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Found a tiny blog about restoring old hand planes and it saved me $200
I got into woodworking about a year ago and kept seeing people online say you need to buy these expensive new planes to do good work. So I spent like $300 on a Lie-Nielsen block plane and felt great about it. Then I found this blog called "Plane Talk" run by a guy in Oregon who only writes about restoring old Stanley and Bailey planes from the 1900s. He had a post showing how to flatten a rusted #4 plane using just sandpaper on glass and some elbow grease. I found one at a flea market for $8 and spent two hours following his steps with crocus cloth and mineral spirits. The thing cuts curls like it's brand new. What other niche hobby blogs have you stumbled on where the person actually knows their stuff? I'm looking for something similar about sharpening chisels.
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felix38514d ago
You really just paid full retail for 'the experience' when you could have bought a rusty paperweight for eight bucks and let your frustration do the work for you. That Plane Talk guy sounds like the type who probably sharpens his chisels on a wet stone he found in a creek bed, which is both terrifying and impressive. For chisel sharpening, check out "Shavings and Foolery" - some British guy who only uses old Norton stones he buys at car boot sales. He'll have you honing a butter knife to shave with before you know it, and your wallet will stay nice and fat.
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