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19 May 2018 at 7:32 am #547957
I agree about the sizes and can see how a mix of Imperial and Metric can be a good thing; my 1/2″ mortises always seemed a little sloppy, but I’m not such a purist that I am not above using a Forstner bit to hog out most of the waste. I’m going to build a big shelf rack for the garage with 32 tenons & mortises, and…yeah, we’ll see how the Narexes do with paring the remainder out 🙂 But I’m very happy with them thus far. I have rally large hands so I am looking forward to using them. Smaller handles make my hands cramp up eventually, so – for me, they are going to be nice!
The one thing I have noticed is the finish on the handles, they seem a bit rough and the finish (I assume there is some finish on them) is very minimal. Maybe I’ll give them a light sand and some BLO or Danish Oil…
- This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Curtis Enlow.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Curtis Enlow.
17 May 2018 at 9:26 am #547874I am very impressed with them so far. The back were very nearly flat to begin with, just a few swipes with some 600 wet/dry brought the edges up. It’s been a busy week for me, so I hope to put a final edge on them in the next day, or two. I personally like the handles because I – unlike the President – have very large hands, and they fit fine 🙂 The battery is dead on my calipers, so I can’t say if they are ‘true’ Imperial, or not, but given the rest of the over-all quality my bets are that they are.
I always like to give my business to smaller outlets. Bezos is rich enough!
14 May 2018 at 8:03 am #546360Austin, what blade are you using that doesn’t cut well? Just trying to learn from others experiences…
C
13 May 2018 at 5:58 am #545467Yeah, one can spend as much on a part or having a machinist make one odd-ball, extinct thread fastener as one did on the entire tool!
I love the idea of antique tools; I have a Stanley 45 and a couple of others, but…man, the antique woodworking tool market is just getting silly. I can see highly-sought after tools – prime year Stanley #4s, etc., being pricey but the rampant speculation is ridiculous. I spent months watching for a reasonably priced hand router before giving up and buying a Veritas router for about the same price as some ratty-looking Stanley 71s were going for.
Between the popularity of ‘Picker’ shows on TV, (“Vintage hand tools fetch top dollar, and this barn was just full of them!”) and lifestyle woodworking sites, like Paul’s, the market is out of control. And with high profit margins and ‘investing’ come questionable practices. I’ve gotten bit once or twice, and I have heard horror stories – superglued cracks covered up with paint on ‘restored’ items, stripped expensive-to-replace or fix archaic screws and threads, etc.. I’m increasingly leery of the used market in vintage tools. Some people don’t even know what the item is, one listing called a Stanley 151 a “wood shaver”(!). Even in the listing you posted (I know you were just being helpful) the poster called it a 151 though it is actually a 51 – I like to think that was accidental, but these days one can’t really know.
When the selling price for a rusty old 151 far exceeds the price of, say, a very nice, high-quality, brand new Wood River spokeshave, then it’s time to buy a nice new tool that will last me lifetime and do the work I need it to do.
Sorry for the rant 🙂
- This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Curtis Enlow.
7 May 2018 at 3:36 am #540793I want to thank everyone for your highly regarded input & information. It’s been invaluable in helping me make a decision.
It’s so nice to post in a forum and not have it devolve into the usual “If your not buying a $30 chisel your using crap and shouldn’t be here” trollery & snobbishness within five responses…
I decided to go with the full 8-piece, 1/8″ increment, Premium Imperial Narex Beveled Edge set from toolsforworkingwood dot com. The full set is the same as from Amazon (but with faster shipping) and I prefer to help a small outlet rather than make Bezos richer than he already is 😉
It’s more than I had budgeted myself (dang it, it always is!) but they sound like great tools, and I will have everything I could possibly need and they should last me a long time. I can keep my HF chisels for less demanding or riskier work. Sounds like good reasoning to me 🙂
Thanks, again!
Curtis
- This reply was modified 5 years, 12 months ago by Curtis Enlow.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.6 May 2018 at 5:13 pm #540587Thanks, all. Great responses and I appreciate your input.
Is there that much of a real-world difference between Metric equivalents and pure Imperial? With regards to woodworking tolerances is there a notable difference between 6mm/0.236 and 1/4″/0.250?
Do people that have used both notice a difference?
Thanks!
Curtis
3 May 2018 at 7:14 am #539091I remember seeing router planes at flea markets for $5. I also remember thinking, ‘Why would anyone want one of those old things when there is so much cool stuff you can do with ‘real’ routers!’
I have been watching router planes on US & UK Ebay literally for months, but unless you are willing to pay an incredible premium for a complete 71 (Stanley or Record, etc.) you’re stuck with a rusted, possibly damaged, bent or warped (I no longer trust Ebay photos – another story) or missing parts unit for not much less than you could buy a brand new Veritas router for, and you will still have to possibly buy parts, flatten it and/or have the unit soda blasted so you can paint it, etc..
I was lucky enough to get a fine Stanley 45 with a couple boxes of very nice blades for a less-than premium price, but as much as I like the idea of using vintage tools the market has just gotten ridiculous with all the speculation and craziness.
I’m getting mine from Veritas.
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