If you had your choice...

Re: If you had your choice...

Todd Stock

>LN 4-1/2 w/ high angle frog. Alternate is the 4 with HA frog.

While the LV LA jack seems to have set a new standard for the LA crowd, LN's bench planes with the HA frog, improved chipbreaker, and the .140 blades on the 4-1/2, 5-1/2, and 7 still seem to be the ones to beat.

.0003 or so shaving in curly hard maple with older #4 (with the HA frog and new CB/cryo blade); like to say it's tuning, but my new 5.5 and 7 give exactly the same result after minor blade prep.

Finally: the pretty ones always cost a bit more to date, but I've found it worth the price.

Re: If you had your choice...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>In #4 size, no question about it - LV LA Smoother. Use in low angle (37 degrees cutting angle)or high angle mode (for me this is 64 degrees cutting angle). Only plane to outperform my HNT Gordon Smoother on difficult Aussie hardwood!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: If you had your choice...

Steve Wargo

>LN 4.5 High angle Frog. Easy choice.

Oops...forgot the shot 

Todd Stock

>

Veritas LA (Lee Valley), but ........

Eric Hedberg

>if you're really wanting a smoother, hold your pennies for the expected arrival (1-2 months) of their 2.25 inch blade version with I believe an improved cap (How I don't know). The ability of the LA to be configured as a LA or with a reground blade a HA smoother makes it really versatile as a plane. I do concede to my fellow board members that the Lie-Nielsen's with their polished bronze and the numerous woodies with their exotic woods are pretty and excellent planes. In my shop, though, the prettiest tools are nicked, scratched, worn, faded and well used. KInda like me ;-) Eric

Re: Veritas LA (Lee Valley), but ........

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>what he said...

:)

I expect big things from this forthcoming plane...

BTW I have the Clifton 4.5. It's a nice plane...

Seconded...

Alice Frampton, UK

>.. and if it should turn out to be a total duffer and panned in every review (well you never know), console yourself with the BUPP (Bevel Up Panel Plane - known by some as the Veritas low angle jack.) And I speak as the owner of an L-N #4.5, which I do like, but just not as much...

Cheers, Alf

One of each...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Oh well, maybe not. Hands down the LN. The 4 or 4.5 with the high angle frog. It's a great plane, and it's easy on the eyes too.

Re: If you had your choice...

Mike Caldwell

>Looks to me like LV LA has it hands down.

I asked about the #4 but most of you all mentioned the 4.5. Are you recommending the 4.5 over the 4? why do like the 4.5 better than the 4?

Thank you so much for the valuable information,

Mike

Alf.......I think you've come up

Frank Mutchler in Colorado Springs

>with the perfect gift for the woodworker who has everything.....(name your favorite wood) tissue paper! :>)

Re: If you had your choice...

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>Well, I've pondered this myself, even did a few comparisons--and though the Clifton was not included, quite a few others were.

If its a matter of sheer performance on what are often exceptionally troublesome woods, such as highly figured cocobolo, and if you are considering only the planes mentioned, I've found no overall performance differences between highly tuned LV#4.5's and the LN #4.5 (either frog) when you allow for back bevels to match and extend their capabiities over multiple effective cutting angles.

If you want to enlarge your criteria slightly to consider most approximately #4 sized iron planes, I'd have to say the LV or LN low angle smoothers will offer the highest levels of performance (yes, even higher than the bevel down planes you listed), and the most versatility, if you are willing to pick up a couple of extra blades and put higher bevel angles on them. Now the new dedicated LV LA smoother that is soon coming out should do even a little better still, based on the stellar performance of the LV LA jack, but I have yet to lay my hands on one and can't make that statement with the authority of experience.

And of course you could expand your criteria to include infills (a $3000 SMT perhaps?) or some inexpensive buy very competent wooden body planes, but then we are getting quite far afield from your original question.

Now on the other hand, you might not be regularly working with the most difficult to plane woods, and on a lot of the rest of woods any of the above planes, well tuned, can achieve comparable performance. Then it comes to which plane you most like having in your hand, and which is most pleasing to your eye, and which just tickles your fancy. Those things count too (for example, most know, I just love the looks of the LN #4 in bronze), and may make for a more satisfying experience of owning and using, even if there is a teensy bit more tearout or fuzz.

Re: If you had your choice...

Todd Stock

>I think Lyn has a point. Any plane will do a fine job with a couple (maybe more) hours of tuning. Even a beater #4 or a coffin smoother destined for the wood pile may be resurrected � er, ah� returned to service � with enough investment in labor.

That said, I�d rather spend time woodworking than futzing with a tool �kit�, so my choice is to start with a tool that�s in a high state of tune right out of the box. Not that I can�t tune a plane, but at this point in my life, I just prefer not to. As far as I�m concerned, anything other than flattening/honing the blade and immediately pulling full width tissue shavings in nasty stuff is too much like work. Spending a bit extra to get there is fine with me.

One other point�beauty is def in the eye of the beholder - otherwise, why mullets, clogs with heels, or turtlenecks worn by guys with shaved heads? Go with something that looks at least acceptable to your own peculiar sense of what�s right.

Re: Alf.......I think you've come up

Greg Sloop, Portland OR

>Not too durable though...which pretty much disqualifies it for any use I have for tissue paper! *grin*

Cheers,

Greg