Faithfull FAIPLANE5 No.5 Jack Plane in Wooden Box

I recently bought a Draper Expert Number 5 plane from Amazon as it was a bargain price and looked just like the classic Stanley No 5 plane that I wanted it to replace, but the build quality did not impress me enough to spend the amount of time it would have needed to sharpen it and tune it so I returned it today and took delivery of this Faithfull Number 5 plane instead.This plane costs almost half as much again as the Draper Expert ( even though it is still a very low cost tool at around £33) so I guess that needs to be taken into consideration when comparing them but this plane is easily worth the extra ten quid (or so) as its build quality is much better.The wooden box that this plane comes it is a nice feature too as it can be used to store and protect the plane when in transit or not in use and is a real bonus at such a low price.The large brass knob makes removal and adjustment of the blade assembly quick and easy - even if it does not look quite so elegant as the cam lever of the original Bailey design!Everything looks well made and finished and it should not take too long to tune this plane and hone the blade prior to setting it to work.The wooden grip and front knob give a nicer feel than the moulded plastic types that are to be found on most of the rival budget priced planes but the large grip on mine would benefit from a little smooth sanding to make it smoother so I may as well sand the front knob as well and give them both a nice oil finish - the build quality of this hand tool is exceptional for the cost and so I do not begrudge spending a little time on it to make it even better suited to its fussy new owner!

Decent base, minor adjustment on base. Cleaned up residue on device and fine tuned plane. Very easy to set up and use. Blade holds sharpness, A decent wooden case for plane.

I bought a Faithfull No. 7 from Amazon a few years ago. After some minor tuning I am very happy with it and feel it's good value.So, I decided to get their No.5 planeIt arrived via Prime on time however the presentation box has loose hinges, battered corners. The plane's blade has signs of chips along the bevel.Update:I ordered another from Amazon. That one arrived and appears to genuinely new (ie not an abused returned product). After about 1 hour of re grinding the primary bevel and adding a secondary bevel plus using a honing compound, I am pleased with the cutting result. The adjustment for blade depth is a bit sloppy but what I would expect at this price.This item is clearly a return item. It is going back for a refund

I bought the No5 & No4 Faithfull planes at the same time. The No5 was mainly purchased to be used with a shooting board, thus I feel it needs to be square at least. I’m new to hand planes and have watched countless videos around how to prep new planes. For this price point I was expecting to have to do some fettling of the sole at least, like flattening it and sharpening the iron. What I was shocked by is how out of square the No5 plane was. One side was much worse than the other. I’ve not found any videos on how to square up a plane sole, so I felt in this case that it was so bad that I don’t think I have the know how or skill to correct it, so I returned it for a refund.Unfortunate as I was looking forward to setting it up and using it.The No4 however, looks to be reasonably square, but needs some fettling for flatness, which I feel comfortable doing.Like all budget planes, I think it’s a bit hit and miss as to whether or not you get a good, acceptable or bad one.The text on the box states they are precision made, but this No5 doesn’t seem to have been and I was very disappointed.

This is by far the best plane I have ever had for the money. It is all the way up there with a tricked out, upgraded Stanley plane. The sole was extremely flat out of the box when I checked it on a granit surface plate, with only a neglbie measly 2 thousands out of flat. Way better than most planes costing three times as much.The handles and weight are nice and well shaped both for small and big hands. I have skillet seized paws, but some of my students (11 yrs old) have only half the sizes hand I got. No problem.The cutting iron is made from good not too soft or hard steel and again the grind is perfect with just a wee hollow in the blade to make sharpening a breeze.In short - worth every penny.

This Faithfull plane No5 is a budget item so I would expect to have to do some work on it to make it useable. Straight out of the box I checked the flatness of the sole. It was so far out of true both on its length and diagonal that I would have returned it for this reason alone. I then looked at the frog seating and the lateral adjuster. The seating was very badly milled and the lateral adjuster pivot wasn't central, making it impossible to move the blade in one direction.I bought it because my perception from the reviews is read made me think Faithfull made quality items. I'm afraid I'll be steering well clear in future.The plane was returned the following day.

This Jack Plane was well made and very well presented in its jointed wooden box.Although the makers state that the cutting edge should be honed before use, I still tried a test run "as is" and found that it was quite capable straight out of the box. That is a good sign for a start.For those that want hand working to their wood craft, this plane should make a good addition to their workshop.

Build quality is excellent, sturdy, flat surface, chunky feel. After the initial set up and a little blade sharpen , this is a performer. It took me a little time to get the blade length just right as the mechanism to lock it down is a tad fiddly. Once i got used to the fittings it became a lot easier (I guess tool familiarity always helps anyway though) and i have used this a lot, further adjustments are easy and accurate. Highly recommend