I have three wood stock smoothers that I use and a number of shop made smoothers as well. I'll just post a photo of one of the shop made planes as they all look the same, the only difference between them is in length.
From top to bottom. PhillyPlane Small Coffin Smoother, ECE Horned Smoother, ECE Large Coffin Smoother with a double iron, and on the bottom a shop made double iron smoother:
That's a 140mm ruler to give some reference to size.
There are a couple of Japanese Smoothers in the till as well. They are still a work in progress. I can see great potential but I'm still on the lower part of the learning curve.
I also have an ECE Try Plane and a PhillyPlane Jack. While I usually use the machines to true and size lumber, when I do it by hand those two come out to play. There is a huge difference between flatting a board with a #5 and a #8 vs. starting with a ECE horned scrub, then on to the Philly Jack, and finally the ECE Try. The difference is between spending the next day in bed moaning about how sore you are or being ready for another go.
Remember to click 'em.
I have a couple of Try planes on order, a single iron from PhillyPlane and a double iron from Steve Voigt. Once they arrive I will retire the ECE Try.
Im guessing those shopbuilt planes have Hock irons in them? Quite a variety of bedding angles in those bench woodies. Similarly, that's why I kept 12 smoothers in my stable :-)
ReplyDeleteBob, scratching Ruddy ears and belly
Interesting that you have so much ECE planes. Did not know that they are well known in the US.
ReplyDeleteAnd this ECE coffin smoother is pretty interesting. I even did not know that they have made such a model.
Cheers,
Stefan
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYep, O-1 iron from Hock, I have one with a tapered long iron from LV and it is nice but for these little planes I like the short Hock iron more. It sometimes helps with the single iron planes to have a steeper pitch. With the small Philly I don't notice any extra effort because of the steep pitch and it works wonders on some really ugly grain.
ken
Stefan,
ReplyDeleteThe ECE scrub plane and the Try plane were two of the first planes I bought forty some odd years ago, the others from that time are a couple or three Record's that I still have and use. The other ECE's I've picked up off eBay for not too much money. I do not have a current production ECE, best I can tell from the photos of current models they no longer make a classic woodie but the current ones have attachments to hold the wedge. It's a shame because the old one were a great value, a classic woodie at a good price.
ken
Stefan,
ReplyDeleteThe ECE scrub plane and the Try plane were two of the first planes I bought forty some odd years ago, the others from that time are a couple or three Record's that I still have and use. The other ECE's I've picked up off eBay for not too much money. I do not have a current production ECE, best I can tell from the photos of current models they no longer make a classic woodie but the current ones have attachments to hold the wedge. It's a shame because the old one were a great value, a classic woodie at a good price.
ken
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYep, O-1 iron from Hock, I have one with a tapered long iron from LV and it is nice but for these little planes I like the short Hock iron more. It sometimes helps with the single iron planes to have a steeper pitch. With the small Philly I don't notice any extra effort because of the steep pitch and it works wonders on some really ugly grain.
ken