Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Hats

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>How many hats do you have?

Print and frame Mr. Lee's post!

Rich Glisson

>

Re: How about something new...

paul womack

>I think I prefer a blade bedded on solid metal over a blade bedded on a pivot.

In this regard bevel up plane have better blade bedding than bedrocks.

Only infills and woodies can match a BU plane for an immovable bedding surface.

BugBear

Re: Print and frame Mr. Lee's post!

dave caudill

>You are getting a lot of good, although conflicting advice and I'm sure I can't do much other than muddy up the water a little more. I've been fortunate enough to have been able to try a lot of nice smothers in the last few years. Although there are many here being mentioned that I have not tried and that includes all of the LV tools. I just can't get myself to warm up to these aesthetically. On the other hand I have had time with LN planes and really enjoy my #164 as it does work quite nicely on certain figured woods. I also have an old type 10 Stanley 4 1/2 which is an incredible smoother and has a wonderful heft and feel in my hands. It is outfitted with a Hock blade and makes pretty fine work of many a figured wood. I also have a Clark and Williams smoother and it too is pretty impressive smoother. I have not owned a Knight smoother but those who have them swear by them. Then there is ther tried and true Stanley #604 which I love and a #603 that I feel the same about when working smaller areas which is often the case with figured wood. I have heard little mention of the older Stanleys in this thread and think you should give them as careful consideration as many of these newer planes. I think for the money they are hard to beat.

I think much of what we all have found is that you get yourself a reasonable tool and then you work on your technique. I find that no one plane works in all woods in all conditions, all of the time. I tend to have several lying on my bench at any one time and play with them until I find the one that suits the current conditions. Sometimes its not the plane I thought would work and I don't put much thought into it I just move on. I would suggest that any of these suggestions are reasonable choices that will work a good bit of the time. Look at all of the choices and choose the one that you think will be the most versatile and that speaks to you. Like I said the LV planes do not do a thing for me even though they from all reviews I've read here are very functional planes. I tend to lean towards old Stanley planes and fiddle with them until they work as well as I think they ever have or will and then go from there.

Have fun with the hunt and I'm sure you will make a great choice.

Dave

an arsenal is preferred...big xmas list!

Dave Thompson - Champaign IL

>Hey Tom,

It's a tough question to answer because figured wood is covers alot of characteristics.

As mentioned, it probably matters less about the brand, than the characteristics of the plane. With some figured woods scraper planes are the way to go because chance of tearout is high. Other figured woods, a fine smoother set just right is the way to go, because a scraper plane leaves a dull finish. Sometimes the possibility of tearout is high with a smoother, and scraper won't do, so one only wants to plane a tiny necessary area. In this case, a small #2 or #1 or #212 is preferred.

Generally speaking, an aresenal is pretty handy to take on figured wood. Given that the planes are well tuned, the brands matter less.

I don't think this is the kind of answer you're looking for given this is a christmas list thing. If I were starting out on a clean slate, and was asking for one new smoother plane for general use, I'm personally partial to an LN 4.5 with high angle frog, but would also be happy with many of the others listed in this thread.

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Charles

>"Finally, fixing the tear out you'll get at 50º may, on several of the woods I've compared this on...."

Pure unadulterated bullsheet.

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Greg Sloop, Portland Oregon

>

"Finally, fixing the tear out you'll get at 50º may, on several of the woods I've compared this on...."

Pure unadulterated bullsheet.

I've got some QS Sycamore that I'd like to see planed reasonably well at 50 degrees. (I've tried 37, 45, 50, 55, 57, 60, 63 and 65 degrees on this stuff. It does get better at 55 and above, but at 50 and below, it's impossible to get a decent surface. The pits are large and very noticable. And I've tried scraping to remove them without much luck - with a card scraper.

The wood is quite soft with interlocking grain. Tear out often causes huge gouges that can easily be more than 1/16" deep. If that's in the center of your board, you're going to be removing a vast amount of material with a scraper or just removing the areas where the tear-out occurred which will give you a non flat surface with greater than 1/16" differences - which will be obvious.

But just curious how you concluded that it's bu11shit? You don't elaborate much.

I'll be glad to hear your reasoning if you're willing to give me something more than a "you're full o'cr@p sonny." If not, then I guess I have to assume that you don't have much reasoned discussion to give.

Cheers,

Greg

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Charles

>Send me a 24 inch section of it and I'll prep it completely tearout free with an old Stanley No. 4 and a scraper without breaking a sweat. Better yet, send me one of your No. 4s and a scraper blade - I'll tune both of them and then plane the Sycamore to perfection.

You guys spend too much time trying out the latest and greatest instead of learning how to use what you have at hand.

I'd starve to death if I had to consult a Lee Valley catalog every time I ran into 'difficult' stock.

I make my living working wood, not waiting for the UPS man.

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Charles

>I noticed in reading Derek's review that he found no significant difference between the L-V bevel up smoother and a Stanley 4 1/2 when planing Mahogany, Maple, and Cherry. However, he did note a preference for the bevel up model when planing Camphor, Jarrah, and Karri.

Wow, the next time I build a highboy out of Camphor I'll order a bevel up smoothing plane.

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Charles

>Per Mr. Cohen:

"The Mahogany, Maple and Cherry proved to be non-challenging timbers for the Stanley and BUS-45. All of these timbers planed like butter. None revealed the slightest hint of tear out."

Re: Nah...

Dean in Burlington

>...rather print and frame Charles's post above....from someone who actually works wood for a living.

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Alan Hamilton

>Greg,

I compared them at approximately the same angle. I resharpened the Lee Valley to 30° and then put on a micro-bevel. I don't know the exact angle of the edge except that it was a little greater than 30°. I tried both on some knarly tiger oak I had, and if my rememberer isn't out of order, some walnut...or was it mahogany...sigh. The Lie-Nielsen skimmed right over them; the Lee Valley left some tear out, especially on the white oak, even when I angled the plane and when I took a diagonal cut. I don't know why: perhaps it's the weight of the bronze; or perhaps it's because plane makers have known what they've been doing for several centuries now. I'm not an expert, just a user.

After my little test I resharpened the Lee Valley blade to 25° so it would be better for end grain. Again, it does wonders on my shooting board--and it saved me a large pile of dollars over the price of a true miter plane.

Again, I'm not knocking the Lee Valley. It's a great tool. For many smoothing chores I'm sure it would be fine. But I use a lot of tear-out prone woods, and on those the Lie-Nielsen works better.

Alan

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Thomas

Thought I would stay out of this thread but it is killing me.

I used to finish plane with a 604 1/2 and scraped when necessary. I was using a swedish steel Anton Berg blade on this plane and it took a fine edge. More often then not I had to scrape as the woods I use tend to have figure.

I considered buying a scraper plane but got talked into a LN 5 1/2 york pitch plane.

I am really sorry to say that since that day I can't justify another smoother as it is truly the perfect plane for me. Haven't had tearout since and feel like I am doing something wrong cause of the lack of tearout.

The woodshow is in a couple of weeks and I have some money put aside for a LN plane. I thought about the LN 85 as a backup in case I ever have to scrape but what is the point as it almost feels like wasted money.

I am hoping to score the LN 8

By the way, I have used a SPier's Infill, Bedrock 604 1/2, Bedrock 604 and a LV 4 1/2. None of which are on the same playing field as the LN 5.5

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Dean in Burlington

>But have you tried the BU smoother :)

Doesn't look like he has... *LINK*

Rob Lee

>...but the fella below did...

Ta -

Rob


Bevel-up Smoother....

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Dean,

I build furniture for fun. Not buy tools for amusement. Why buy a BU smoother and then start mucking around with blades angles so I can find one blade angle that doesn't give me tearout?

I Don't have time for that and I don't have time to circle pages in a catalog for all the new tools I need to buy.

I pull the LN 5 1/2 down from the cabinet, I swipe it 8 times down the board pulling tearout free shavings, when I am done I put the plane back in the cabinet with no need to sand.

Then I move on to the next project or the next component of the project.

Dan Clermont (who works wood and not planes)

I have

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Rob,

I have a BU smoother with two blades.

To be totally honest the LN 5.5 leave a better surface.

Ta

Dan C

Re: I have

Rob Lee

>...then I guess that makes it the right tool for you - but you knew that anyway...

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Doesn't look like he has...

Dean in Burlington

>How many forums do you participate in? I didn't even know this existed? Who's running LV?

Re: I have

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>HI Rob,

I will gladly compare one of your LV BU Smoothers to my BU smoother and LN 5.5

I would prefer to pick one off the store shelf rather then have one hand picked and shipped from the factory.

I understand Mark Singer is very impressed with his new BU plane and am not questioning his woodworking abilities but I have never gotten whispy shavings from any plane straight out of the box. At least not the kind I get from my smoothers

Have to get back to my tool cabinet and make room for my new jointer.

Really, I love your company and your enthusiasm on the forum. I like the fact you are a Senators fan and you play hockey. I spend the majority of my woodworking dollars at your store so don't take my comments as negative but rather a chance for someone else to evaluate your plane straight up against other planes in ones arsenal.

Cheers

Dan C

Re: I have

Rob Lee

>Hi Dan -

No worries here... but I'm not really keen to pull NIB planes off the shelf for trials if there's no intent to keep it...

Tell you what though - I'd let you do that with a "second" - one we wouldn't ship to a customer...

The point I'm making - is that wood failure isn't a mystery. Blades of the same degree of sharpness, held solidly at the appropriate angle for a type II chip will leave the same surface finish...

I don't dispute personal ergonomic preferences at all - they're completely valid... I do dispute sweeping and unqualified generic statements though...I am pointing out that your conclusions are perfectly valid for you...

Cheers -

Rob

(not happy that Thornton was signed BEFORE the game Saturday, but hopeful it'll make no difference...:) )

Re: Recommend One Smoothing Plane Please

Charles

>Well said.

Re: I have

Charles

>Have you read Derek Cohen's review and do you have any quibbles with it?

Re: Senators ?????

Dean in Burlington

>I just brought up my lunch :(

Re: I have

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Rob,

Not really sure about cosmetic seconds which could heve been fettled at the factory to improve performance. I want a plane right off the shelf like the ones that I get from other manufacturers. I might have to wait until someone else I know buys a Veritas plane.

Sorry to hear about Thorton. At least your team can beat the Minnesota WIld (no ofence to WIld fans but the Canucks on paper shoulrd be able to handle them but just can't)

Just curious as to why you choose to respond to my post way down the thread when others have responded preferences other then a LV plane an non BU smoothers?

Do I have to buy every LV plane and every LN plane and every C & W and every Knight to have my own opinion. I will leave my Hotley's Sauer and Stiener's and Anderson planes out of the discussion

Cheers

Dan C (who awaits his 6:45 hockey game and plans to play better then last game)