# Stanley Announces New Line of Premium Hand Planes



## mpm1696 (Jan 22, 2008)

*According to Popular Woodworking Mag: - Stanley announced a new line of "Premium" Hand Planes to compete against L-V and L-N.

Does anybody have more input or pictures of these new planes?
* http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/New+Premium+Handplanes+From+Stanley+Works+.aspx








From what I've heard, the new planes will include:

A new #92 Shoulder plane, available in November








A new Stanley #4 Smoother 








A new Stanley #62 Low-Angle Jack with adjustable mouth (I can't wait to get my hands on this one).









And a new Stanley #60 1/2.

I really hope these new planes are better quality than what we have seen in the last 30 to 40 years since the famous type 13's, because after the type 13's, Stanley really declined in plane quality...


Please, anybody, reply...


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## steve mackay (Oct 5, 2008)

*Can't see it . . .*

In this day & age "premium" is akin to "one step up from bottom". Just can't see a modern, mass-produced item coming close to a vintage Stanley, let alone LN or LV. Even if they were "high-end" it'll take Stanley three or four years (maybe longer) to earn the trust back from those who seek "quality, higher value" tools. I DO wish them well though.


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## fanback (Mar 9, 2008)

I hope they DO bring the line back up. A helper recently bought a Stanley low angel block plane, and it was a piece of crap. Thanks for the heads up.....I'll be watching this one.


Michael


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## mpm1696 (Jan 22, 2008)

WOW...

Look at what I found in Woodworking-Magazine.com, ...I can't wait to get my hands on these...!
They kind of have a "Veritas" style: black anodized thick and heavy lever caps, brass screws and some type of Rosewood knob and totes handles 

Copy and paste this link in your browser : 

http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/CommentView,guid,6039ab77-8d6d-4a90-b5d4-600bf144424a.aspx

Pete


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## steve mackay (Oct 5, 2008)

*Ouch ! . . .*

Did you read the rewiews though ? Eh Gods ! Those things must REALLY be junk !


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## mpm1696 (Jan 22, 2008)

Hey Guys, Get this:

Would I be wrong in stating that Stanley Tools company, probably have no choice to produce a new and/or a better plane design? Why? They must have sold off to others, their patents for example: "Bedrock" to Lie-Neilsen, or their Bailey style to Clifton, or Kunz, which these two competitors are practically the same planes in every way.

I'm wondering this because for the last 30 or so years, Stanley never even tried to produce as good a quality plane as their type 13, instead they were producing planes that anybody had to do a lot of tuning and lapping to get to do some quality shavings, even the last planes Stanley were producing never even came close to the planes of the 30 and 40, that anybody can buy off Ebay, and compare to a L-N or L-V. 

Anybody? ...


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

I haven't been woodworking very long, but one of the first things I noticed was what you are talking about. I thought I had the answer when I found out that a patten runs out after 100 years. So I figured that's how they got away with it. But then I found out they can get the patten extended or something like that. The real reason I believe is there only has to be one thing different in the design to get around the patten. If you look close, the angle of a screw might be a slight bit off. Or some other tiny thing is different. That's all it takes. The reason they make them cheaper I would think is to keep the cost down. That's just my uneducated 2 cents. I'm curious what the real answers are. Mine are pure speculation. All my planes are OLD Stanleys
Chris


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

fanback said:


> I hope they DO bring the line back up. A helper recently bought a Stanley low angel block plane, and it was a piece of crap. Thanks for the heads up.....I'll be watching this one.
> 
> 
> Michael



You see, this is what I have been trying to say for months now. They just dont make tools like they used to. And my friends, that is why my shop is stocked with 50+ year old tools including planes that are pushing 80 years old. I have shoulder braces drills that are made 50 times better than any new power drill on the market. My drills still work as good as they did 80 years ago. try finding a power drill 80 years old that still works like new. HAHAHAHA not going to happen.


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## mpm1696 (Jan 22, 2008)

Same thing here Handyman, I have the whole collection from the #2 to #10 1/2 and everything in between, all type 11s to 14s, and I can truly say that they work as good and better than any comparable, high-priced L-V and L-N. I hope these new Stanley planes can compared to their older Bailey's and Bedrock's of the 30's.

Please Stanley; do apply the K.I.S.S strategy (Keep It Simple and Sweet)! But I don't mind fiddling a bit on a good quality plane!


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## Capt Crutch (Jan 21, 2008)

mpm1696 said:


> after the type 13's, Stanley really declined in plane quality...


Really? Says who?

I have a Type 19 (mfg'd 1948-1961) Stanley #7 that, as far as I know, is just fine. Are you telling me there's something wrong with it?


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## pegg696 (Oct 29, 2008)

Does anyone remember when David Marks made his European Block Plane on his show? 

I kind of think that if a person makes his own tools, then he can never complain about quality. 

Here is his link to nothing. But it shows what i am reffering to. http://www.djmarks.com/woodworks/606.asp


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## thekctermite (Dec 23, 2007)

In my opinion, the name Stanley just isn't synonymous with quality anymore. Their tools are fine for framers and homeowners, but lack the quality that serious detail-oriented craftspeople demand. But, their products aren't priced on par with higher-end stuff either.


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## Teenagewoodworker (Nov 2, 2008)

i have heard about this new line and really i don't care much for it. from what i hear its not going to be made in america and i would happily send 100 dollars more to LN for a plane than buy a stanley if it isn't american made.


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## pianoman (Jan 16, 2008)

I`ve got only three hand planes....A box store Stanley Block, A Stanley/Bailey#4, and a Stanley/Bailey#26 that is set up really nice! The #4 I found in an old shed...all rusted!!! I reconditioned it...lapped it in and sharpened the badly pitted blade...and it still works wonderfully. The #26...well, I`m thinking about making a new carrage block...the original...I believe is Beech but has some cracks in the bottom...It`s now super flat and works well but I`d like to fabrocate one from Purple Hart... any thoughts? Rick OH, the block works well...but nothing like other two!


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## Capt Crutch (Jan 21, 2008)

I have a Stanley/Bailey #4 that I bought new at Woodcraft less than a year ago, and I think it compares just fine with the older S/B #4s that I have seen...in some ways, better.

Personally, I think some of these gold-plated, multi-hundred-dollar frufru yuppie planes – as well as some of the nonsense I see people fussing for days over a blessed THOUSANDTH OF AN INCH out of flat on the soles – is unadulterated nonsense. I guess it's fine if you want to spend your weekend cutting _steel_ instead of _wood_ ... but then I guess your true interest would be _metal_working rather than _wood_working...no?

I mean, these people need to get real. 0.001 is about ONE THIRD THE THICKNESS OF A HUMAN HAIR. Wood expands and contracts about 100X that much every time you _breathe_ on it.

It just becomes silly after a while. I mean, it's fine if that's what floats your boat. But to suggest that it has any practical bearing in the real world of woodworking is utter fantasy.

This isn't aimed at anyone in particular and I don't mean to bash, but I seem to see more BS regarding handplanes on the Internet than ought to be legal.

OK, </SOAPBOX OFF>


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## mpm1696 (Jan 22, 2008)

Capt Crutch said:


> Really? Says who?
> 
> I have a Type 19 (mfg'd 1948-1961) Stanley #7 that, as far as I know, is just fine. Are you telling me there's something wrong with it?


Relax "Crutch", keep on sanding!


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## user4178 (Apr 18, 2008)

I guess this means some of you wouldn't like the sign I framed. :whistling2: Yeah, I know it's not great, but what the hell huh ? Someday maybe I'll work on it somemore.


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## Admiral (Nov 9, 2007)

Capt Crutch said:


> <snip> Personally, I think some of these gold-plated, multi-hundred-dollar frufru yuppie planes – as well as some of the nonsense I see people fussing for days over a blessed THOUSANDTH OF AN INCH out of flat on the soles – is unadulterated nonsense. <snip>
> 
> I mean, these people need to get real. 0.001 is about ONE THIRD THE THICKNESS OF A HUMAN HAIR. Wood expands and contracts about 100X that much every time you _breathe_ on it.
> 
> It just becomes silly after a while. I mean, it's fine if that's what floats your boat. But to suggest that it has any practical bearing in the real world of woodworking is utter fantasy.


 
Well.....it depends on what you use them for. Sole flatness aside, I would suggest that for smoothing wild cross grain there is a distinct practical difference in performance between a #4 made in the last decade, and a LV/LN bevel up smoother. And the difference is not all frufru......it shows in the final product. 

RN


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