Buying a Router Plane

Paul would recommend that you make your own router plane. He says “it’s as easy to make as a dovetail box”. The videos and technical drawings are available on Woodworking Masterclasses

Paul Sellers router plane

The metal hardware is available from Rokesmith, our physical products selling platform, for £35 (plus VAT and shipping). We ship worldwide.

Paul Sellers Router Plane hardware kit

If you don’t feel confident to make your own, we have some secondhand and new options below:

Secondhand

Before making his own, Paul used both the Stanley #71 and the Record #071 router planes. These two are almost identical. The Stanley has a nickel plating and the Record is painted dark blue, and that is the main difference between them. Because of the finish and the fact that they were well made, even as secondhand tools they should last a long time as they resist rust. These routers are only available secondhand as production stopped several decades back. Therefore, be sure to check the blade for excessive rust/pitting and that there is a significant length of blade left. The best way to check this is to compare multiple router planes you see listed online. Also note that a wide blade (1/2” or 13mm) is much more useful than a 1/4” (6mm) one. Bear this in mind, because buying vintage blades separately tends to be quite expensive. You should expect to pay no more than £100 for a router with a good length 1/2” cutter (blade), if it’s in good condition. (A complete set, which includes a fence and a depth stop, will generally sell for more, but Paul rarely if ever finds a use for these additional features.)

New

🇬🇧/🇺🇸 The Veritas small router plane is highly engineered, but they only started making it a few years ago. It is available new here for £252.98* (free delivery over £50). It maybe available second hand.

🇬🇧/🇺🇸 We purchased this Lie-Nielsen Router Plane around 2019 for £139.13. The price has increased considerably. It is available here from Classic Hand tools. In our latest price check* the price was £269.

*Price checked March 2024

Relevant Guides:

Further Reading