www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

old fella that works with us has the oldest saw horses in creation. there both dropping to bits. he used to run his own building company but now does brick laying for us. and helps out on other stuff.

he also has no cordless. so uses a yankee if im not working with him. reakons nail guns are rediculous inventions and complains if he picks up anything heavier than a 20 oz claw hammer hahaha

Bit late in on this, however a little above that budget you can't beat the Qiangsheng Block Plane sold by Rutlands. I have a couple of the Qiangsheng planes now and I also have a couple of planes by Vertias and Lie-Nielsen so I was gebuinely surprised to find that the these planes are streets better than the Stanleys, records and so on - almost up the the standard of Clifton, Vertias and Lie-Nielsen. They have thick cutters for clean cutting (like the "big boys"). Oner thing that lets them down is that they do need sharpening out of the box (well, mine did)

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/hand-tools/pl ... ng-tool-co.

My block plane.

comes in a nice box too

I think my No5 is made by them too.

Nice!

For refurbishment I use an old Stanley & a surform block plane back to back. The surform is great for plasterboard, plastic trim etc. My yankee died- used to make saw horses from scrap but the plastic ones are much lighter-
I think to make a horse you set your bevel to 30d, mark off the top, fit the legs then cut to level? Been a long time!

Alpinist wrote: I think to make a horse you set your bevel to 30d, mark off the top, fit the legs then cut to level? Been a long time!

30° sounds like a lot to me - I've always used a bevel set to 5/16" out of square over the width of a 2" leg.

One little trick I employ when I make stools now (doubt if I'll ever have to make any more) is to put the ply gusset on the inside of the legs, after a few years when things start to get a bit loose one simple 2X1 batten fitted between the gussets will tighten them up. The alternative is a batten across the outside of the legs - but some knobhead is likely to stand on those and snap them off.

I have had a lot of block planes over the years some Record but mainly Stanley ,both standard block planes and end grain planes and never cease to be amased how crappily made they are and continuing to get worse ,Has anyone looked at the new Stanley Sweethearts?

i have a stanley block plane like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanley-9-1-2 ... 51aa1d9804

for the cost they should be better quality i think..

mine the adjustable throat isnt adjustable at all. the bottom plate (not sure of its correct name) is too big.

i also used to have a silverline one. which as it happens is exactly the same as one made by irwin marples now. it wasnt very good.

lol forgot id already posted on this thread....

fin wrote:lol forgot id already posted on this thread....

happens to me all the time....and at 32 you've already got Altzheimers???


Or too many beers on you birthday????

wine~o wrote:

fin wrote:lol forgot id already posted on this thread....

happens to me all the time....and at 32 you've already got Altzheimers???


Or too many beers on you birthday????

haha i wish... didnt get to the bar till half 9 by the time i got sorted out.