Replies

1. 
   BigK | Jan 08, 2006 11:46am | #1

   For $1500 I would expect the tool to maybe do the work for me? Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful tool, fairly seductive, and all. But for that kind of cash you could buy and tune a lot of older Baileys that will do most of what that one plane proposes. I recently bought a L-N 41/2 york pitch with a corrugated sole For well under a third what John E wants for that sexy little sports car. It has yet to tear anything out, and I believe that curly and birdseye maple was a pretty fair test. I have never cared to much for high maintanence women either. And I admit that I do use a few Bridge City tools for layout.

1. 
   philip | Jan 09, 2006 10:23am | #2

   Most of us never get to care for high maintenance ladies , but that doesn't stop us wanting ....
   Actually, although I have not seen or used this plane, Itend to think it is not over the top price wise. But these days when there is such a huge choice of mass produced machinery coming from Asia at slave labour prices and comparisons are made as to what $1500 will buy of that stuff, it may sound too much. I said may.
   On second thoughts, if the output is in direct proportion to the maitenace, then it pays to put in the maintance.

   Edited 1/9/2006 2:26 am by philip

1. 
   BigK | Jan 11, 2006 11:23am | #3

   OK Phillip. Your money, you spend it as you see fit. But for your information, I would never compare an American made product to a Taiwanese, Japanese, or whateverese product unless it was truly a piece of c---. I was actually referencing an American made Lie-Nielson 4 1/2 with a york pitch and a corrugated sole. An absolutely wonderful plane to use and a beautiful sight to behold, at less than 1/3 the cost to own. I also referenced early made Stanley Bailey and Bedrock planes. All highly functional and very good at what they do. No asian slave labor in my notes. I am very solidly a Buy American kind of guy if there is an American version worth owning. Actually, the steeper the frog the harder it is to push the plane thru the wood. The BC varipitch looks like a smaller plane and so I wonder about this. Also steeper blade angles mean more frequent sharpening. Like I said before, my york pitch has performed flawlessly in curly maple and bird's eye maple, even sailed thru red birch that the grain kept turning back on itself. All for about $370? So the way I see it, that extra $1100 could be better spent somewhere else in my shop. But that is just my opinion.

1. 
   philip | Jan 11, 2006 11:52am | #4

   Whoooaa there Biggy, hold your horses-I am more likely to be shot by the pope than spend money on J. Eco's latest creation.
   I am more interested in making planes , and having seen the afore-mentioned item on video, but not heard from any body who has actually used one , I was looking for opinions, so yours is welcome.
   Re the price: an interesting quote from David Charlesworth-"In the heyday of English plane making, a plane made by Norris or Spiers cost a cabinetmaker one to three weeks wages, so perhaps we should not expect too much from that new Anant or Stanley costing the equivalent of a few hours wages". $1500-what has changed?
   What you suspect about the weight re greater steam required when the angle increases is exactly the sort of thing I was angling for- my impression is that it appears a bit on the light side.
   When are we to hear from someone who has one?Philip Marcou

1. 
   EdHarrison | Jan 12, 2006 04:03pm | #5

   >I am more likely to be shot by the pope than spend money on J. Eco's latest creation.<

   Ha ha ha.  Hi Phillip - I have virtually nothing to add to this discussion but am following it closely and enjoying it.  I could compare it to guitars - there's a $4000 acoustic guitar that I want to buy before I die, assuming I live another 20 years or so - but right now, at this point, it really wouldn't make a difference whether I was playing that one or a $500 guitar - would sound about the same.

   Would a $1500 smooth plane make much of a difference compared to the $230 Clifton No. 4 that I use?  Or the $25 115-year old Stanley Bailey No. 3 with the blade so sharp that I could shave with it? Probably not.  Well no, not even probably - no, it wouldn't.

   I suspect that the BC plane is not that much better than a garden-variety smoother.  I suspect that it's all about marketing with them and their market is wealthy, elderly hobbiests with a collecting bug.  Everything about their web-site gives me that impression.  If some one can prove me wrong, go ahead.

   Take care, Ed

2. 
   jimmar | Jan 13, 2006 12:19am | #6

   Re the $4000 guitar; i968 I was working mining, construction. There was a Martin D20-12 I had to get and did. 5 yrs later I was a different, not better, musician. It went. (Still got my Gibson C2 from 1964, tho.)

3. 
   John_D | Jan 13, 2006 01:21am | #7

   That D20-12 would be worth some big bucks today, I bet. :)  Remains to be seen what a used vari-pitch will fetch you in 20 years.My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

4. 
   EdHarrison | Jan 13, 2006 03:03am | #8

   You're killing me with that Martin D20-12 stuff.  I'll bet it's nice.  I'm going to restrict myself to 500 hours practice with a metronome and 500 hours practicing scales, and oh, say,..learning how to play "Amazing Grace" in 10 different alternate tunings (and actually understanding the theory behind what I'm doing) before allowing myself to buy another guitar.  It's just like the moratorium I placed upon myself about buying any more sharpening equipment or gizmos - if I go into a Woodcraft and see a Tormek, I simply turn and walk away.  Lead me not into temptation,...

   But I'm sorry about hijcking this thread.  Back to the information that Phillip needs:  Who actually uses one of these new Bridge City smoothers and what is the technical low-down on this baby?....