Alfie Shine Hard Wax Polish

Those of you that know me, know that I build quite a few wood hand tools but you might not know that I repair and restore quite a bit more. In addition to that I have my own tool collection (of course) and all of these need to be cleaned and maintained. The centuries of use by craftsman results in colors, spots and prints on these fine tools that are a testament to the dutiful work performed over several lifetimes.  One of the more important aspects of the cleaning process is to preserve as much of that beautiful patina as possible. What one person calls dirt another one, such as myself, views as witness to history.

Not only does this patina need to be preserved during cleaning but it needs to be added to, by those of us that use these tools, and protected for future generations to marvel at. In the past I have used various waxes and polishes to protect and maintain wood tools but recently a fellow craftsman, and friend, has created a new hard wax polish to help us maintain and preserve our precious old wood tools.

Jim Hendricks of Kent, England, has spent the past couple years developing, testing and producing a hard wax polish he calls Alfie Shine, named after his friend & companion, Alfie. Alfie leads a very good dog life there in Kent and from what I understand, he approves of and officially endorses the product. As soon as he announced its availability I immediately ordered a tin from Workshop Heaven to try out. Matthew Platt, who assisted Jim with getting the product to market, runs a fine operation there and shipped the product soon after I ordered it.

It took around a week to arrive in the mail from the UK, unfortunately I wasn't home that day and it needed to be signed for. The following day on the way to an appointment I stopped by the post office to pick up my parcel. I couldn't wait until I got home to open it, so here it is fresh from the package:

Alfie Shine straight from the package

After returning home and finishing work for the day, I took Alfie to the shop with me to take it for a test drive. I fortunately had several planes in for maintenance, as well as a few of my own, so it was the perfect time to go test.

First up was a recent purchase, an H. Chapin no 8 round circa 1850. As you can see in the before images it wasn't in terrible shape, only needing a bit of cleaning, sharpening and a finish coat.

H. Chapin no 8, escapement side

H. Chapin no 8, blind side

My "standard" routine includes cleaning the plane and in this case I used my existing method that is a mix of raw linseed oil, pure pine turpentine and apple cider vinegar. Using that mixture I cleaned the plane with a cloth towel making sure I only removed the surface gunk. After sharpening I opened up the Alfie Shine and the first thing that struck me was the smell, it's divine. Whatever wax and ingredients were used, it's actually a nice tin to open up and smell. Using a cotton cloth I applied the wax sparingly then came back with a fresh cloth and polished it up. I must say, at that point I was quite happy with the results. There was a bit of residual dirt on the cloth used to apply the Alfie Shine so I decided to test the other claim: Alfie can be use to clean planes as well. Hmm, that's next up.

H. Chapin no 8, escapement side after clean and wax

H. Chapin no 8, blind side after clean and wax.

Next up was my walnut 15" jack plane, it had a years worth of dust and dirt buildup and I decided to use a bit of boiled linseed oil (BLO) followed by Alfie Shine to see how that worked. The idea here is that the BLO will "feed" the wood and prevent it from drying out, that being the #1 cause of planes cracking, then protecting that coating with the wax. I allowed the BLO to dry for a few hours then, using the same method as before, I applied the Alfie Shine with a cotton cloth then used a clean one to come back and polish. I must say, the Alfie Shine went over the BLO like a champ protecting the oil & wood and looks fantastic.

Walnut jack with BLO and Alfie Shine

Since I am in the midst of my annual tool cleaning process and my Stanley 62 was due up next, I decided I would take that opportunity to use Alfie on that. Not only to protect the metal from rust but to clean it up to begin with.

Here is the plane after disassembly and before cleaning. As you can see, it was in pretty sad shape, this is one of the more recent 62's I picked up and it hadn't been cleaned since I bought it.

Stanley 62 before cleaning

Using another cotton cloth I applied Alfie Shine to the plane body first, scrubbing it off rather hard to remove as much dirt, dust and grime as much as I could. After doing the entire plane, here's what the cloth looked like:

The 62 cloth after cleaning

Personally, I would call that a roaring success. Not only did the Alfie Shine clean the plane as stated, it coated the entire body in enough surface protectant that there's no chance it will get any surface rust over the next year.

Here's the 62 after cleaning and reassembly:

62 after cleaning, knob side

62 after cleaning, iron and handle side

The last test was of a molding plane I am repairing for someone, it's a fairly "simple" molding plane and best as I can tell was made around 1880.

Molding plane before cleaning

Molding plane before cleaning

It has much of the usual dirt and grime all over it and was dry as a bone. I started with the same wood cleaning mixture I use which removes most of the grime while feeding the wood a bit. After that it received a good BLO feeding over the course of a day. I applied a thick coating of BLO, let it soak in then came back and did that again until the wood didn't absorb any more. 

When that was done I used the 2 cloth Alfie Shine process, the profiled sole of the plane received the same treatment and was given a bit of additional wax. This will certainly help the plane slide smoothly over the workpiece.

Here's how it came out.

Molding plane after clean and wax

See the shine?

The blind side, again, shiny

The profile, waxed and ready to use

At this point I had used Alfie Shine on 8-10 planes as well as on my marking gauges and several chisels. While the tin it comes in may seem small, a little goes a LONG way, I have used *maybe* 5% of it thus far.

The patina on the tool is meticulously maintained with Alfie and the layer of protectant should last for months to years depending on how much the tool is used.

Overall I'm extremely happy with the product, it does everything claimed and does it well. It's only available from Workshop Heaven in the UK today but they ship to the US, the shipping price is quite fair and it arrived in an expeditious manner. I've heard rumor they're working on a US based distributor as well.

It is available direct from Workshop Heaven here, more info will be available here.

The only real problem is I'm going to need more than one tin... I'll be using it on everything from here on out.

Sold: Bedrock 606, type 6, fresh restore

SOLD: Stanley Bedrock 606

Type 6 (1910-1921)

$180

Up for sale is a Stanley Bedrock 606, type 6 (1912-1921), 2 patent dates and small depth knob. Ground up refurb and tuneup, it's ready to go to work out of the box. This is a restore done by a hand tool woodworker for hand tool woodworkers.

So what is a Bedrock plane versus a Bailey one? I’m glad you asked...Introduced in the early 20th century Stanley decided that they needed a new, higher end, line of planes where they could introduce newer more “high end features”. The majority of innovation of bench planes at Stanley was occurring around the Bedrock series. One of the first additions was from a patent that introduced the world to that middle frog adjustment screw, the one just below the iron depth adjustment knob on Bailey planes. While offered in the Bedrock series it was then added to all of the Bailey planes as well and survives to this day on modern Stanley and other makers planes.

The other, perhaps more controversial, addition introduced in 1911 (on the type 5)  was from another patent which would allow the frog to be loosened up without removing the lever cap and iron. On a Bailey plane, you need to remove those pieces so you can access the screws that hold the frog in place. On a Bedrock you simply loosen 2 screws on the rear of the frog, right beside the other new frog adjustment screw, and move the frog back and forth without removing the lever cap and iron. These are my favorite Bedrock planes and represent the majority of the ones I restore and sell and are widely considered the finest planes ever made by humankind.

Fast forward to modern times… When Thomas Lie-Nielsen was designing his new bench planes, he didn’t have to look any further than the Bedrock series for inspiration. They were, and still are, considered the last great plane to come from the Stanley company. LN took modern steels, tooling and other materials and turned what was a great plane into the world’s finest. By purchasing this Bedrock you are getting a piece of woodworking history.

The nitty gritty details

The base was blasted and received replacement Japanning. The japanning is my recipe and is a near carbon copy replacement for Stanley’s circa 1900-1930. It was applied in several coats then baked at progressively higher temps, an hour at a time. After this it's allowed to cure for 30 days. This finish will last longer than engine enamel and looks nearly identical to a plane coming out of the Stanley factory. The only apology on the base is very slight pitting towards the heel, I do not remove that because it would cause the base to be too thin. It will not affect performance

The frog was torn apart, blasted and received the same japanning as the base. After curing all mating surfaces were flattened. The only apology is pitting on the lateral adjustment lever, it will not affect performance, it's just annoying.

The knob and tote are new and are hand made out of cocobolo by me. To allow the natural beauty of the material to show through they received 2 coats of teak oil (so they're UV protected), were buffed out then had a coat of Renaissance Wax applied. If ren wax is good enough for the British Museum, it's ok in my books. I've added one of Bill Rittner's beautiful brass tote screws, it's a Bedrock and deserves a little bling.

The lever cap is the type correct one that has the word "BEDROCK" cast into it, NOT the word "Stanley" as that is incorrect for a type 6 plane.

It will come with a type correct iron that has been flattened and sharpened to 8000. Some pitting on the top of the iron and lever cap but none in the area that matters. The cap iron was tuned and mated to fit the iron correctly.

It's taking shavings that range from thin .002 to thicker .010.

This is one fine plane, it's beautiful and works very well. For all intents and purposes, this is a almost brand new 100 year old plane that, if taken care of properly, will last at least another 100 years.

Contact me if you're interested.

Some additional pics

Brand new hardware.

The iron is in good shape and has ample material left. 

 The frog has been tuned flat.

You can see the pitting on the lateral here.

Very slight pitting on the heel.

Flattened sole

Ready to go

Part time plane restorer & maker

Pirate Plane Co is looking to hire a part-time assistant plane restorer and builder, we're growing and would like others to join us in that process. Due to the part time nature of the position we understand there are other work requirements and are willing to accommodate off-hours schedules. This could be used to augment current income, evenings and weekends are fine. We are currently offering 10-12 hours per week and as we grow additional there will be additional work that would increase our needs to around 25 hours per week.

Previous experience with restoring hand planes is a plus but any previous metal/tool restoration work can satisfy our requirements. Given the business we're in we understand there aren't many people out there with this experience so we are willing to teach the plane process to a dedicated individual.

Basic qualifications & experience are:

• Metalworking
• Media blasting
• Paint stripping
• Japanning & painting
• Tap & die work
• Basic metal cutting, filing, sanding and grinding
• Hardening & tempering tool steel (O1)
• Sharpening & honing tool blades
• Vertical mill experience, CNC is a plus but not required
• Woodworking
• Turning
• Band saw use
• Planing, both electric and manual
• Table saw use, rip and crosscut
• Creating mortises by hand using chisels
• General & soft skills
• Prompt and punctual
• Detail oriented
• Customer focused
• Willingness and ability to quickly learn new skills
• Comfortable in a small home shop environment

This would be a great opportunity for someone to learn or grow their restoration skills and over time learn how to hand make wood planes. Pay is commensurate to experience but will be in the $15-$20/hr range to start. 

Must be willing to sign an NDA and 3 year post-employment non-compete agreement. The position is in our Willow Springs location, my garage shop.

Plane parts for sale

Here's a list of the various plane parts I have for sale. Contact me if interested.

ID	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	STATUS
041601	Stanley no 8C bottom (sole). Type 8-9. Refinished condition with new paint. each	$40	Available
041614	Stanley Bailey No 4 plane bottom (body). Type 9-10. 2 patent dates, MAR-25-02 and AUG-19-02. 10% japanning. No pitting.	$7	Available
041615	Stanley Bailey No 4 plane bottom (body). Type 9-10. 2 patent dates, MAR-25-02 and AUG-19-02. 5% japanning. No pitting.	$7	Available
041616	Stanley Bailey No 4 plane bottom (body). Type 15+. 10% japanning. No pitting. U casting.	$7	Available
041617	Stanley Bailey No 4 plane bottom (body). Type 15+. 10% japanning. No pitting.	$7	Available
041604	Stanley no 5-8 depth adjustment yoke with pin. Like new. Each.	$5	Available
041622	Stanley frog screws, all Bailey/Bedrock planes. Fair condition. Pair.	$3	Available
041608	Stanley tote front screw. All Bailey/Bedrock planes, no 5-8/605-608. Each.	$3	Available
041607	Stanley cap iron screw. All Stanley planes. Fair. Light rust, no pitting. Each.	$3	Available
041609	Stanley lever cap screw. All Stanley planes. Fair. Light rust, no pitting. Each.	$3	Available
041613	Stanley no 5-8 tote, broken wing, no other cracks. each	$6	Available
041620	Stanley no 8 lever cap. early type without logo. S casting. good condition, no rust or pitting. each	$10	Available
041639	Stanley no 5-8 knob, early short type, fair condition. no finish remaining. each	$5	Available
041637	Stanley lever cap screw. All Stanley planes. Fair. Light rust, no pitting. Each.	$3	Available
041636	Stanley frog screws, all Bailey/Bedrock planes. Fair condition. Pair.	$3	Available
041634	Stanley tote front screw. All Bailey/Bedrock planes, no 5-8/605-608. Each.	$3	Available
041623	Stanley no 8 frog, type 8-9, broken lateral adjustment lever otherwise good condition. Includes yoke. Each.	$15	Available
041611	Stanley no 8 frog, type 8-9, broken lateral adjustment lever otherwise good condition. Each.	$10	Available
041619	8-32 brace ginble bit, new old stock. ea	$8	Available
041624	8-32 brace ginble bit, new old stock. ea	$8	Available
041625	8-32 brace ginble bit, new old stock. ea	$8	Available
041630	8-32 brace ginble bit, new old stock. ea	$8	Available
041641	Craftsman combination plow plane, similar to Stanley 45. Good condition, no rust or pitting. Includes 1/8" cutter.	$35	Sold
041612	Stanley no 5-8 knob, early short type, good condition. each	$7	Sold
041618	Stanley no 8C bottom (sole). Type 8-9. Refinished condition with new paint. S casting. each	$40	Sold
041627	Stanley no 8 lever cap. early type without logo. S casting. good condition, lever operates freely, light rust or pitting. each	$10	Sold
041605	Stanley brass depth adjustment knob, early 1" size. Good condition, threads work. Each.	$5	Sold
041610	Stanley tote bolt. 4" Good condition. Very light rust, no pitting. Each.	$3	Sold
041603	Stanley knob bolt. 2" Good condition. Very light rust, no pitting. Each.	$3	Sold
041606	Stanley knob/tote screw, early brass type. All early Stanley planes. Good condition, threads work. Each	$5	Sold
041629	Stanley brass depth adjustment knob, early 1" size. Good condition, threads work. Each.	$5	Sold
041602	Stanley no 8 iron, 2 5/8" wide, 1" of useable steel. No rust, light pitting. each.	$10	Sold

Plane Makers Float Review

Plane Makers Floats

I have been meaning to write this review for quite some time but just haven't gotten around to it. I'll view it as more time that I had to use the tools so it'll make for a higher quality review, you believe that right?

At this point in time I own around 13 floats, have invested somewhere around $1000 in them and have made dozens of planes with them. I believe this experience means that I am almost good enough to wipe the shoes of an 18th century plane makers' apprentice. In our modern day that translates to "I'm a blog writing expert on the subject".

In all honesty, I have used them enough to get a good feel for which ones I prefer, how comfortable they are to use and what my purchase experience was like with the company that makes (or distributes) them. I'll also throw in a bit at the end on which ones you should buy if you mean to start making planes.


Listed in the order they appear in the image above are the ones I'll be reviewing (and the cost):

1. Liogier side floats, push and pull - $45 ea.
2. Liogier 1/4" (6mm) mortise floats, push and pull - $45 ea.
3. Mazzaglia Tools mortise float, pull - $85 ea.
4. Iwasaki side float, only available in push - $45 ea.
5. Iwasaki edge float, only available in push - $45 ea.
6. Philly planes edge floats, push and pull - $70 ea.
7. Lie Nielsen edge floats, push and pull - $50 ea.
8. Lie Nielsen small cheek floats, push and pull - $60 ea.

Floats I hope to acquire and review in the future (with their total cost):

• Liogier straight (bed) floats, push and pull - $90
• Liogier 3/8" (10mm) mortise floats, push and pull - $90
• Liogier 1/2" (13mm) mortise floats, push and pull - $90
• Mazzaglia Tools edge float, only available in push - $85
• Mazzaglia Tools side float, only available in push - $85
• Philly Planes skewed 4mm float, push and pull - $140
• Lie Nielsen 1/8" bed floats, push and pull - $120
• Lie Nielsen side floats, push and pull - $120
• Lie Nielsen large cheek floats, push and pull - $120
• Lie Nielsen 1/4" mortise float, only available in push - $60
• Lie Nielsen 1/2" mortise float, only available in push - $60

Note that if I acquire all of the floats in this list I will own what I believe are every float professionally made today, not counting individual craftsman in their own shop.

But first, what is a float? The best way to describe it is a cross between a file and a thick kerf saw. It's quite useful for cutting and shaping material in difficult to reach places, notably the mortise in a molding plane. They have been around for at least two centuries and the best we can tell is that they're really an offshoot of a file and have really been specific to plane makers and gunsmiths over that time, which came first is anyones guess. They have also been adopted by cabinetmakers and luthiers and other professions as they proved most useful for refining joints and hard to reach places in traditional woodworking but more on that some other time. As a result of being related to a saw they also have similar tooth geometries such as rake, fleam, slope and pitch. An in depth discussion of those properties will be reserved for a future article but for now you should know that they are *closely* related to a saw, perhaps more so than a file. Or maybe not?

In addition to that many (most?) of them come in two flavors: push or pull which means just that, do they cut on the push or pull stroke. Think of the difference between a western and eastern saw, same thing. Really? They're not related to a saw? I don't believe there is much of a functional difference in the two, for me it comes down to preference and the job at hand. In some cases you don't have room to push through so you need to have a pull cut, in other cases it's the opposite. For me at least, since I grew up on western style push saws, I took to the push floats on my first use. It took a little bit of time for me to adjust to the pull float. Of note, I STILL can't use a Japanese pull saw.

Here are the general attributes I'll rate each one on:

• Handle material, workmanship and feel.
• Blade, quality of steel, hardening, quality of the teeth, sharpness and ease of sharpening.
• Quality of cut in various materials.
• Cost. Sensitive subject, I know.
• Company. How were they to deal with and ship the products.

And without further a do, here go the reviews.

 

1. Liogier Side Float

These floats are all hand made in France by Liogier and have to be some of the finest tools I own. I really can't say enough about the quality of them, I own several of their hand stitched rasps and these match their quality.

• Handle: They handle feels fantastic in the hands, it's made of a quality material (not sure what) and is shaped in a manner that is easy to use for an extended period of time. Thus far the blade has stayed secured in mine over the course of around 6 months. No complaints on this part.
• Blade: The business end is made of high quality O1 tool steel and is hardened, by my best guess, to around RC60. That makes them quite durable yet easy enough to sharpen on your own. The teeth were well formed and have a rake (angle of attack) that works well for general purpose use. One key piece of this blade is that is has some flex to it unlike the others. It's just enough so when you're working the flat side of the inside mortise you can bend it slightly up to reach smaller spots. That's really quite handy and now I see why even more flex could be beneficial.
• Finish: The quality of the cut and finish from them is first class, what you're left with needs 0 work to complete.
• Cost: These did have to come from France to get to me and at the time shipping was a bit on the costly side. Since then they have introduced a flat shipping rate, I believe $14, which solves that problem. The price for the tool itself is extremely competitive.
• Company: Great people to deal with my only complaint is that these took around 3 months to arrive and there wasn't much communication about the status during that period. After a month of not hearing anything I had to email them to find out what was going on. I suppose if you order from them regularly you'll know these take time to make and receive but as a new customer I didn't.
• The overall rating for them is a solid A, you won't go wrong with one of these.
• Handle: A
• Blade: A
• Finish: A
• Cost: B+
• Company: B+

2. Liogier Mortise Float

These floats nearly mirror my experience with the side floats so I'll just say, they get the same grade. That, and to be honest, I haven't needed to use them all that much.

 

3. Mazzaglia Tools Mortise Float

This review is currently in process, more to come later...

 

4. Iwasaki Side and Edge Floats

I am going to include two floats in this section for Iwasaki, both the side and edge. These floats are made by Iwasaki and distributed by a number of vendors, I purchased mine from Lee Valley. They also appear a bit different than what I think a "traditional" float would look like, these are almost closer to a file and are smaller. But, don't let size fool you, these are in fact full featured floats and can very well compete with the big boys.

• Handle: The handle is smaller and thinner than other floats but does generally feel comfortable in the hand. They are covered in a sort of polymer that has a slightly rough surface which prevents the float from slipping out of the hands. The only real downside to the handle is that it can be uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time, especially if you have large hands like I do. 
• Blade: The blade is smaller than the others but certainly does the same work, in fact in some ways this float might be better than others. I'm not sure what type of steel they're made out of but it is quite hard, the only downside I see is that there is no way of sharpening it on your own. But, based on how hard it is and the level of sharpness, I don't see it needing to be sharpened for quite some time. And given the price point I would simply buy a new one.
• Finish: This is where these floats truly shine, the finish they leave is like that of 400 grit sandpaper. And they do that without feeling like you're not removing material, you can see it coming off.
• Cost: These are slightly lower than the others.
• Company: What can I say, Lee Valley has always been exceptional to me. The price is good, shipping cost is reasonable and things arrive on time and in great shape.
• The overall rating for these is somewhere around a B/B+ due to the extended use of the handle issue and the inability to sharpen the blade. If you're just touching things up, this might be the one for you. I use them to finish nearly every surface of the escapement, they are the last float that touches the plane and they excel at this task.
• Handle: B
• Blade: B
• Finish: A+
• Cost: A
• Company: A

 

6. Philly Planes Edge Floats

These are made in the UK by Phillip Edwards and are available here. I ordered them via his web site and when they arrived I must say I was truly impressed. I might even go so far as "in awe" because I didn't know a human could make this high quality of what is a "utilitarian" tool. They came with a hand written note from Phil and were the sharpest floats I've ever received out of the box. They are so well made I was literally inspired to go make a plane using them.

• Handle: Bar none these handles are the finest and most comfortable to use, you can tell these are made by a plane maker. I can use these for hours on end without the slightest bit of discomfort or fatigue. The handles are made form mahogany and are simply beautiful to look at. As I design the logo for my company I am going to use these floats on it, they exemplify plane making and are a tribute to the craft.
• Blade: I would imagine these are made from O1 tool steel and were hardened/tempered quite well. The teeth are made to be fairly aggressive but not too much so depending on how you use them you can go from rough work to fine finish work easily, remember, floats require finesse. As I said before, these were the sharpest ones I've ever received and they are at a hardness level that balances edge retention with ease of sharpening. In fact, since receiving them I have only sharpened them once and I have used them on at least 6 pairs of hollows and rounds.
• Finish: I would say these are comparable to the other edge floats with the exception of the Iwasaki ones (which are finer), they leave a really nice surface that doesn't require much touch up work.
• Cost: Higher than the others but that also depends greatly on the exchange rate. Brexit should help us out here a bit. Are they expensive enough to be considered a guilty pleasure? They're perhaps on the edge but still firmly on the side of affordable. Come to think of it, maybe I should buy that skew float now that it's down to 1.2:1.... Oh Phil!
• Company: Phil was in contact with me several times throughout the process letting me know what was going on with my order. It wasn't an automated message, it was Phil himself talking to me. That combined with the hand written note results in him being a truly class act. I can't say enough good about him and his product. Couple that with the fact that he's a fellow plane maker and I would have to tell everyone to buy from him regardless of cost. Come on, help support a fellow bespoke maker!
• The overall rating for these is somewhere around an A- and the only reason why is due to the cost. These are some of the most expensive floats I own but based on the quality of the work they are absolutely worth every pound and pence. Buy some now. Really. Now.
• Handle: A+
• Blade: A
• Finish: A
• Cost: B-
• Company: A+

 

7. Lie Nielsen Edge Floats

Lie Nielsen, for a while now, has offered several floats and other accessories for building your own molding planes. These floats are the design of Larry Williams of Old Street Tool, whose DVD is available from LN on how to make planes (I highly recommend it). When I first started making planes, these were the first floats I purchased.

• Handle: As you can see in the first picture, the handles on these are perhaps the largest of all of the floats I have tested here. At first glance I thought the square shape would be uncomfortable to use but after months of having them in my hands I can say they're just fine. The material and finish isn't the same quality as Liogier or Philly but for a utilitarian tool it is just fine.
• Blade: I had read somewhere, or perhaps Larry told me, that LN doesn't use O1 for these but I have yet to find that in writing anywhere. Despite the material, they are well made, the teeth are spaced for both rough and fine work and they are sharp out of the box. They're not the sharpest of all of the floats straight from LN but sharp enough. The hardness is a decent balance of edge retention vs. ease of sharpening but these are the one float that I have to sharpen more. Now, it could be because I use the edge float quite a bit but they seem to dull slightly faster than the Philly floats. Also of note is the color, their hardening/tempering process leaves the blade a dull black color. It certainly doesn't affect performance, it's just not pretty. Personally, I'm not the kind of guy that's into pretty tools but I do know some people are.
• Finish: These, like the Philly floats, leave a good finish behind.
• Cost: Just slightly higher than the Iwasaki but still quite affordable, especially as a first float.
• Company: LN does a fantastic job with ordering and shipping, my single complaint has always been the shipping cost.
• The overall rating for these is a good solid B, it's above average but compared to the Philly one.. Well, there's no comparison to that float. If you're just starting out making planes by all means consider this one as your first float, it's a really good, down to earth, well made basic float.
• Handle: B
• Blade: B
• Finish: A
• Cost: A
• Company: B

 

8. Lie Nielsen Cheek Floats

So, I combined the Iwasaki floats so why did I break out the LN cheek ones? Well, because functionally they're quite different than any other float I use so they deserve their own section. These aren't one of the first floats you'd need to make planes but, to me at least, they have become an indispensable tool. These are perhaps the most aggressive floats I own and can open up the mortise faster than any other float. The downside is they finish they leave behind can be a bit rough but that's easy enough to clean up with another float. This is also the BEST float to use to open up the mouth on a molding plane.

• Handle: The handle is exactly the same as the other LN. Of note though is that the push and pull handles of mine are slightly different lengths. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or if a less than perfect blank was used on one or the other. No matter, they work they same but I'm surprised given how LN is known for their extreme quality control before shipping.
• Blade: Same as the other LN with the exception that it's super fast to sharpen since there's just not much metal to it.
• Finish: These can leave a fairly coarse surface behind, especially across the grain. But, on the inside of a mortise that you are initially opening up this really doesn't matter.
• Cost: Same as the other LN but a tad higher.
• Company: Same same. Please lower your shipping cost. Please...
• The overall rating for these is a solid B, it's above average but compared to the Philly one.. Well, there's no comparison to that float. After an edge and side float this should be the next one you buy.
• Handle: B
• Blade: B
• Finish: A
• Cost: A
• Company: B

 

Starting Out

Earlier in the article I said I would tell you what floats you should go with if you're going to start making your own planes. First, this is for traditionally made planes, if you're making Krenov style laminated ones you won't need floats.

Keeping cost in mind I would start with 2 floats: an LN side and edge. I didn't get a chance to review their side float as it was perpetually out of stock. But, I can likely assume it would work as well as their others. If you want a slight upgrade in quality buy the Liogier side float instead of the LN one, it's well worth the wait. Now, if you want the BEST edge float you can get your hands on, buy the Philly. But that's only if cost is not a question for you as it is nearly double the price however it's SO worth it. Buy these 2 in the pull flavor to start with and after you know how to use these buy both of them in a push style at which point you would have (4) floats: side push, side pull, edge push and edge pull. This will get you 90% of what you need with side escapement planes. After this I would purchase the LN small cheek float and again first in push then in pull.

And that's about it, if you have any questions let me know in the comments.