# Glorious Harbor Freight Planes...



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

So I bought a plane from Harbor Freight just for the heck of it and started polishing it up. Finally got the sole flat polished the sides all the way to 220 sharpened the blade gave the inside a new coat of paint and was going to make a new wooden tote and knob but alas the beauty of quality Chinese engineering shown through. I tried to punch out the rivet of the lever cap so I could polish the back side and it just crumbled apart... So I just tapped a piece of white oak to use a washer and it works "Fine". I guess... I really don't think it was worth my time do all this work to it but I did and now I'm stuck with it. So if anyone here had the same idea as me to clean one of these up, don't punch the rivets out....


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

You did all of that work why?

George


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Check Ebay for parts*

You can create a "hybrid" if you buy a new lever cap from Ebay. There are several listed at $8 or $9 there:











https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...RS0&_nkw=wlever+cap+wood+plane+parts&_sacat=0


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> You did all of that work why?
> 
> George



I thought it might be fun to fix one of these up just for the heck of it. I can always use another plane in my shop. Of course, this one might not be be all that much use to me in the long run...


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> You can create a "hybrid" if you buy a new lever cap from Ebay. There are several listed at $8 or $9 there:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Certainly something to keep in mind in case I need to fix one of my nice planes but for this one it's just not worth it.


----------



## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Is this an example of trying to make a silk purse from a pig's ear?
johnep


----------



## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I bet the part was diecast instead of forged or even stamped.


----------



## miket68 (Jun 16, 2017)

I have bought stuff from harbor freight and tore it apart for certain parts to build bigger and better things.

I gutted a new compressor for parts to go on my glass blowing studio automated oxygen generation and compression system.
It rages big torches and will make enough oxygen to save me big money on buying tanks.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*a nice plane is ....*



WeebyWoodWorker said:


> Certainly something to keep in mind in case I need to fix one of my nice planes but for this one it's just not worth it.


A "nice" plane is one that works nicely. The wood don't care who made the dang thing, it just has to make great, thin, even shavings.
I've bought old planes off Ebay and refurbished them and now they work great. It didn't matter which brand they were, since I'm a user not a collector. If you've taken the time to clean, paint and flatten this plane body it may be fun to get a used lever cap and see how it works? :wink2:


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

johnep1934 said:


> Is this an example of trying to make a silk purse from a pig's ear?
> johnep


That just about sums it up.


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

miket68 said:


> I have bought stuff from harbor freight and tore it apart for certain parts to build bigger and better things.
> 
> I gutted a new compressor for parts to go on my glass blowing studio automated oxygen generation and compression system.
> It rages big torches and will make enough oxygen to save me big money on buying tanks.



That's similar to what I was going to do. I need a new gas forge and I was going to just use a gutted air compressor tank from HF.


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> A "nice" plane is one that works nicely. The wood don't care who made the dang thing, it just has to make great, thin, even shavings.
> I've bought old planes off Ebay and refurbished them and now they work great. It didn't matter which brand they were, since I'm a user not a collector. If you've taken the time to clean, paint and flatten this plane body it may be fun to get a used lever cap and see how it works? :wink2:



I could but it honestly would be more for aesthetics at this point. Just using it how it now is is decent enough and for as much time as I've already put into it I guess I could just put in a little more and make it nicer.....


----------



## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I just can't believe Harbor Freight would sell anything that isn't made of only the finest materials and workmanship. I'm shocked. SHOCKED I SAY! I am so disappointed now. Why just yesterday I was about to devote my life to singing the praises of Harbor Freight quality..
I guess I'll just have to change my plans.


----------



## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Funny thing about HF is if you need an ok electric motor for another project it would be cheaper to just buy the entire piece of equipment and strip out the motor than to buy just the motor..lol


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

allpurpose said:


> Funny thing about HF is if you need an ok electric motor for another project it would be cheaper to just buy the entire piece of equipment and strip out the motor than to buy just the motor..lol




Agreed. Tt's actually sad really, of course this depends on how you define "Ok"


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Your wood repair*

Apparently you don't understand how a lever cap works, so I'll help you out. All woodworking has physics involved, forces that are linear, rotational, tension or pulling, compression or pushing, and shear which is twisting, etc.

The lever cap presses on the blade at two points, one very close to the cutting edge, the other at the far end. This pressure keeps the blade from chattering when the shock of entering and cutting the wood. The blade wants to shift up to resist the force it encounters when it enters the wood as well. Your little piece of threaded wood which acts like a "nut" on the applies pressure in the center of the blade, not where it's really needed near the cutting edge. 

I'd be surprised if it works well at all. So, to further your experience in woodworking and hand tools in general, experiment with different planes, and their component parts to see how and why they work or don't. The angle of the blade on a hand plane varies depending on the type of cut you need and the angle of the "frog" which is behind the blade and supports it. There are "low angle" planes for end grain, and scrapers which have a steep angle for fine finishing. Some blades are curved at the cutting edge for roughing out and leveling twisted surfaces. They cut quickly and deeply because of the curve. 

The Japanese "pull" planes use a completely different theory as the pull stoke uses different forces than the push type English versions. They can make incredibly thin shavings and 10 ft lengths are not uncommon. You Tube has cool videos of them in use.


----------



## timetestedtools (Aug 23, 2012)

just put a lever cap on it with no name cast in it. But woodnthings makes a good point, it'll work better with the leverage from a lever cap.


----------



## Spinzwood (May 29, 2017)

For what it's worth, I believe HF has a guarantee similar to Sears for hand tools. I may be wrong as I've never had to return anything... yet. I had an old friend, pre HF. He was a building contractor. He told me he started out with quality electric drills, saws, etc.. but for the cost of repairs on the big names, he could buy two inexpensive tools and toss them when they went belly up. I believe you'd have to purchase an extended warranty for HF electric tools.. but, I believe it's the hand tools that have a replacement warranty.


----------



## Spinzwood (May 29, 2017)

I've never tried it.. but here is part of HF's warranty statement...

HAND TOOL LIFETIME WARRANTY
Lifetime Warranty on Hand Tools — We guarantee our Hand Tools to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply. Harbor Freight Tools will replace any hand tool that fails to properly work during the lifetime of the original purchaser. In the event an identical item is not available as a replacement: Harbor Freight Tools reserves the right to substitute a substantially similar item in its place. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights that vary from state to state.


----------



## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I bought that same plane several years ago. I use it on ocassion. Dont know anything about hand planes. Never could find the ONOFF switch!


----------



## GuitarPhotographer (Jun 26, 2015)

allpurpose said:


> I just can't believe Harbor Freight would sell anything that isn't made of only the finest materials and workmanship. I'm shocked. SHOCKED I SAY! I am so disappointed now. Why just yesterday I was about to devote my life to singing the praises of Harbor Freight quality..
> I guess I'll just have to change my plans.


I think we need a Sarcasm emoji here ;-)


----------



## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

Spinzwood said:


> For what it's worth, I believe HF has a guarantee similar to Sears for hand tools...... but, I believe it's the hand tools that have a replacement warranty.


Maybe, but wouldn't that be just a little bit unethical? After all, the OP hit it with a hammer and punch to remove a part and modify it.


----------



## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Spinzwood said:


> I've never tried it.. but here is part of HF's warranty statement...
> 
> HAND TOOL LIFETIME WARRANTY
> Lifetime Warranty on Hand Tools — We guarantee our Hand Tools to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply. Harbor Freight Tools will replace any hand tool that fails to properly work during the lifetime of the original purchaser. In the event an identical item is not available as a replacement: Harbor Freight Tools reserves the right to substitute a substantially similar item in its place. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights that vary from state to state.


According to the clerk, the guarantee applies to hand tools labeled with Harbor Freight's "Pittsburgh" brand. One of their rubber hand sanding blocks broke after only light use over the last six months. I brought it back to Harbor Freight last night, expecting them to replace it under their hand tools guarantee. They wouldn't, because it was not a "Pittsburgh" labeled product.


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

Tool Agnostic said:


> According to the clerk, the guarantee applies to hand tools labeled with Harbor Freight's "Pittsburgh" brand. One of their rubber hand sanding blocks broke after only light use over the last six months. I brought it back to Harbor Freight last night, expecting them to replace it under their hand tools guarantee. They wouldn't, because it was not a "Pittsburgh" labeled product.


Not always, Pittsburgh products are guaranteed as well as a few others. I bought a brass hammer a few months ago and the clerk told me it was guaranteed for life. It may range from store to store I guess.


----------



## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

WeebyWoodWorker said:


> Not always, Pittsburgh products are guaranteed as well as a few others. I bought a brass hammer a few months ago and the clerk told me it was guaranteed for life. It may range from store to store I guess.


I didn't argue. I was going to donate the replacement to Habitat for Humanity anyway. It was a $3.00 black rubber sanding block with the three pins at each end. I dislike them intensely. I dislike how you load sandpaper in them. I dislike how the black rubber leaves marks on my wood. I dislike how they crack and break after only a few uses. 

I bought a couple of "Preppin' Weapon" sanding blocks for me and my spouse, based on positive reviews. We have not tried sanding with them yet, but they look and feel nice.


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

Tool Agnostic said:


> I didn't argue. I was going to donate the replacement to Habitat for Humanity anyway. It was a $3.00 black rubber sanding block with the three pins at each end. I dislike them intensely. I dislike how you load sandpaper in them. I dislike how the black rubber leaves marks on my wood. I dislike how they crack and break after only a few uses.
> 
> I bought a couple of "Preppin' Weapon" sanding blocks for me and my spouse, based on positive reviews. We have not tried sanding with them yet, but they look and feel nice.


I got one of those blocks too and I don't like it either. Nowadays I just cut off a piece of a door jamb and put one of those sticky random orbital sander pads on it and use that. Works great.


----------



## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Haven't read all of the comments, but I bought the other plane HF has. I initially thought it was alright and good for the money, but it's fatal flaw was the quality of the steel used in the iron. Could get about 10 passes before I had to resharpen the blade if I was taking off more than the thinnest of shavings. Now it just hangs in the shop.


----------



## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

JohnTC said:


> Haven't read all of the comments, but I bought the other plane HF has. I initially thought it was alright and good for the money, but it's fatal flaw was the quality of the steel used in the iron. Could get about 10 passes before I had to resharpen the blade if I was taking off more than the thinnest of shavings. Now it just hangs in the shop.


Once I bought the two hand plane set (jack plane plus mini plane) for $14.99. I returned them soon after. They were awful. Some Harbor Freight tools work out for me; these did not. They would not cut well, nor would they hold an edge. Recommended best use: wall decorations.


----------



## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I have several harbor freight tools of various kinds, but in every case they were purchased with the understanding that they are not intended to last forever. I suspect that in 100 years from now there will still be some around, but the vast majority of the items sold by the company will have been in the trash heap for at least 80 years. 
Both of my paint guns are from HF . Yes, they are inferior to their much more expensive cousins, but will spread paint pretty good in a pinch. I painted for a living for several years so I do know the difference between these cheap spray guns and one I would paint cars for a living. Good rule of thumb for HF tools, if it has critical moving parts don't expect too much from it. That said my little HF compressor has stood its test of time. I've run the life out of it for over 5 years now and it's still running just fine. It's due to go to hell any moment now that I said that..


----------



## B Coll (Nov 2, 2019)

WeebyWoodWorker said:


> So I bought a plane from Harbor Freight just for the heck of it and started polishing it up. Finally got the sole flat polished the sides all the way to 220 sharpened the blade gave the inside a new coat of paint and was going to make a new wooden tote and knob but alas the beauty of quality Chinese engineering shown through. I tried to punch out the rivet of the lever cap so I could polish the back side and it just crumbled apart... So I just tapped a piece of white oak to use a washer and it works "Fine". I guess... I really don't think it was worth my time do all this work to it but I did and now I'm stuck with it. So if anyone here had the same idea as me to clean one of these up, don't punch the rivets out....


Try this, get a felt tip pen and write "Lie Nielsen" across the top. Should work like a champ😁


----------

