11-06-2016, 07:51 PM
Blades for Stanley bench planes vary in quality. Those in my shop were made between about 1870 until 1950. That's a long span and it is hard to generalize but most Stanley blades are pretty good. The best I have found are the laminated blades from the 1930s. Sometimes rust and pitting can affect quality. My gripes are thickness and hardness--or rather the lack thereof. Stanley bench plane blades were made for carpenters and those guys needed something that was inexpensive and quick to sharpen. So there you go.
I made my own blades that were thicker (3/32 instead of 1/16) and harder. Those function well and do not require any plane modifications. I have Stanley planes with original blades but they do not see much use. My go to planes are the ones with my blades and my LN planes with super thick blades.
When you use a thicker blade, you immediately notice the difference. I know of many who have upgraded their blades but have not heard one case of someone who chucked the upgraded blade and went back to a Stanley original.
I made my own blades that were thicker (3/32 instead of 1/16) and harder. Those function well and do not require any plane modifications. I have Stanley planes with original blades but they do not see much use. My go to planes are the ones with my blades and my LN planes with super thick blades.
When you use a thicker blade, you immediately notice the difference. I know of many who have upgraded their blades but have not heard one case of someone who chucked the upgraded blade and went back to a Stanley original.
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splintermaking.com
Please visit my website
splintermaking.com