Stanley 12-101 Small Trimming Plane

Cheap little stamped metal plane, right? Kind of. It's cheap, it's stamped metal, but it feels and works great. They're small and inexpensive enough that I can tuck one in every tool bag. The little blade takes a fine edge, and this thing shaves way outside of its weight class. It's not a big jointing plane, but it'll chamfer anything you want quickly and cheaply. I don't think this is a cheap little stamped metal plane. Having used it, it feels more like an inexpensive practical tool. Stanley outdid themselves on this one. Update: Still takes a wicked edge 10 months later, and works just fine for skiving leather, too.

Bought this for modeling to shape leading edges of balsa wings. Does a very nice job, a little bit on the big size but much nicer than the overpriced plastic ones they make for that purpose. Cuts very nice, doesn't grab too much in the soft, fragile balsa. It's stamped, not cast, but it should last several generations if I don't lose it. My only complaint is that there isn't a screw to advance the blade, so you have to flip it over and eyeball the gap, both for blade protrusion, left-right alignment, and also left-right angle. A little tricky to get everything realigned if you just want to push it a tiny amount for a little more bite. But that might easily double the cost and weight so I can understand why they left it out on a tiny plane like this.

It took some time, but once I figured out how to effectively use this guy, it turned out to be quite good. Here's the two biggest tips I have. First, sand down the sole. Mine had a slight concave middle by about the thickness of the paint, which isn't really a problem. The problem is the paint itself. About half way through my first piece, I noticed the paint actually coming off on the wood. It only took about 15 min to remove it with some 150 grit sand paper, so I'd highly recommend anyone buying this to do this. It also won't hurt just to ensure that it's uniform. Second is adjusting it. I almost ruined my first few pieces learning how to do this. Getting it initially set is the biggest issue, and requires A LOT of trial and error since there's no easy way to make fine adjustments. I found just clamping a scrap 2x4 in the vice worked fine for a test piece. What you're trying to do is get the depth just to the point where the shavings you take off are almost wisp-like, or maybe a little bigger, but less than what you'd get from like a hand pencil sharpener. Once that's set, tighten that thing down and DO NOT loosen the screw again. To adjust it, place it toe down so the blade is vertical (sole will be at an angle), and lightly tap the back of the blade ONCE with a hammer. Imagine tapping an egg so it cracks, but doesn't break. Then try it on your piece again, making at least 15-20 passes. If it's not enough, repeat and try again, but tap it lighter since it would have already moved a little from the first time. But to show it can work well, I've attached a photo of the first pieces I did. The far left just off the clams, middle is after making some initial passes, and right is finished. If the photo had a bit higher resolution you could see the bigger nicks I made learning how to adjust it. But overall I'm quite happy with it.

Once it’s sharp it works fine. The blade doesn’t fit snug so it can take a few attempts to set it, but for the price it’s definitely does the job. I wouldn’t recommend buying to someone who doesn’t have the tools to sharpen the blade though. Edit: Had this little thing for awhile longer now. Again, you need to be able to sharpen it. But it takes an edge well, at least for me. I’ve used it way more than I anticipated. If I remember correctly I got it for under ten dollars or around ten dollars. Definitely worth it. If you don’t know how to sharpen blades it would be a good tool to try with.

Although I can get this to work with some effort, and it will produce wood shavings in the few times I manage to get just the right pressure and just the right setting of the blade - the truth is - it needs to be professionally sharpened first. If you need a small trimming plane - invest in a high quality one to save yourself time. It's worth the investment. This will do as a handy shaver for "rough" projects, but I wouldn't use it on any fine furniture, or where you need to shave off thin layers (such as with door hanging, etc).

To be honest, I really wasn't expecting much out of a sub $6 hand plane from the "Add-On" section. But I have to say, I'm blown away by its performance! It works great!! It's surprisingly well built for the price! The Iron (blade) is super sharp and it holds a edge beautifully. I've been using it a lot on hardwoods and makes quick clean cuts and there's been no issues with the Iron dulling. I have $100+ hand planes that don't cut as well. It's definitely a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. If you have big hands like me it can be a little awkward to use sometimes. But that's on me for not fully reading the description. All in all it's a great little plane and I couldn't be happier. I would totally recommend this to others.

Arrived already opened, and then taped back into its packaging. The blade looks like it has nicks in it, and what I'm guessing wood shaving bits and sawdust inside. Returning it immediately after because it was supposed to be new

1. Usability / does it do what it is suppose to do: Yes, works well for small projects and fits easily in tool box due to small size 2. ease of use: once you figure out if you should push or pull depending on the surface, no problem 3. quality: strong metal, good construction, no flexing or blade breakage. 4. value: cannot beat the price for something you might need 1 time every 3 years. Final thought. smaller than you think. looks like something for the Ken and Barbi play set. however, given that i needed to shave a closet door bottom 3mm and it worked so well for the money, I give it 5 stars.

Ótima plaina. Tamanho ideal para ajustes finos.

Este pequeño acompañante cumple su cometido de una forma excepcionalmente simple Su perfil minimalista y acabado negro niquelado, lo hacen una herramienta sutílmente atractiva, pero además muy resistente, incluso a las caídas Pequeño, pero poderoso, este mini cepillo viene con una navaja lista para usarse, y es ideal para todo tipo de trabajo delicado, detallado en piezas pequeñas, cantos y desbaste Ha resultado muy útil en mi taller, y no podría estar sin uno, ya que también son muy útiles para algunos acabados en piezas más grandes Algunos detalles a tomar en cuenta: El filo se sujeta por medio de un tornillo que tiene una terminación semi-circular en la punta, por lo cual el punto de sujección es relativamente pequeño en comparación con uno de terminación plana. Desconozco el porqué se hizo de esta forma, seguramente hay una razón muy importante, pero esto resulta en que el cuchillo tiende a moverse cuando no esta firmemente sujeto Para "arreglar" esto, el tornillo se tiene que apretar con una fuerza considerable, tanto, que podrías necesitar de un trapo o hacer uso de tu ropa para lograrlo, ya que el tornillo es muy pequeño y puede ser doloroso hacer esto sólo con las manos Debido a esto, resulta algo tedioso ajustar el filo a la profundidad requerida, ya que con cada cambio y prueba se tiene que ajustar el tornillo de la misma manera Una cosa más, es que el metal del filo ya está mostrando señales de oxidación en un ambiente que ha estado húmedo por las lluvias Tomado todo esto en cuenta, sólo queda decir que es una herramienta verdaderamente útil, poderosa, y altamente recomendada para cualquier carpintero, y con mejor razón si estás empezando. Sus pocas faltas se ven opacadas por su practicidad y beneficio, y podrás hacer cosas que probablemente antes hacías de forma incomoda e imprecisa

Front door was sticking due to the wooden weather strip catching presumably due to the damp weather. Not enough space for my full size plane. Thought I would try this little plane to avoid the aggravation of taking the heavy door off. Due to its small size able to invert the plane and remove small amount of wood to stop sticking. Unlike full size plane adjusting the blade is a little fiddly as no adjustment wheel but once adjusted worked well.

Such a helpful tool to use in the workshop super light and easily fits in an apron pocket.

Great little product for when installing flooring.