STANLEY Hand Planer, Black/Red (12-220)
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That's not the case with my larger planes. However, with the micro-segmentation, this is no longer the case. It doesn't matter if the brass screw is adjusted; you can take very small bites. I have about 8 to 10 planes in my collection, and this one is just as good as the rest. This is a great little tool for quick or small jobs. Solid and well-built.
This plane isn't the right size, so that's a good question. It measures 9 3/4 inches long, 2 3/4 inches wide, and stands 5 inches tall.
Yes. Before you use a good plane, make sure the door is stable. To avoid tearing out the door, be cautious as you approach the outer edges. Avoid this by clamping a 2X4 or scrap piece of wood on both ends that is at least the same thickness as the door.
Selected User Reviews For STANLEY Hand Planer, Black/Red (12-220)
Don't try to use something straight from the package. It takes a lot of time and effort to set up and tune. I'm new to woodworking and have been gradually moving away from dimensional pine and cedar lumber in favor of more hardwood custom pieces. I decided it was time to invest in a planer because I was tired of going through a lot of sand paper. I'm not ready to shell out $100 for a small block planer just yet. That appears to be completely insane. I did a lot of research, and I knew Stanley had a good reputation in the industry, so this seemed like a good entry-level model to me. I expected to have to fine-tune the plane once I received it, but I was surprised at how much work it took to get it up and running. br>br>I watched a lot of videos and how-tos about plane tuning. Most people recommend sanding with various grits of sand paper on a flat surface like a pane of glass, but I bought a $2 marble tile that was perfectly flat for this purpose. They recommend starting with 120 grit to flatten the plane's sole (bottom) and remove machining marks. I tried for an hour with 100grit and still couldn't get the plane's nose or heel. I increased the grit to 60 after about three sheets. After another 30 minutes, I still hadn't touched the toe or heel of this thing, which must have resembled a factory-fresh banana. I finally gave up and put it in a vice, leveled it, and pulled out the 180grit orbital sander. Even with consistent back-and-forth movement, I couldn't seem to find the low spots. After another 20 minutes or so, I increased the grit to 60 and was finally able to get the entire sole matte. I took it out of the vice and went back to 100 grit, 140 grit, 180 grit, and 320 grit by hand. Fortunately, this is a one-time tuning, but I underestimated the amount of effort required. I took a break after applying paste wax to the sole to keep it from rusting.
BTW. Wear a mask and gloves if you're doing this outside. Aluminum dust is everywhere, and it can't be good for your health. br>br>Now that the sole was flat and smooth, I moved on to the blade itself. Although this was less difficult, it still required some effort. You'll need an angle guide, which you can get on Amazon for about $25. It's been said that you can do it just by feeling. However, obtaining a guide will save you a great deal of time and aggravation. br>br>After that, I re-sharpened it to 800 grit (the highest I have; most people sharpen it much higher and strop it) and re-polished it. It was put together and the shavings were quite nice. Then I used it to clean up a joint and even out the matting surfaces. Only a few passes were required. Then I used it to level out some misaligned end grain, which is where block planes shine. I had a little tear out on the pine, but that was due to my failure to sandwich the piece. br>br>I'm sure the more expensive planes have their reasons for being more expensive, such as an adjustable mouth (hole where the blade protrudes from allows you to adjust the thickness of the shaving to some extent), but this thing does the job for the most part. To get it into shape, all it took was a lot of elbow grease at first.
The tool is rendered useless due to ineffective machining on the iron adjustment slide. It's one thing if the tool adjustments aren't accurate or aren't smooth; it's another thing entirely if the tool adjustments aren't accurate or aren't smooth. a different one if none of them work. The metal adjustment slide, which was pressed/stamped, would not engage the iron. I had to use a file to bend the piece and get it to engage in order to fix it. This may not be a long-term solution, and it will need to be adjusted with caution each time. Other aspects of this tool, such as; are more easily repaired but still subpar. The iron was coated in a hard resin that clogged up the sharpening stone, the iron was unevenly ground, the foot was not milled well and will need to be flattened, and the iron's tension device is a pain to use. br>br>Stanley should not sell tools that are inoperable as soon as they leave the factory; even if the tools are of a lower quality I gave it a one-star rating because it needed to be modified right out of the box in order to function; I would have had to return the tool if I didn't have the necessary tools to make those changes. Having said that, the tool now works and cuts decent shavings after I modified it. br>br>I would not purchase this item again and would strongly advise spending a little more money on a tool that will work without difficulty.
To make it easy to understand, here's how to boil it down: If you expect high-quality materials that don't dull easily on the blade or perfectly machined surfaces from this tool, you're making a bad decision. This is an excellent value for the money. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. The sides aren't perpendicular to the base (one is 90 degrees, the other is around 88 degrees). The sole was not flat and the angle was 5° on the unit I received. br>br>As soon as I opened the package, I disassembled the unit and began flattening the sole and truing up the side that was out of perpendicularity. br>br>You can absolutely use this out of the packaging and get a decent result, but if you are expecting to use it for doing quality work, expect to put some time into it first. br>br> Following that, some minor adjustments and blade sharpening. All of this is simple (if not quick) and should be expected at the price point. br>br>Coming in with those expectations, I think it's a pretty good product.
At the very least, it could have been pretended not to have been opened, used, and returned. The container/package was either destroyed or opened. The use of a blade was obvious. br>br>I kept it because I needed it for a project right away. br>br>The plane itself is fine, as you'd expect for the price. br>br>Seller should be ashamed of himself.
I needed a block plane that wasn't too expensive but wasn't a waste of money. These requirements were met by this product. When I first got the blade, I sharpened it and watched some youtube videos on how to set it. This product does its job well, and the shavings cut well.
The tool performs admirably. Because it is stiff and hard, you should wear gloves if you plan on using it for an extended period of time. I used it for two hours and ended up with a blister on my middle finger and pain on the tip of my thumb. br>br>Because I sharpened the blade on a sharpening block before using it, I can't comment on how well it performs right out of the box. It took me less than 5 minutes to sharpen it. br>br>Use this tool in conjunction with a straight edge of some sort to constantly check how flat your surface is, as you can accidentally remove more material than you intended. YouTube has a large number of tutorials.
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