Bridge City Tool Works Sale - 40% off on their Mini Block plane

[l33tplaya]

Bridge City Tool Works has their low angle mini block plane on sale for 40% off, https://bridgecitytools.com/collections/planes/products/hp-8-mini-block-plane and their dual angle block plane also on sale.  They have depth skids too.  I just rceived my mini plane today, it looks really sweet. https://bridgecitytools.com/collections/planes

I haven't heard that brand mentioned here before, but it seems very precisely made, and so far. measures very flat. I was informed of this sale by the last SIMSCal meeting, https://www.simscal.com/ . What are your thoughts on their planes?

[Mampara]

BCTW is certainly very innovative and their tools have a quality look and feel to them. The depth skids could be useful for thicknessing ribs and bass bars, but a little too much fuss for my taste. Anyway enjoy the new tool and let us know how it turns out.

[Dwight Brown]

I saw that it was made from aluminum.  Does that work out well for plane bodies?  I should think it would be at least as durable as a wooden plane.

DLB

[David Burgess]

9 hours ago, l33tplaya said:

Bridge City Tool Works has their low angle mini block plane on sale for 40% off, https://bridgecitytools.com/collections/planes/products/hp-8-mini-block-plane and their dual angle block plane also on sale.  They have depth skids too.  I just rceived my mini plane today, it looks really sweet. https://bridgecitytools.com/collections/planes

I haven't heard that brand mentioned here before, but it seems very precisely made, and so far. measures very flat. I was informed of this sale by the last SIMSCal meeting, https://www.simscal.com/ . What are your thoughts on their planes?

Looks like some neat stuff. Upon first glance, I was thinking that they had an easy way to adjust the pre-blade sole height, with the after-blade sole height (compensating for the shaving thickness, which even most power-planers will do), but it looks like my hopes have once again been dashed.

[Don Noon]

Sorry, I just don't think that aluminum has any place in tools.  It's just too soft.  You can hard anodize it to work OK, but that won't prevent dents, and you can't re-flatten it without taking off the anodize.  No thanks.

I have never used a wooden plane, but it seems to me that they are best in larger sizes, not small precision block planes.

I'll stick with iron.

[duane88]

I purchased the chopstick making kit last year, and it comes with this plane. The chopsticks are fun to make and give as gifts, but the plane is pretty useless for violin making. You might get some use out of it planing fingerboards, but that is about it.