Should You Upgrade to A Bedrock Plane

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Notice the Cherry Tote and Knob on the 605 — it had cracked and damaged ones so I made my own.

Bedrock Planes

If you’ve been using standard Stanley bench planes like the No. 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 you might be wondering whether upgrading to a Stanley Bedrock (models 603–607 or others) is worth it. The short answer is: it depends on what you value in your tools. For many experienced woodworkers, the Bedrock series offers a noticeable upgrade in precision, performance, and long-term satisfaction. For others, it may feel like an unnecessary added expense.

Tools Series Part 3 Planes

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Lie-Nielsen No. 4 Bronze Bodied Smoothing Plane

09-Jan-2021 Update: James Wright has recently released his comprehensive “Plane Iron Test Results Fast And To The Point” video. Do yourself a favor and watch this. You’ll be glad you did. I recently bought the Veritas PM-V11 2″ Blade for one of my smoothing planes based on his test results.

Planes and plane collecting can become an obsession. Like saws from my earlier blog entry, I have been collecting, acquiring and restoring them for over a decade. I am not a tool or plane collector per se. I collect and restore tools I’m going to press into service. If I do come across a plane I don’t need, that is a good deal and/or that needs restoration I will generally sell it in “farm fresh” condition or I’ll do a minimal restoration that preserves the history, patina and character of the tool while making it usable. I have sold or given away more planes than I currently own.

Planes on Olde Tool Workshop

Should You Upgrade to A Bedrock Plane

Bedrock Planes

Tools Series Part 3 Planes