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My old Stanley plane vs the new one I bought last year
Picked up a beat up Stanley No. 4 at a flea market in Ohio for 15 bucks. Spent a weekend cleaning and sharpening it. Cuts smoother than the 80 dollar modern plane I bought from the hardware store. Anyone else find old tools outwork the new stuff?
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sanchez.mia17d agoProlific Poster
Honestly, I had the exact same thing happen with an old Disston saw I found at a garage sale. Cleaned it up and it cuts way straighter than any new saw I've tried.
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seth_green8517d ago
The whole "they don't make 'em like they used to" thing gets thrown around a lot (and sometimes it's just nostalgia), but with planes there's a real reason. Old Stanley planes were made from a higher carbon steel that holds an edge way better than the cheap stainless stuff in modern planes. That flea market find probably has a blade that was ground and heat treated proper, not just stamped out. I'd bet if you put a fresh sharpening on that old No. 4, it'll outcut the new one by a mile.
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