I’ve seen lots of these cheap shoulder planes on AliExpress and Facebook recently, so I decided to get one. What I really want to buy is a good, vintage Stanley router plane from eBay. However, those seem to be in the range of $100 – $140 at auction. This cheap shoulder plane from Aliexpress costs only $9.90.
There are many variations of these cheap planes. You can get a scraper plane, curved block planes, and regular block planes, all in this style as a complete set.
Cheap Shoulder Plane Review
Firstly, I knew this is a small plane, but nothing prepared me for how tiny it was. I mean, this thing measures 8cm x 2cm on average, and that is TINY.
The plane itself is constructed from sandalwood, with brass knobs and chip breaker. The blade is machine-ground, with a decent level of sharpness.
I have no idea what type of steel the blade is made from, and there are no markings to indicate it either.
The body is square enough, but you can always make it more accurate by sanding the bottom part flat. Adjusting the blade is not easy unless you have tiny hands. As with a traditional wood plane, you’ll need to tap the edge left and right to adjust it laterally.
Do I Recommend Getting This Tiny Should Plane?
First, let’s answer the most basic question: Can it cut wood?
Yes, it most definitely can.
If you can get the blade level and tap it to get just the right amount of depth, you can get very nice shavings. In this picture, I used the should plane to round off the edges of a scrap piece.
As with any plane, with a sharp blade, you can slice through wood. Theoretically, this cheap shoulder plane should be good enough to clean up tenons and other small areas for a final touch-up.
However, I don’t recommend you getting it for these reasons:
- It is hard to get a good grip on any part of the plane. After about 10 minutes trying to use it, my hand hurt.
- Instead of trying to make this work, you’re better off using a chisel to clean up those hard-to-reach areas.
Don’t get me wrong; for under $10, this is a decent should plane and does what it’s supposed to do. However, it’s more of a toy than an actual tool.
You’re better off using a chisel, as I said, or saving up to get a real shoulder plane like this one from Taytools or this one from Bench Dog Tools. Do not expect this cheap shoulder plane to help you do any serious work.
