LA vs. Standard block plane...

Re: LA vs. Standard block plane...

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Personally I like to use the sharpest one. The Low angle is better on end grain but most of the time I reach for my LV LA smoother for end grain.

Re: LA vs. Standard block plane...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I use my std. block plane more then my LA one. I like the fit of it in my hand better. I must admit I like using it as a mini smoother on small boards. It gets used a lot for chamfering edges.

Re: LA vs. Standard block plane...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>I am far from being an expert but my experience is as follows. Firstly I am quite spoilt for block planes. My favourite is a LN bronze 102 (LA) because it is just so comfortable to hold. I also have a Stanley #65 knuckle joint with a Hock blade, and this slices end grain without any effort. However I would be wary of using these planes when champhering, particularly on tricky hardwood, since they can tear out more easily in this area. In such circumstances I turn to a standard angle Stanley #18 (with original blade) or even a Mujingfang mini smoother (60 degrees). The #18 does not cut end grain as easily as the #65 (but this may be due to the blade differences as well). To be frank, I have not noticed much tearout when planing non-demanding long grain with a LA block plane.

Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: LA vs. Standard block plane...

Alan Hamilton

>Doug,

I don't have a low angle block, and so far I have no reason to get one. My standard block plane is a Lie-Nielsen--a wonderful tool--and so far it's never let me down.

I also have a Lee Valley low angle smoother that I use as a dedicated miter plane. I'm convinced my smoother does a better job on end grain than any of my bench planes, but I'm not sure if it does any better than my LN block plane.

Alan