Rex Krueger
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My Favorite Chinese Planes
🕑 Added 2022-04-27 12:15:08 +0000 UTCFriends:
My latest video goes live this afternoon, and sometimes the products I recommend sell out. So I wanted to give you all a head-start before everyone starts ordering. Here are the tools from the latest video:
Chinese Jack Plane: https://amzn.to/3vtWCUh
This one is my favorite. It's made of a very hard wood and the handle is high and easy to grip. The one in this video is the 280mm model and I set it up for aggressive work.
Chinese Smoothing Plane: https://amzn.to/37GJxOk
This one is the same length as the one above, and it has a lower handle and the wood is a bit softer. Still a fine plane for the money. The only reason I call this my "smoothing" plane is that I set it up for fine work. A shorter plane would probably make an even better smoother.
Japanese Ryoba Saw: https://amzn.to/3kfcCD5
Many Ryobas are very good. This is my favorite of the 4-5 I've tried.
For the record, I love Chinese planes for the low bench, like the Lightweight Traveler, but not so much for Western Benches like the English Joiner's. Similarly, the Ryoba is great for this kind of shop-less work, but I prefer Western saws at the stand-up bench. If you already like the tools you have, no need to buy these. If you're looking to get started, these tools are a great starting place. (Oh, I used my affiliates account to make the links because they're nice and short, so these are affiliate links.)
--Rex
Comments
alan granofsky
Where can I buy some sycamore. I’ve asked some local sawmills and they kind of just look at me funny, like why?
Richard D'Andrea
purchased a couple of the Chinese planes and they came with a pencil and a dowel with a blade/scraper wrapped around it. Can someone tell me what those are for?
Pierre-Olivier Fineltin
and less expensive. ;)
Rex Krueger
Micheal: I added this note in the post: "The only reason I call this my "smoothing" plane is that I set it up for fine work. A shorter plane would probably make an even better smoother." You and I are on exactly the same page about this and I tried to anticipate this concern.
Rex Krueger
I defer to XueGuang Jyu on this topic, but there seem to be MANY regional variations on these planes and how they are used.
Rex Krueger
Kind of apples and oranges, but these are higher-quality to begin with. Less affluent Chinese woodworkers actually buy and use these to make stuff. That Stanley plane is strictly for homeowers. I think these Chinese planes offer excellent value.
Rex Krueger
These offer low-risk practice.
Michael Bennett
I noticed that the plane listed as the Chinese Smoother is LONGER than the jack plane. That seems to go against the common philosophy so I went over and checked John Zhu's channel as well as a few others. It seems from what I've seen, they may have named them wrong on Amazon. The longer one is the Jack and the shorter one is the smoother. Some of the product descriptions leave much to be desired on Amazon.
Luke Lyu
I do see people put the wedge below the blade (some put wedge between blade and cap iron for better vibration reduction) to increases the cutting angle to fight tear out.
Matt Evans-Koch
I went to the links and noticed that the wedge shown on the smoothing plane is shown behind the iron not in front of the iron. Is that an error on the part of the Amazon ad people. Thanks for the links Rex.
Brandon Daggerhart
Do these planes take as much setup/tinkering with as the cheaper Stanleys? Like Pierre above said, I'm finding myself not as good at setting these up - I was never able to get that $20-ish Stanley to do much for me.
Pierre-Olivier Fineltin
I bought one of those last year. As I am not good at sharpening and setting up, this plane is a practical practising tool.
Sean McGown
Because I live in Brazil. I either buy it through Ali and wait 4 weeks or I wait 6 months for the next time I visit the states. And by the way, you gotta get used to a whole different set of wood here. Some of it is WAY cool. Especially demolition stuff from old farm houses.
Rex Krueger
For sure the best planes I've ever found for the money. No contest.
Rex Krueger
You can find the exact same ones on Ali, but it's the same price, so why wait 4 weeks for delivery?
Richard C von Brecht
You are the man. Reasonably priced too
Sean McGown
This is great. I assume that you COULD theoretically find alternatives if those sold out but you'd kind of be taking a bit of a risk. (Think aliexpress)
