Taytools 469225 3-in-1 Shoulder Plane, Bullnose and Chisel Plane, Ductile Cast Iron, Precision Machined, 1 Inch Wide Blade

I have to admit that I thought this plane would be a toss up based on reading mixed reviews. Other testimonies may have been based on poor examples or the writers were very demanding tool aficionados. My copy was excellent in every way except for my particular sharpening regimen. The finish was precision ground to an impeccable finish and perfectly square checked to my machinist’s square. Barely a fine sliver of light shown through from a shop light behind it. I could have used the plane out of the box without any fettling but I did want to see how close the angle was and it was within a degree. A little rough grind but was fine after a while on a 1000-grit stone and some strapping. The description I read stated a 55-60 Rockwell and I believe it. I’ve got some Vintage Sheffield chisels that sharpen faster. I found that the alignment pins on the fore piece were so precise that they were almost an interference fit . . . Impressive. As others have mentioned an Allen key was not included with mine as well. A 5mm hex key like the many one has in their loose singles jar fits just fine. I’d buy another but I don’t think there is much of a chance I’ll outlive this one.

Out of the box, this tool was not usable. The blade was dull and dished; the sole was a bit rough and slightly dished, too. After a couple of hours' flattening, sharpening, and fettling, the plane worked pretty well. I tested it by making a rabbet in a piece of red oak (just to get the feel of the tool) and it worked well. After shaving down a 1/4" rabbet, the blade needed re-sharpening, but that's not surprising. This is not a Veritas plane, so don't expect anything close to perfection, but it's an adequate tool that -- after a bit of initial work and proper set-up -- can be made to perform satisfactorily at a fraction of the cost of the Veritas equivalent.

I am still fairly new to woodworking with hand tools. I have had my fair share of frustration trying to clean up tenons with a block plane and chisel. I struggle to get the finely tuned shoulders that result in a nice seamless fill all around. I have NO experience with shoulder planes. As a hobby guy on a budget I couldn't justify the cost for the high end ones. The cost of the Taytools 3-in-1 allowed me to take a shot and add one to the plane till.It arrived well protected with a substantial coating of protective grease so it did require a good wipe down. The sole and side faces checked out smooth and square. The blade iron had a square basic bevel grind and took a nice edge using the Scary Sharp multi-level sandpaper approach. The blade depth adjustment action is not exactly silky smooth but looking at the setup, I expect the ring surface that contacts the slots in the iron to smooth out with basic use. Same for the spinwheel on the cap. I expect it to smooth out with basic use as well.Being my first shoulder plane I had to chase the setup by trial and error... but that didn't take long at all. With a good edge on the iron, it gave me plenty of feedback to sneak up on a serviceable cut depth. Within short order I was squaring up end-grain shoulders with better accuracy than I could with just paring chisels. It seems to handle end-grain cuts nice and smooth as long as you don't get too aggressive with the cut depth. Also used it to square up some cheek surfaces with satisfying results. I have not yet removed the front extension to test the bullnose or chisel setup but I see nothing to suggest it should't perform well in those configurations.Again, I'm far from a seasoned expert when it comes to hand tools... but this plane as been a pleasant addition to the workbench. For my needs, it's more than adequate in producing satisfactory results. From a cost-to-value standpoint, I'm not sure I would get double the results from a plane that costs almost twice as much.I'm very happy with this purchase...

Fantastic build, very solid and well machined, but not perfectly machined. I can both appreciate that I couldn't possible get the proper tolerances at this price point AND that someone wanting to start right away might be frustrated. It was not difficult to hone the blade (normal for planes), and though lapping both the and the bull nose could be tricky for some, it was well worth it, and didn't take long. Really cool tool, I've used it a bunch of different places since I got it, which is a nice surprise.