A few weeks ago I posted here asking about buying a first hand plane and if it was worth dropping ~$400 on a Lie-Nielsen one.
After all of your comments about getting an old Stanley I kept an eye on Craigslist, Ebay, and FB Marketplace for a little bit and ended up finding someone selling a collection of pre-WWII Stanley planes about an hour north of me. Including, specifically, a 4-1/2 and a 5-1/2 which was exactly what I wanted.
Knowing that the 1/2 sizes were less common than the round numbers and since the guy was local I jumped on it and ended up buying both for $40/each. The linked to album is the before and after of the 5-1/2 after cleaning it up. It’s all tuned up and works beautifully. All in, I’m at $80 for two planes, $15 for cleaning materials, and $35 for a whetstone sharpening kit; way cheaper than a new Lie-Nielsen and I got two planes! Thanks everyone!
That’s pretty close to my own view. I’ve moved the tough to manage stuff outside and leave the easy to manage stuff inside. I still wear PPE in both cases, because that is the simplest, cheapest, and, most importantly, reliably does the job.
Some of my equipment pretty much has to be outside anyway, because my shop is just too small for both boat building and a bunch of dust makers.
I’m also doing more of my work with just hand tools. I find it pleasurable and being just a hobby, it’s not like there are any time pressures. And now I’m retired, so I’ve got even more time.