Buying a Plough Plane
Paul enjoys using a secondhand Record 043 or 044 plough plane, however these are no longer in production as new models but so far they have been readily available via eBay. You can sometimes get a good secondhand deal on eBay for a Stanley 13-030 or similar plough plane and these work very well too, they range from £50-70 depending on what is included. You can expect to pay up to £125 for a secondhand plough plane if it comes with a full set of cutters. You only really need 4 blades to start with, the ¼”, 5/16”, ⅜”, ½” , you can add to your collection over time, but it can become expensive to buy blades separately. Not all blades across the different models will fit all plough plane types, be sure to check it is compatible. If not, however, they can sometimes be adapted.
If you prefer to buy new, the Veritas plough plane matches the Record planes in terms of quality, functionality and comfort and is more accessible. You can buy plough planes secondhand, just be sure to check they don’t need extensive refurbishing unless you feel confident enough to do so. The blade might need sharpening if it is second hand, you can learn how to do this in our sharpening guide. As this is a lifetime tool, it costs more than other tools which have a shorter life, you can expect to pay around £165 for a new Veritas small plough plane.
We purchased this from eBay for £55.00* with £5.00 delivery.
* Prices correct as of January 2018
Relevant Guides
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Sharpening a Plough Plane
Setting Up When buying second hand, the plough plane may be sticky with grease or rusty, this can be cleaned using a wire brush and abrasive paper. Your plough plane may also arrive in multiple parts, start by lubricating the stems with oil to ensure they go into the fence and body easily. Sometimes the…
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Using a Plough Plane
When using a plough plane, the cutting iron can be set deeper than a smoothing plane as it is narrower and therefore requires much less effort to push into the wood. The cutting iron sometimes go under the wood’s surface fibres and causes them to tear because the side walls at the surface level are…
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Buying a Plough Plane
Paul enjoys using a secondhand Record 043 or 044 plough plane, however these are no longer in production as new models but so far they have been readily available via eBay. You can sometimes get a good secondhand deal on eBay for a Stanley 13-030 or similar plough plane and these work very well too,…
Further Reading
To read more on the plough plane, we recommend the following from Paul’s blog:
On Plough Planes and Ploughing- Just Thoughts
I picked up an old wooden one with 6 irons. Seems to work and level etc. Is this ok or should I replace with a metal version?
Hi Steve,
Paul says:
No if you like the wooden one, carry on using it. Especially if it is working well.
Kind Regards,
Izzy
I was lucky enough to pick one off eBay with a full set of blades all in new condition for $A60.00. Beautiful tool to use.
I have found Millers Falls planes to be of excellent quality and usually cheaper than Stanley because they don’t have collector factor. Most of them are almost exact copies. The ones I have found have all been in outstanding condition.
Hi Paul and Izzy,
First of all, let me thank you for your wonderful job guiding us through woodworking.
I have found on e-bay a stanley 13-050 combination plane. Is that a suitable replacement for a plough plane?
Thanks
Hi,
Paul says:
Yes, it is a plough plane, plus other blades work in it.
Kind Regards,
Izzy