Smoother Comparison
Jonathan Peck - N.Y.
>Stanley:
Plane body - grey iron (soft, brittle) subject to movement as it ages
Frog - grey iron
Lever cap - grey iron
Blade - 01 carbon 0.080 thick
Chip Breaker - ? thin
Weight #604 - 3+5/8lbs
Lie-Nielsen:
Plane body - pre-stressed ductile iron or manganese bronze
Frog - manganese bronze
Lever cap - manganese bronze
Blade - A2 cryogenically treated toolsteel 0.125 thick
Improved Chip Breaker - 1/8" thick with 1 deg angle at contact point with blade
Weight #604 - 4lbs ductile iron, 4+1/2lbs manganese bronze
Overall LN:
Ductile iron is a strong alloy that will resist chipping around the mouth and
will hold it's shape better than grey iron under stress. The body comes
surface ground flat and square to .001 - Manganese bronze bodies are heavier
and come lapped to .0015 - Stress relieving ensures that the body will remain
flat and true. Manganese bronze frog and lever cap add weight. Improved
chipbreaker and thick iron add weight, machining provides excellent contact,
and may help reduce vibration. Lateral adjustment has no slop. Little to no
backlash in yoke. Overall, the LN is easy to set and holds its setting very
well. The planes overall design seems to allow the user to go longer between
sharpenings. Will handle tuff grain woods. A very tight plane that has a dense
feel that is solid and almost undescribeable, but likened to the sound a plane
makes taking a shaving when it's tuned correctly...wsssshhhht.
Overall Stanley:
Cast from soft brittle grey iron. Mouth often chipped and rounded needing filing. Sole
often needs lapping to get flat. Machining tolerances at factory unknown to
me. Lateral adjustment has slop. Yoke has backlash. Frog needs lapping and
fitting to bed. Chipbreaker needs work to get a tight fit. Blades are often
bent and do not bed flat. Overall, a very nice and affordable classic plane that can
be tuned to be a good go to performer.