Last weekend on the Worlds Longest Yard Sale I picked up this Grizzly jointer plane for a fair price. When I first saw it, I thought it was a Woodriver plane but then I saw the knurled screw on the lever cap and thought that maybe it was a Bench Dog plane or even an Avant. After I asked my followers on Instagram what brand it was, I was told it’s sold through Grizzly.
I took the plane apart to get a look at the all the parts. The biggest thing I saw was the design of the frog. This little tab to adjust the the frog seems rather weak as it could easily break off after years of use. I didn’t realize the flange and screw design of Bailey planes was so expensive to make that they would have to change the design of the frog to eliminate it. LOL Why they opted for this tab and stupid looking screw is beyond me.
There’s no makers name on the blade so its clear that this plane is probably made by a Chinese company like Quangsheng as they make planes for a bunch of different companies.
Another thing I noticed is the back of the lever cap looks unfinished. It reminds me of the homeowner Fulton or Shelton brand planes sold at Sears back in the day.
You can tell that the manufacturing tolerances are not very tight as the two frog hold down screws have different size slots milled at the top. It was a pain in the ass to remove the screw with the wider slot as my screwdriver kept slipping. You can see how easily it marred the top as the steel they used is not very strong.
The biggest issue I saw was the length of the lever cap overhung the chip breaker when it was fully seated down on the plane. This would cause the plane to jam with shavings as they would get caught underneath the lever cap. I had to raise the lever cap up a little bit for shavings to pass through.
The plane’s blade was ground at 25 degrees but still needed to be honed. Amazingly, the plane cut rather well after I hit the blade with my waterstones. The sole of the bed felt smooth and I was able to get a nice shaving with a little bit of tuning. How well it will cut like this I have no idea as I don’t know the quality of the blade’s steel but I assume it’s not the best.
The shaving was .01 thick which is fine for a jointer. It’s a shame the plane has some design and manufacturing quality issues. It could be a real nice plane for decent money as it’s only $94 on Amazon.
MVFlaim Furnituremaker 
I have had so many problems with the few (3) Grizzly tools I’ve owned that I refuse to buy any more of them.
“There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey. It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”
John Ruskin
1819-1900
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I agree. I remember when Grizzly was considered junk and you were a fool to buy one of their machines. Now it seems they have a loyal following like Harbor Freight. I’d still never buy one of their power tools. Hear too many horror stories about bearings breaking and the availability of parts.
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I have a corrugated bottom Stanley #7 that I did on a trade for a friends bookshelves. He got it from his grandfather back in the 70’s and it dates to the late 1800’s. Love this plane, although it had the original Sweetheart laminated blade I swapped it for a Ron Hock blade and chip breaker years ago. It’s the only jointer in my shop! Are you keeping it?
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Like you, I have an old Stanley No 8C with a Hock blade. The plane performs better than a Bedrock 608C. Hock blades are worth their price. I’ll never get rid of it. This plane will be for sale on eBay tomorrow.
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Hello –
I am asking for information about an ancestor. I realize this may seem “off the wall” but I can not find any history for him beyond the 1850 census for Murray County, Georgia (Appalachia Country). It shows his occupation as “chair maker” which intrigues me. It also shows he was born in Pennsylvania, leading me to believe he perhaps came from a furniture making family there. Does the surname “Verner” sound at all familiar in your study of furniture making? I am grasping at straws, but would welcome any information (or places/books/etc.) about furniture making either in Pennsylvania or, perhaps, in the Appalachians during the early 1800’s.
Thanks!
Dolores Smith
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I own a book on the furnituremakers of Cincinnati and in it there is a Cabinetmaker named A. Vernar who lived in Cincinnati around 1850 but I know of no Verner’s.
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Thanks so much for replying to my query. I had second thoughts about bothering you after I touched the send button!🤭
My James Verner evidently moved his family around the NE Georgia, SE Tennessee area in the Appalachia region in the 1840-55 time period, but 1850 census shows he was born in Pennsylvania, and I had read there were many furniture makers there. He died about 1855, thrown from a horse, and the wife could not feed the children, so they were given to others and we don’t know what happened to her. Sad story, but I would love to learn more about him and his chairs. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Dolores Smith
Enjoyed video with your woodworking skills!
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Integration
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red
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