Faithfull FAIPLANE3 No.3 Finishing Plane

I gave this five stars because it is a great tool for the money. It took a little bit to get to me because it came from England. I checked all the surfaces with a machinist square and a straight edge. The edges are perfectly 90 degrees, the flats are pretty flat but not dead flat (which they don't need to be). I sharpened the blade on my Tormek so it was razor sharp and polished it to a mirror shine (in my experience the mirror finish helps it stay sharper longer and it feels nice). The furniture is very nice and coated in some kind of poly. While I own some higher level tools like Veritas and this tool is not to that level I feel they don't need to be. This tool works just as good overall in my humble opinion. The No.3 is smaller than the No.4 (Stanley numbering system) and I find it very handy when smoothing on small work pieces/surfaces or in tight spots. Plus it fills a hole in my collection. Making wood shavings with my planes is the most favorite portion of the work and I find it to be a very good stress reliever.If your budget is a little smaller, you don't want to refurbish vintage planes, or you just want a robust plane that work hard this is a great buy. All planes need to be sharpened either up front or eventually (everyday). So I don't see that as a negative at all. With that point in mind, these planes are great because you don't pay a huge amount and you can put a little money toward a sharpening system which is so vital to all your cutting tools. Sharp tools just work better no matter what the name on the tool is.That is my two cents. Enjoy and good luck.

The price was right and the quality more than adequate. So, aside from basic tube up and tightening, I set about flattening the sole and dimensioning 2x4s with no problem. The blade takes a fine edge and stays sharp for paper thin shaving removal. All in all this turned out a very good value. It stays at the ready in my shop. The lessons I'm learning remain, after purchasing several planes that garnered few good reviews.1. Return defective tools, but buy them cheaply.2. Spend the time flattening and sharpening with any hand plane. Properly fitting the cap iron remains essential.3. Keep berry lightly 3 in 1 oiled.Good luck.

The bottom was flat right out of the box. Follow the directions and put a fine edge on it and it really is a fine smoothing plane. Be patient on the shipping, though it arrived two days before my scheduled delivery, it still took two weeks. Would recommend if you are on a budget or don't mind fine tuning a plane.

Have to say, this plane out of the box was a spectacular sight. But we all know appearances can be deceiving. I have yet to use it, I have other stuff going on in the shop right now and that is why I am giving it a 3 ⭐ rating to start. I will update once I refurbish it by flattening the sole and making sure the mouth, shoe and toe are all flat and parallel to each other, everything else can be a bit off just so y'all are aware. I'm sanding off the finish as it was a bit sketchy. But I'm going to wet sand the handle and tote and it'll look even nicer. As Paul Sellers always says, even a brand new plane out of the box will need work, and I feel all of you complaining and especially returning the plane are just afraid of putting in that little bit of extra work. Look up his YouTube tutorial on how to refurbish a plane and y'all will never complain about a plane again. You'll just do what I do and most other guys do, fix it. For the price what did you expect, it's not a Lee Neilson or Veritas plane after all. Plus after said work, the plane no longer is a "Faithful" plane it's yours. The only negative thing I can say is that the blade came with one corner knicked off. No big deal, not like I wasn't going to hone it anyway. Enjoy the process. Breath. And enjoy life in the shop.

Plane arrived today . Poor workmanship . blade assembly does not seat properly to frog , chip breaker is not ground properly so it does not seat against blade , front knob was drilled off center so it is crooked and not seated properly . The casting for the cap iron is full of casting pits . Waste of money . I'm sending it back for refund .

I accidently ordered two of these, so I can see how consistent they are in making them. The materials are good. Craftsmanship is poor in some areas.1: Handle was not vertical, cocked at 90 degree angle2: the centering whole for the chip breaker screw and the blades rectangular cut where the cap screw slides up and down were not centered, and did not match up to one another. This caused the blade to sit all the way to one side of the plane.3: The lateral adjustment lever was machined off center.This is a common problem with these planes. I own 4 more of these.4: The cap irons sides are not perpendicular to each of its sides. meaning 90 degrees.5: The frog adjustment washer which wedges into the frog, is too big. But that can be fixed.I wish this company will try to do a better job, of centering and honing the dimensions.These problems can not be easily fixed, once they are on the plane, its done.Its very critical for them to make sure that everything sits symmetrically and moves identically from side to side, like the Lateral adjustment lever, and the fit for the chip breaker to the blade.The frog also has to be symmetrical too when on the plane. And the taps for the screws must be center also.This was another problem .When one thing is off center it causes something else to be off center, and it creates and annoyance.

Llegó golpeado, el mango con algunas rajaduras. Lo arreglé rápidamente con un buen pegamento. Fue necesario rebajar y pulir la base. Después de un par de horas de ajuste logré obtener un viruta fina. La cuchilla pierde rápidamente el filo. Sirve para una emergencia

For beginners: A fine first plane. You won't still have it if you ever become professional because it is not a "professional" plane, but it is perfectly adequate for DIY and probably most tradesman. To me, the most important question is do you really want a number 3? Unless you have very small hands or do a lot of small work, a number 4 would probably be better and it is pointless to have both.For the experts who have pointed out its problems: Are the defects really that serious? Paint splashes can be scraped off the frog mating surfaces, the handles can be tightened, and all blades must be honed before use anyway. After this, it cuts beautifully (at least mine does). True, the frog adjustment range is small, but how much adjustment do you need on a smoothing plane? The depth adjustment wheel is not capable of fully withdrawing the blade, but I have used it for several months without realising so is it really so important? It takes only a second to loosen the brass knob and pull the blade back by hand if you ever need to. I don't like the 2-part stamped steel yoke, which WILL fall apart one day, and the pressed steel lateral adjuster lever which will eventually need straightening (although it is not as soft and floppy as many other cheap planes). But these issues will only bite you if you use it a lot.Edit: someone else suggested grinding 2mm off the end of the cap iron to solve the blade withdrawal problem, and this has worked perfectly for me.Would I buy it again? No. For only a little more money I would get a vintage Stanley on Ebay which will still be good when it is time to pass it to your grandchildren. But it is pretty.

Very fast delivery, easy to setup and easy to use it.

Parfait pour raboter une vieille porte que nous avions, réglage possible pour épaisseur, look vintage.. Je recommande

Ich hatte meine Zweifel was ich erwarten könnte, aber der Hobel hat direkt nach dem Auspacken funktioniert.Nach etwas schleifen und entgraten habe ich einen richtig brauchbaren und verhältnismäßig leichten Hobel, der einer meiner Favoriten werden könnte.Bei dem Preis braucht man sich auch als Anfänger nicht zurück halten z.B den für meine Hände viel zu kleinen Griff an die eigene Anatomie anzupassen. Notfalls nochmal 15€ ausgeben reisst nun wirklich kein Loch in die Brieftasche. Bei meinen hochwertigen Kunz+ Hobeln hatte ich bisher teilweise Hemmung etwas zu ändern, deshalb denke ich dieses Modell ist nicht nur für Anfänger sehr gut.Die Größe ist bestimmt auch gut um Kinder in die Holzbearbeitung einzuführen.Natürlich ist es kein Meisterwerk an Präzision und Handwerkskunst, aber funktional bisher eigentlich keine nennenswerten Abstriche. Also nichts für die Vitrine sondern zum Benutzen.