Melbourne Tool Company Block Plane Review
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- A new brand, "Melbourne Tool Company", has introduced a new looking low angle block plane.
It has a HSS (M2) blade, and comes decently flat with really just a final hone before its ready to go, but not all the surfaces were up to scratch.
I purchased one to take a look at, from Timbecon, as its one of their home brands.
00:00 - Block Plane Introduction
01:29 - Unboxing
03:49 - Bed Milling
05:29 - Baseline
06:18 - Sharpening
06:57 - Results
08:06 - Conclusion
09:32 - Spicey Take
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After I had finished shooting and editing the video, I reached to MTC to ask about the painted frogs. Apparently that wasn't how previous prototypes were supposed to be, and that's just what arrived from the factory.
The milling on the bed is "on the extreme", though I've seen a couple of other people online with pretty similar milled surfaces. Interestingly though, the tool path pattern was different.
I stand by comments that the milling probably doesn't matter, and the plane is good, but not great.
Really liked the review thanks.
Regards James
One Handed Maker- Australia
Same as Deverell I got a pre-production low angle Jack from Timbecon. Great plane but the mouth adjustment is woeful and at times the screw in the front knob separates from the brass adjuster. As you note the blade is pretty much indestructible.
The name could confuse some, but I don't think it's misleading. Some Australian plane makers might think otherwise.
But I reckon for people starting out it's a great plane for a good price that doesn’t need a lot of work to make shavings.
Great review, man, the balance is great.
Thanks Phil, I promise it wasn't a hit piece! 😂
@@TheWoodKnight it’s all good.
My company has had dealings with Chinese manufacturers and they tend to build to a price, the absolute minimum. They can and do build some top quality gear but it costs. It took a few goes to learn how to talk to them. For instance, you don't ask "can build this for ten dollars" because they will answer 'yes' then do so. When you respond that it's crap they will say "what do you expect for ten dollars, if you want something decent, it will cost you twenty." One of the biggest gripes I have is that they use the shortest possible screws. These are ok when the item is new but as it beds and or wears, thoses screws don't hold.
Thanks for the review. I must say I really like the Lucan products I have bought and it would take a lot to make me change at the price point.
Some of the less common planes (shoulder plane, router plane) from Luban are less good , and their chisels are pretty miserable, but Lubans standard bench planes? *Chefkiss*. They're *great* and I've been very happy with mine.
If MTC/Timbecon continue the line up and venture into things like router planes and do a good job of it, it'll be reaaaaallly interesting.
@@TheWoodKnight I agree with your opinion about Luban's router plane and chisels wholeheartedly; my chisels are a big regret. With their bench planes, I would go even further and say they are the benchmark for ALL other brands (including the two North American icons). What surprises me though, is that you list your shoulder plane as "less good". I am very curious as to why. Would you be able to share details why?
Very good
Speaking of products that trade on the idea of being made in one area but are actually manufactured in China, I recently procured some Bridge City Tool Works tools. Notably the HP 9v2 and the HP-8. Designed in Portland Oregon, made in China. In this case the machining and finishing were all exceptional, you would not be able to tell from the workmanship and finishing where they were made. Let me know if you are interested in borrowing/reviewing them.
BCT have USA made and budget Chinese made. The owner took pains to find a Chinese manufacturer up to snuff such that the difference in quality is almost impossible to tell. Not all Chinese manufacturers who purport to be capable of such standards have the ethic to live up to such a claim, eg. Linus tech tips screwdriver endeavor. However it seems that BCT has found a reliable manufacturer. My tiny block plane of theirs is well made. Wish I could afford a full size plane like the HP-8.
That is the least spiciest spicy take I've heard, I was expecting a lot more from you Paul 😆 I'm thinking of buying it, I don't have a block plane other than the pressed metal one I bought from Bunnings ten years ago for $20. My main driver (as you likely know lol) is price, I don't really care about milling marks if they don't affect the end result and are hidden 99% of the time. The blade and body quality sound good, so you might have tipped me to a yes. One question, why did you buy it if you already have the Luban block? ie, why get another from the same price/quality bracket?
My luban is a rabbeting block plane, which sometimes is nice, sometimes is very not nice when you forget which side the blade is protruding and end up gouging the wrong bit!
Timbecon do have Lubans Low Angle Regular-blockplane (Knuckle Cap Block Plane) currently for the same price ($159), which would be the 1:1 equivalent.
Thank you for that Paul. I’d gotten excited that hand tools were being made in Australia and now I am quite disappointed that it’s just a name and another product made somewhere else.
I've not used any of their tools, but Henry Eckert Toolworks are manufacturing planes in Adelaide.
I just looked into them, their blades range from 5mm to 6mm thick (depending on the model). Holy crap! The prices are about what I'd expect (maybe a little cheaper to be honest) for being made in Australia which understandably/unfortunately puts them out of the reach of many.
I bought a low angle jack plane from timbecon about 1 1/2 years ago, they had a couple that looked very similar to the Luban. Asking about it they had them as pre-production trails, to see if they could get the quality they wanted for a bulk order.
Later on listened to the shop stool podcast I heard Alexsandra Pontonio who said she was doing some design work with Timbecon for a new lot of planes. Episode 76 if anyone is wondering. I guess that turned out to be these!
The plane I bought has similar characteristics to this one, notably the relatively rough looking mill finish, and the (in my opinion) horrible grey colour.
I took it all apart and had to do a little filing and clean up work, then spray painted it black
Good plane for the price
Ohhh I remember those! I think they popped up about a month after I'd just bought a LAJ so I was a bit annoyed, haha. Did the frog have paint and rough milling over it as well?
@@TheWoodKnight It had the rough milling marks, but not the paint.
It cleaned up alright, but if I was buying a MTC one for the current pricing and it arrived in that condition? Probably be better off with something else.
Dang - that sounds like the paint was a mistake for this batch, but the rough milling was never addressed. I don't think thats a corner they can cut to be successful.
Thanks for a top review, I enjoyed watching it and agree with everything you said. I have a bit of a weakness for block planes and like you I bought one of the "Melbourne" block planes. I have a couple of observations on the plane that you did not mention. Firstly on the positive side is the accessibility of the lever cap tensioning wheel. Far easier to use than the wheels on Luban planes that are almost concealed under the lever cap.
On the negative side the geometry of the plane has some issues for me. The leading edge of the cap iron that rests on top of the blade is poorly linished with a very coarse belt and is not flat but has a gentle curve across its width. Yet the visible but unimportant surface on the top leading edge is nicely milled..
If you look at a Lie Nielsen plane the maximum mouth opening you are ever going to use has the throat plate flush with the plane nose, yet the Melbourne plane has a huge throat opening when flush and when closed down to a position where you would use the plane the front of the throat plate is well back from the front of the plane leaving a "fang" on each side of the plate that would be very easy to snag if not careful.
The other and main point for me is the one handed use of the plane is very awkward as the finger grips are set well back where they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and design wise fits in with the shape of the side but almost force you to use a two handed grip when using the plane. I have very large hands and find my forefinger falling short of the front knob/rest when I try to use it one handed. The fix might be like the old style Veritas block plane where the have multiple finger grip positions. For the price I would lean towards the Luban planes. All the best.
The only other Luban with that sort of locking wheel that I have is the rabbeting blockplane shown in the video. Slightly different TPI, but otherwise identical - on that one, it protrudes out just as much as the MTC plane, though only on the sides. I wonder if various iterations of the Luban planes have adjusted that over time.
I hadn't noticed the underside of the cap - now I can't unsee. You're right, that is pretty coarse, though I guess its not really a chipbreaker in that configuration (Mine doesn't come to a point, but an abrupt 90 degree angle, then chamfered back), so I'm not sure its functionally an issue. But it does absolutely add to the list of 'could have been finished better'.
You're 100% right about the throat plate - its a bit of weird that it extends a good 3mm or so past the front of the plane. Maybe for the extreme 50degree angle blade they offer it makes more sense?
One handed, my thumb sits about halfway out of the dimple - I don't think I have particularly large hands though. Ergonomics are one of those things that would give me nightmares if I was an industrial designer. I think you're right with the Veritas approach of having multiple grip styles baked in allows for a wider range of people to find it comfortable.
The discussion on where it’s made had me remembering Burberry. British high fashion line featuring coats and bags. Up there with Louis Vuitton and Prada. They were all British made until a decade ago but they kept the “Made in” labels in their products when the public knew they had shut down the last British factory a year earlier. “Burberry London“...? Kinda? Not really.
Thanks for the review, Paul. I’ve been curious about MTC’s products ever since Timbecon announced them. Overall quality seems to be on a par with the Luban and, slimmer and more svelte body aside, I do wonder whether MTC’s offerings have come out of the same factory. Not a criticism, by the way - I really like the Lubans I have. The painted frog is… weird, and I’d prefer to see clean metal, but that shouldn’t have any noticeable impact on the quality of cut. While it isn’t ever going to be a Veritas or Lie Nielsen, at the price point, I reckon this little unit would be pretty good.
Right? It's hard to tell if its the same factory or not. On one hand, several parts are (99%) identical like the locking wheel (just has a different TPI), and the Norris adjuster. I didn't show it, but the front knob from my Luban LAJ fits/threads onto the throat adjuster plate of the MTC block plane.
But on the other hand there is only so many ways you can make those parts I guess. The knob fitting? Well, they had to pick *some* thread, and M5 (or whatever it is) is just as good an option as any. Initially I thought they were from the same factory but with the quality of milling on the bed not matching Luban, I started to doubt 😂
It'll be interesting to see if they expand the line so they can drop Luban.
Curious to know why you’re replacing a rabbeting block plane with a standard one. I have a Stanley block plane (took days to get flat and smoot etc) but want a rabbeting block plane.
Mostly because I keep forgetting its a rabbeting block plane and end up putting gouges where I don't want them, as I forget which side of plane the blade is sticking out of. There have been a few occasions where I've wanted to make a jig using a block plane and I've ended up needing to use my #4 instead because of the rabbeting feature.
It's not that they're bad, but for my use/workshop, I don't think it has been "the right tool"
Thanks for doing this review.
I can't help but think that this plane looks uncomfortable to use. It looks like it would dig into the base of the palm when using one handed?
Since picking up a second-hand LN 102 a couple of years ago my larger block plane has stayed in the draw.
On _my_ hand size, it doesn't dig in uncomfortably, but longer or shorter hands I could see that being an issue. The very peak of the cap doesn't come to a particularly sharp point, but it isn't a smooth transition either, so the wrong grip or 'wrong hand size' would dig in.
As a still plane-less woodworker I've been eyeing off the Groz from Team Blue (due to my relationship with said retailer). At half the price I'm guessing they are not as user friendly as these. Worth doubling the investment to MTC or Luban? Im guessing a lot of the extra value is in the blade quality?
Take this with a grain of salt because I haven't had first hand experience with Groz!
From what I've read from others like FWW, Groz is a case of 'you get what you pay for' - at those price points, you're not paying for much in the way of finishing/lapping and you end up having to do much of the flattening work to turn them into a usable plane. While you might spend a 2-10mins flattening a MTC/Luban as worst case (and 0mins for LN/Veritas), you might spend an hour or three with Groz.
The blade is also likely to be a softer steel, so you'll need to resharpen it often. That isn't really that big of a deal, but it is a point of difference
The Spags did a video last year on tuning a cheap stanley block plane which is very relevant - ua-cam.com/video/dFowiriDYbY/v-deo.html
If you put in the hard yakka, the Groz should be OK, but the time it takes may not be worth it.
www.finewoodworking.com/forum/groz-planes-any-opinions
The MTC/Luban option, while more expensive in dollarydoos, aren't a project in themselves to get going and you'd be using your plane within 5-10mins of opening the box. How much is a timebuck worth? ;)
@@TheWoodKnight Awesomes. Yeah I think I will be switching allegances temporarily when I finally pull the cobwebs off the wallet and try MTC as Carby doesn't have this half-way option and Im not up to spending more on hand tools than my power tools :P Cheers Paul, very handy!
I was interested in Groz planes and picked up a #4 on clearance from TotalTools for about $20. It looks essentially the same as the few vintage Stanley Bailey planes that I bought from eBay. I am a novice with hand tools so have been watching videos and reading articles on restoring and fettling planes before I dive in and stuff things up. There is a series of videos on You Tube where the woodworker buys a new Groz and goes through the stages of fettling and setup. He gets a decent result in the end but put in a LOT of hours to achieve this. I am not rich but I am also not that patient so am tossing up whether to go with Luban or be extravagant and buy one really good plane.
@@rodiffinger7998 luckily for me I have a birthday coming up... so I think I'll go the MTC :D
Ordered while on Special - Thanks wifey for the Bday pressie :D
I tried reaching out to Melbourne Tool Company but the emails on their website kept getting bounced back.
I think Timbecon should be a lot clearer as to how they're associated with them and where it's all made.
That sucks - I tried a few days ago and it went through. The response I got was from a Timbecon address, so it was probably a low priority for them to setup all the bits and pieces around MTC if it is just a brand of Timbecon rather than a standalone company?
@@TheWoodKnight Thanks for the reply, sounds about right.
I teach industrial design at a university here in Melbourne and love woodworking in my spare time.
Was hoping to set up some collaboration/site visit, but I'm not sure if this is the kind of practise I'd want to share with students now.
If it’s called the Melbourne Tool Company, it should be made in Melbourne.
Today they just launched an airfreshner though, thats how you know they're serious! I wish I was joking 😬
If this was made in Melbourne, it would cost around $500
Probably closer to $300 like the Henry Eckert plane made in South Australia.
That blade was better out of the box, before you tried to sharpen it. I'm not a fan of M2 HSS blades for planes and what I saw here backs that up. You spent a lot of time making that blade worse and I don't see where you went wrong. I don't think you did, because that's what happens with that steel. I don't need a block plane, but if I did, it's not going to be this one.
【ｐｒｏｍｏｓｍ】