Stanley 1-12-137 62-Low Angle Sweetheart Jack Plane

I've seen some reviews that this isn't always the case. I'm sure it does happen that there are duds, but as someone who has always bought old planes and fixed them up because that's what the experts say to do (I those old planes ARE great, and you learn a lot of really important things fitting them)... this is the best plane I've used. Keep in mind I've never tried a Veritas or Lie Nielsen though.For the price it seems top quality, this thing is HEAVY which helps on a jack plane. Do keep in mind this is a JACK PLANE - and a low angle one at that - tearout is an issue but far less than you would think and for me was due to my own mistakes more than anything.Mine came with a a dead flat sole, and a pretty dang flat blade, sharpened well enough to use right out of the box. When I sharpened the blade a couple low spots and a high corner were apparent but the back along the edge was totally flat (on a bevel up plane you don't need to worry about anything more than right at the edge because there's no chipbreaker), and the iron is SUPER thick which helps create a big bevel to register your angle on. The manual says to do a 25 degree primary and 30 degree secondary bevel but honestly I've just been continuing whatever bevel it came with and it works fantastic.Add a little wax and this thing just glides across the board and cleaves the shaving off like Moses parting the Red Sea.I'm very pleased with it.

Received this #62 Stanley Sweetheart plane Friday and got to use it on Saturday. Very easy set up, was flat and square out of the box. The iron was fairly sharp. I hit it briefly on my finest stone then stropped it and it was ready. Probably less than 10 minutes from out of the box to cutting the first curls. It's worked wonderfully on oak and poplar, makes very thin curls that you can see through .This is my first low angle plane so the adjuster is going to take a little to get used to but I think I'm going to really like this plane overall. Very solid and a bit heavier than I expected. This is definitely a better plane than my skills but I'm going to have a good time learning it.Edit April 2nd, 2019 - I've had some time to use this and its working fantastic. Started using it on my shooting board and I will never use the block plane there again, this seems like it is designed for shooting boards. The extra weight makes a huge difference. Much better results far easier.

I received the Stanley #62 low-angle jack plane in good shape. I carefully sanded down the sharp edge at the very front of the machined base to avoid getting cut when adjusting the mouth opening. Not a problem. The Cherry wood handle was slightly loose and needed tightening - it tends to loosen in use - need to figure out how to keep it tight. The edges were perfectly square and the sole flat. The blade was sharp enough to use right out of the box.I had a Lie-Nielsen #62 low-angle jack plane and I like this Stanley version better. It is heavier (6.29 lbs vs 4.55 lbs) and has a thicker blade (0.187" vs 0.175") then the Lie-Nielsen plane. It has a better blade adjustment feature using a unique depth adjusting screw which is attached to the blade via a peg and hole arrangement. It makes for fine adjusting. The price is less then half of the Lie-Nielsen unit. It produced some fine shavings on the edge of a 2" thick maple block.Highly recommend it.

I bought this with the matching sweetheart block plane. Both were very substantial products, that seem well built and comfortable to use. I did not spend a ton of time getting the sole flat as some other reviews have mentioned. For me, and what I do, it was fine out of box (I'm just a hobbyist woodworker). I did hone the blade on this plane and felt that it improved the performance. (I say that because it took a few uses with the block plane before I felt it need sharpened) I feel that sharpening should be expected when using hand tool though. They need to be honed regularly to make them enjoyable to use. And when they are, it's addicting. I feel like I was just planing to plane once this came in.The only negative feedback from me. The handle did come in somewhat loose. I was able to adjust enough to make it usable, but I have yet to fix the problem entirely.Also worth mention, but overall a non factor in the tools performance.This tool is beautiful. Like it looks like it should be enclosed in a glass box and put on display at a museum.

Stanley had been the go-to company for Americans for a century, but some of their products are no longer made to the standards some workers need. This plane is what Stanley should give us all the time. It was perfectly flat across the bottom and sides, checked on my granite flat stone, and square. It felt like suction was holding it down to the cast iron table of my cabinet saw. I recently purchased a construction-grade Stanley #4 and spend about 10 hours on the granite flattening the base. The plane iron was also very sharp right from the box. I pulled it off, expecting to have to work on it, but it was the sharpest iron I've even gotten. I just stropped it a couple of times and put it back on the plane. I used this to flatten some wide walnut and some maple and it was extremely easy to dial in and use. The handles are well-finished and it all works. I really like using this plane.

Who's playing is very easy to use very comfortable and I do believe it is a good value for the money I don't see how it could work any better very comfortable I've been using it on seasoned Red oak give super fine uniform shavings could not be more satisfied

The blade wanted a bit of sharpening when it arrived, but expect that with any plane and semi perfectionist combination. The face is nice and flat and the plane is holding up well even after some intense encounters with a lot of seasoned oak.