Miter plane

Miter plane usefullness...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>It's not what I'd call a necessary plane, but nice to have when you need it. I got mine because I was tired of scraping my knuckles when shooting with a No. 5. You don't have to get it square like some planes i.e. squaring the sides of bench planes. Let's remember too that Record made the T5 technical jack plane for shooting purposes so it fills a nice nitch as a jack and a shooting plane.

Now if LN made a hotdog...

Speaking of hot dogs

Christopher Schwarz

>I've read a couple places that there is an "aftermarket" hot dog handle is for sale out there, but I've *never* been able to track that down. Does anyone know where I could get one?

I like my miter planes and use them for everything: shooting edges, trimming and smoothing. Yes, smoothing. They are a bit of a trick to get used to holding, but if organisms can become accustomed to ingesting chicken nuggets then we can adapt to just about *anything*.

You also end up grasping them like a wooden-stock plane. And maybe that's one of the reasons they were eclipsed by other body styles....

Chris

Re: Miter plane

Andrew Pallas

>Jonathen I'm shocked! After seeing all those mouth watering pictures of your shop, now I find out there's a tool you don't have and you need a reason to get one!;)

Re: Speaking of hot dogs

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>Ah, another in the series of those amusing "backorders" on my L-N invoices. I think the last one I got even showed it still (though perhaps meant more to amuse me than to give me hope). I know L-N has at least been considering this for quite a few years now, so maybe a few more voices raised and it might comet to pass.

On the larger topic, I love my #9 and it is the only thing I use for shooting. Not, by the way, really a low angle plane when one realizes that any reasonable edge bevel included with the 20 degree bed results in something closer to a Standard or York pitch, but a very effective plane for endgrain, nonetheless.

Re: Miter plane

Alan Hamilton

>Jonathan,

A few years ago I convinced myself that I needed (whatever 'needed' means in this context) a miter plane. I coveted Lie-Nielsen's version of Stanley's #9; I have a couple Lie-Nielsen tools and they are among the best quality tools in my tool chests. I finally got my hands on one at two different woodworking shows; my hand began drifting--without me willing it, completely on its own volition--towards my wallet.

The Lie-Nielsen is a beautiful tool: beautiful not just because of its materials and workmanship, but beautiful because its design so perfectly fulfills its function. So with all that in mind, I naturaly bought a Lee Valley low angle smoother to be my dedicated miter plane.

For me anyway, the Lie-Nielsen wasn't any easier to use with a shooting board than the Lee Valley.

I found the LN's side handle to be badly sited, especially for using it on its edge. I had to use a grip that's no less awkward than gripping a Lee Valley low angle smoothing plane.

As for using a LN for other chores, I already have planes that work very well on the various other jobs of a smoothing plane.

The craftsmanship was a dead heat. They are both extremely well made; the fit and finish on both the Lee Valley ands the Lie-Nielsen are excellent.

To clinch it, the Lee Valley low angle smoother (IIRC) was about half the price of a Lie-Nielsen. (Always a big factor for me.)

In short (at LAST!! Doesn't this guy ever shut up?) Lie-Nielsen's miter plane is of unsurpassed quality; but it's not so much better to justify its price.

Alan

Re: Miter plane

Ted Shuck, Centennial, CO

>I have never used (or held) a LN #9 miter plane, but like Alan, I used a LV LA smoother. I did until I got the LV LA Jack for Father's Day! I have found that the additional mass and length really help me to shoot better miters. The only complaint I have is that I keep sharpening the entire width of that wide blade when I am only wearing the bottom inch or so. Guess I need to make a ramped shooting board...

Ted

Re: Speaking of hot dogs

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Christopher,have you considered making a hotdog yourself? (no jokes here guys...this is a legitimate question) Possibly someone that has a Stanley hotdog could post construction details and allow one to fabricate a usable version.JR

Re: Miter plane

Verne in Northeast NJ

>I'm lucky enough to have both the low angle jack and the miter plane. I happen to like the miter plane for shooting miters because of its mass and its shape. I prefer it to the low angle jack for shooting miters.

If you're choosing between the LA jack and miter and it's an either/or, I'd say the LA jack.

That said, I'd never want to part with either!

Reason enough? ;-)

Re: Miter plane usefullness...

Skip in Falls Church

>Since you mentioned the T5, I have to wonder if there would be any pit falls to converting a #5 by drilling and tapping a hole in the appropriate place and making a handle to go in it? Was the casting for a T5 heavier? Would the casting of a regular Stanley #5 or Record 05 be too thin? It seems like it would be a fairly easy project if the body would stand up to it.

Skip

I'll let you know...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I'll compare them tonight and get back to you. That is unless bugbear or someone else chimes in.

More on hot dogs...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Christopher, I had the web site book marked, but I can't find it. It was a reproduction and expensive if I remember correctly.

Joe, I asked back on Badger Pond if anyone had the dimensions of one, never got a response. Hopefully one can chime in with them.

It would not be hard to make one.

Re: I'll let you know...

Skip in Falls Church

>Thanks Scott, I have a Record 05 that's about 6 years old - I don't use it that much and it would seem that the addition would be relativly easy and make the plane more useful.

Skip

Re: Miter plane

R.J.Whelan

>Jonathan ... there are two planes that see use on every piece I build: block plane and mitre plane.

For years I used a dedicated #6 that I'd modified to work with the shooting boards (I have several); several years ago my sweet bride bought me the mitre plane for our anniversary and it's been a staple in my shop ever since ... rj

Re: Speaking of hot dogs *LINK*

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>My local (well, Australian anyway) purveyor of rust is probably the one that you were thinking of. His name is Hans Brunner.

Unfortunately, his website is down as I write this so I can't give you the exact URL but it is under "New Tools" IIRC.

I seem to remember that this was the last batch as the person that made them for Hans had stopped producing them. Write and ask Hans himself if it isn't listed there.


http://www.hansbrunnertools.gil.com.au/

Why not wood?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I ask this as someone whose experience with No. 9 miter planes is limited to drooling all over pictures of them while making little whining noises (harder for humans than you'd think, considering how easy it is for dogs), but wouldn't it be easy enough to turn a wooden cylinder, cut an appropriate groove straight on the inside of the body and angled on the outside to take a wedge designed to tighten as you pushed? Or is there insufficient room for a wooden solution?