Customer Reviews

Stanley 12-101 Small Trimming Plane

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This little plane is more than a toy. It is a great tool for small jobs. Very controllable and easily adjustable, it fits well in your hand. I started using it to trim up some doors I was working on, but soon found it indispensible for any kind of trim work. Small enough to fit in any tool belt, it provides a great alternative to running back to the chop saw to take off a sliver of material. It slices clean and square (unlike sandpaper) and leaves a smooth cut end on even the smallest trim. Beats the heck out of a razor knife, too.

I am in the remodeling business and have recently been using this little plane on a cedar siding job. I am often up on a ladder and needed something small that would fit in my tool belt or pocket and this one does the trick.

Size - While you obviously wouldn't use this for all your planeing needs, for the small detailed work, this is perfect.

Blade - I have been using this extensively on this job and the blade has managed to stay nice and sharp. The blade was coming loose a little so I now just tighten it down with a pair of pliers and so far the looseness has ended.

If you need a small planer, I would recommend this one. The Stanley name tends to be a quality hand tool.

Don't let it's small size (and price) fool ya. This is a serious little tool. Perfect size for those small trim pieces I sometimes use on my boxes. It does a superior job of trimming end grain on lids to get that perfect fit, and is more accurate than sanding sponges for breaking those sharp edges on the box. It works equally well on softwoods and hardwoods, even those super hard exotics. It takes a very good edge and keeps it quite awhile. I have made a small "shooting" jig for it, so I can shave off that silly little mm on mitered trim for a perfect fit, it really excells at this job. Though quite small it is easy to hold and control. I haven't had any problems with the lock down mech. or movement of the blade once adjusted.
All things considered I am very pleased with this little guy and would recommend it to everyone.

This little plane is not just a toy! It is a great tool for anybody doing trim work. Having this tool in your belt beats running back to the chop saw to take off a sliver of material. It cuts square and clean, unlike sandpaper, and can even plane end grain smooth. You can also back-cut crown molding and hand-cut angles to fit.

[...], I found this plane to be just dandy for occasional surface planing, but a bit small for my big mitts.

For comparison, I have also used the similar, but larger, Veritas Razor Blade Block Plane # 19P1600 ($21). It is a little bigger (2"W x 5"L x 2"H) than the Stanley (1"W x 3.25"L x 1"H), uses replaceable Rc60 razor blades ($2/pkg.), and, with three different blade positions, is a bit more versatile. Personally, I prefer the larger size & versatility of the Veritas model, but it is not as easy to tuck in your pocket as the Stanley.

FYI the razor blade in the Veritas plane can be installed in one of three different positions: (1) at mid-body for surface planing, like the Stanley; (2) at the toe for flush trimming or for use as a knife; and (3) at the heel for smoothing/scraping concave surfaces in thin material.

Unfortunately the Razor Blade Plane isn't available at Amazon, but can be seen at Lee Valley Veritas:

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I've not seen a similarly sized plane at this price point. It's got a throwaway price but you can still sharpen the blade on your sharpening stone.

I mainly use it for chamfering the edges of dimensional lumber that I cut with the table saw.

Because the mouth is wide I find that it works quite well given the simplistic design. My only complaint is that it can be difficult to align the blade after you adjust the depth.

Let's be clear: this is a carpentry tool, not a woodworking tool. Woodworking is what you do to build heirloom-quality furniture. Carpentry is what you do to get your house through another winter. If you want to peel paper-thin shavings from dense hardwood boards to produce a satin-smooth surface, you'll need to break out the Benjamins and get a proper woodworking handplane. This isn't one.

However, if you need to knock a hair off that pine siding board you just cut, or trim down a door so it closes all the way, or do any of the other little make-it-fit jobs that crop up in any carpentry project, get one of these. It's really more of a reconfigured box cutter than a plane, and it's about as useful - which is to say, you need one.

I just planed down three doors that have been sticking for ages, and it took me all of 30 minutes. Previous efforts with a Stanley Surform plane were frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful, and in any case the Surform takes up about ten times more space than this pocket-sized gem. Just be sure you retract the blade before actually putting it in your pocket.

I'm giving it four stars instead of five because it's not very ergonomic. I'd like it to be slightly bigger, and maybe have some kind of lip or cover so my hand isn't constantly pressing on a metal edge. It works fine, but can get a bit uncomfortable after a few minutes of planing.

I am an amateur luthier and I was looking for a small plane to use in tight spaces where a large block plane would not fit. I was looking for a small plane to carve the braces on guitars but I was only finding 6 and 7 inch planes at my local stores.The small planes I found online at popular woodworking websites were ridiculously expensive, in the $60 plus range for a 3 inch plane!! I found this plane and figured for the price, if it was garbage, I had not lost much. Well it is not garbage. It is an excellent plane! I have used it to shape and smooth guitar braces with excellent precision. The blade has remained sharp as the day I bought it. Normally new tools require a sharpening before use, but this one did not. The blade has kept its edge through several jobs now. I would highly recommend this plane to any luthier or hobbyist looking for a small plane. Great tool at a great price, like the title says.

This little plane has been a great addition to my tool kit. I find I am reaching for it more and more often to get into really tight places. It isn't a shoulder plane, but the blade is very close to the sides. It is perfect for adding small chamfers to an already installed trim piece. It is simply constructed, but very solid.

This simple little plane is the only recently manufactured Stanley plane I have any regard for. It gets into tight spots great and holds the blade adjustment very well for high angle type work. It is a long way away from being suitable for end grain. Gee go figure for $10 it wasn't a Lie Nielsen. The edge on the blade was sharp out of the box and has lasted quite well. Although the blade can be sharpened they can be considered disposable at this price as well. Given Stanley current production I realize I could buy another one and have it be complete crap but I got a great little tool here.