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I do hand-tool woodworking. My favorite tool is my Stanley No 8, which I bought locally. It was manufactured around 1900, making it (probably) older than any li

I do hand-tool woodworking. My favorite tool is my Stanley No 8, which I bought locally. It was manufactured around 1900, making it (probably) older than any living human, and is still being put to work. http://smokingonabike.com/images/woodworking/game_cabinet/blog_20210214_4_s.jpg http://smokingonabike.com/images/woodworking/game_cabinet/bl... More about old Stanley planes here: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm

prova_modena 5y ago
I'm also a fan of hand planes. It's worth noting that Lie-Nielsen Toolworks currently makes very, very nice updates of these old designs with blades made of modern tool steel. Arguably they are the best bench planes ever made, even though old Stanley planes are superb. Here's Lie Nielsen's version of the No. 8.[0] [0] https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/no-8-jointer-plane?path=standard-bench-planes&node=4171 https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/no-8-jointer-plane?path...
jacquesm 5y ago
Good planes and chisels are heirlooms if treated well. Beautiful too. One woodworker I know has a 'slick', a 4" wide so clean you can use it as a stand-in mirror and so sharp that if you're not careful handling it you'll hurt yourself and not even realize it until you see a lot of claret on the shop floor. He helped me with the windmill blades and trimmed down the back edges with that thing until you could read the newspaper through them (later reinforced with fiber so the wood really served just to determine the outline and any thickness would increase both noise and decrease efficiency). Amazing tool (and amazing guy).
jacobmartin 5y ago
I have a Stanley 4 1/2 which I've dated to c. the 1890s and several wooden planes which are even older! I cherish them (and my other hand tools). In a similar vein, no rasp or file will outlast its user just by its nature; nevertheless, Auriou rasps are some of the finest tools I've had the pleasure of owning and run circles around mass-manufactured ones.
woolcap 5y ago
I've rescued a few Stanley planes from the rust pile. Bringing them back to life and use is a joy. 100+ years old, and with cleanup and honing, can still take wispy-thin shavings, leaving a glassy-smooth surface on wood.

prova_modena 5y ago

I'm also a fan of hand planes. It's worth noting that Lie-Nielsen Toolworks currently makes very, very nice updates of these old designs with blades made of modern tool steel. Arguably they are the best bench planes ever made, even though old Stanley planes are superb. Here's Lie Nielsen's version of the No. 8.[0] [0] https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/no-8-jointer-plane?path=standard-bench-planes&node=4171 https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/no-8-jointer-plane?path...

jacquesm 5y ago

Good planes and chisels are heirlooms if treated well. Beautiful too. One woodworker I know has a 'slick', a 4" wide so clean you can use it as a stand-in mirror and so sharp that if you're not careful handling it you'll hurt yourself and not even realize it until you see a lot of claret on the shop floor. He helped me with the windmill blades and trimmed down the back edges with that thing until you could read the newspaper through them (later reinforced with fiber so the wood really served just to determine the outline and any thickness would increase both noise and decrease efficiency). Amazing tool (and amazing guy).

jacobmartin 5y ago

I have a Stanley 4 1/2 which I've dated to c. the 1890s and several wooden planes which are even older! I cherish them (and my other hand tools). In a similar vein, no rasp or file will outlast its user just by its nature; nevertheless, Auriou rasps are some of the finest tools I've had the pleasure of owning and run circles around mass-manufactured ones.

woolcap 5y ago

I've rescued a few Stanley planes from the rust pile. Bringing them back to life and use is a joy. 100+ years old, and with cleanup and honing, can still take wispy-thin shavings, leaving a glassy-smooth surface on wood.