Stanley #80 has changed my life

[mr_skittle]

I've had this tool sitting around for a couple of years at least neglecting it because the blade was in tough shape with some rust pits. I finally said hell with it and took the time to rehab the blade. It took me a long time on some 24 grit sandpaper. Now that I've given it a try I'm kicking myself for not getting it working a long time ago. I've recently been working with some Ash that has quite a few grain direction changes and my planes just haven't been getting the job done without a bit of tearout. I went after it with the #80 and am blown away how well it works. I went through my scrap pile pulling out the gnarliest peices I could find and it made quick work of everthing. Even a piece of buckthorn that has been impossible to work. I've heard some people only use it for glue cleanup and stuff like that but I think it's going to put my ROS our of a job.

[C. in Indy]

Do tell!
I've never tried any scrapers but hand-held blades.   Any comments on how (well) it works?

[Admiral]

Try a scraper plane, even better.

[blackhat]

You might not know that Lee Valley has replacement blades for the 80.

[Rob Young]

Try a scraper plane, even better.

The #80 is dang near ubiquitous and makes a good starting point.  Once set up, they do a fantastic job.

Finding a #12 or #112 Stanley or the Sargent or other equivalent will really open up possibilities.  Modern equivalents from LN and LV are nice too.

[ez-duzit]

I recently found an unused Stanley 80 with original Sweetheart blade.

[Phil S.]

Ron Hock also has blades for scraper planes -

http://www.hocktools.com/products/sb.html

[Hank Knight]

I have a couple of 80s and a L-N 112 equivalent. The 80 is much easier to set up and use and is good for most of my finish scraping needs. It works great. The 112, however, is a monster once you get it set up and going. Great for large panels with squirrelly grain. The learning curve is a little long for the 112 though.

[mr_skittle]

I've been using a card scraper for a few years and have always been happy with the results but if it's big project it's a real pain in the thumbs. Its also really tricky to use on the narrow side of a board. The 80 is comparativly effortless to use and with the thicker steel, it seems to hold its burr a lot longer. It's not a total replacment for the card scraper but close. I'd love to try out a scraper plane. I've never came across an old stanley or Sargent but I've seen the modern iterations. If I were to drop the cash on a LV or LN variety a LA jack would come first.

[Tony Z]

I use card scrapers, have several of varying thickness and hardness, with good results. I have a #80, plus scraper planes, but have never taken the time (or perceived the need) to learn hhow to use them.

My question is, what are the advantages to a thicker blade? It would seem to me many of the advantages of a card scraper would be lost (same with the #80, with the original blade, it can be "flexed"). Any guidance what I'm missing?