put the leg work in to make it work correctly and you will end up with a keeper.