Lie-Nielsen Handplane Choice Revisitted...
Erik S. Friis, back in Dodge
>Well after re-reading several of the very informative posts in my thread below and speaking with Lie-Nielsen as well, I decided to ammend my original choice of planes.
The compatibility of the frog & blade of the 4-1/2 with the 5-1/2 and 7 (any others) kept nagging at me (or was that my wife ;-) and LN also felt the 4-1/2 was a better selection for me.
I also noted the post regarding the better feel of the iron 4 or even the 3 for lighter work such as trimming dt's.
So I decided to go with a std. 4-1/2 AND a bronze 3. At 5.5 lb (#4-1/2) it has more heft than the bronze 4 and I can take advantage of the compatibility with the other planes (I believe the #4 was only compatible with the #5). Also for lighter work I'll have the #3 with the bronze body giving it a little more heft.
I am still going with the low angle adj-mouth block plane, I realize that some say they gather dust, but as a beginner I like the idea of having a smaller plane that can be used with one hand. If Cosman uses one it can't be that bad a tool and as I said earlier, it's a much lower investment than its bigger brothers.
So I just wanted to provide an update -- I struggled with these choices, esp. not being able to get my hands on them first, but I feel a little more comfortable with my choices now even though I've laid out some more money. I appreciate all of the guidance provided in the thread below. Slippery slope indeed.
Regards, Erik
