: I picked up a bunch of Groz block planes and Stanley spokeshaves
: for the same purpose. Shopping around, I found them on sale for
: under $20 each. That's the good news. The bad news is that it
: takes a big investment in time to get them to the point where
: they actually work well. The quality control on low-end planes
: and 'shaves is abysmal, with lots of sloppy paint, uneven
: surfaces and blades that aren't just dull, they're sometimes
: incompletely ground and actually blunt. Even using a grinder and
: a WorkSharp 3000 for sharpening, and a granite block with
: multiple sandpaper grits for flattening tool soles and blade
: backs, I figure it took me nearly an hour to tune each tool to
: the point that they would produce nice, thin shavings. They all
: work fine on cedar, but on anything much harder, you'd have to
: sharpen them frequently, as the blades are somewhat soft. Still,
: I have a "fleet" of 10 of each for a reasonable price.

: Given the choice, I would prefer to find older, used tools to
: recondition. It takes about the same amount of time and effort,
: but the result is a better quality tool that holds an edge
: longer. The downside is that it can take a long time and fair
: amount of effort to find enough tools. I didn't have the time to
: wait, so I went with the new stuff.

That's the downside I have too, no time. The shop isn't done, the big tools are still disassembled and the class starts in a month and I'm working all but 4 days until the class starts. Lots to do and no time to do it.

Bill H.