What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Frank D. in Montreal

>Hi Denis,

Depends what you do...are you happy with your smoother? Do you find your #6 too short for jointing? Ever wanted to make grooves and beads with a plane (it's a lot of fun)?

Anyways, I'll be there on Sunday so I can always help you make up your mind, I'm good at spending other people's money. I'm getting some goodies from LN myself...LV too.

Don't forget that piece of beech, or else you won't get your Cuban cigar I've been saving for you!

See you there,

Frank

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Hi Denis

Does it have to be planes? What about chisels? Spokeshaves?

OK, planes..

Those LN side rabbet planes sound great. I'd snap them up myself (I have an old Stanley #79). Once you use a side rabbet plane (to tune dados) you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Along these lines, consider also a LN #140 skew rabbet plane (for tuning tenons)

You will want a jointer. It is not about speed (although we may have a contest there), it is about satisfaction (and noise and dust and ..) - compare the offerings of LN against the LV BUJ.

You really need a good .. no, great smoother. Your existing smoothers will not keep up on difficult grains, and the LV LAJ will be too long for some pieces - LV BU Smoother vs LN #4-1/2?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Cuban cigar? Cohiba? Mmmmm...

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>Here's hoping...

The beech is out of the pile , how long a piece do you need?

See ya on Sunday, will be on the lookout for smoke messages...

DC

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I have the #98 & #99. They are very special purpose tools, that will most of the time stay hidden away, until you really need them, and then they are invaluable. Something else will give you a lot more L-N pleasure on a lot more regular basis.

Does it have to be a plane? The dovetail saw is a pleasure to use. Do you need a scratch stock? The #66 is also a joy to use. Do you do chair seats? If so, can you wait just a little while for the new travisher? If you do, but can't wait, you might consider the #100 1/2. I like the way that one works, too. Are you completely satisfied with the performance of your bench chisels? If you are set on a new plane, don't even pick up the one Rob holds out to you, because if you do, it will be all over but the crying. I know, I've been there, I watched Garrett Hack use a prototype, and then Tom held one out to me.

Forget about that. Just wipe it from your memory. Back to planes. Back in '97, I stumbled on the Toolworks in Warren, ME. They were closed. I came back the next day. I came back another day and got a tour of the place. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I walked out of there with a #140. There was only the left handed version of the #140 skew rabbet block plane at that time. It'll do tenon cheeks. It'll do rabbets. It'll raise panels. It'll even do a lot of what you ask of a block plane. A pair of them will work even better than one. I had no idea at the time, it's versatility just seemed to make a lot of sense. Now you'll probably need a matched pair.

You're going to have to decide before you enter their sales booth, which tool you are going to pick up first, because once you're got the first one in your hands, you may find it very difficult to go back to Plan A, especially if you reach for one of the jointers. Their mass will have dragged you beyond the event horizon before you can say "Black Hole."

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

I guess that didn't help a whole lot? The problem is I don't know what you need most, because I don't know what you want to build, and build better. I don't know how much versatility you need in a tool. I don't know enough about your methods of work. If I were you, or me, doing it again, the first thing to try when you get to the booth is the bench chisels. Then, try a pair of #140s. Hopefully, you can keep your hands away from the jointers, and your beech is long enough for you to make one of your own. Rob will be glad to sell you just a blade and chipbreaker to fit, if you can stay the course. Otherwise, don't even think about picking up the #7,

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Dean in Burlington

>"Veritas LA jack (the absolute best plane I've ever laid my hands on, IMHO)"

If you buy the LN 4.5 this will change!!!! I guarantee it.

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

>Denis,

Notice you don't have a LA Block Plane in the bunch.

This is a must have in my opinion.

I have both the LN LA Block and LN Rabbett plane.

The LN Rabbett Plane excels at trueing up tenon faces,

it's wide enough...

What about the new LV "Router Plane"..,

maybe something you don't really need right now.

I'm at the show Sunday, will be going to look

at this one..

Frank, LV Router Plane?? It doesn't take much for me to bite,

I haven't spent hardly anything at the show so far :)

Norman

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

>Forgot to mention..

Back to the LN Adj. Block Plane..

The mouth is adjustable and can be dialed

in to a next to nothing mouth opening.

The LN Rabbet Block, OTOH, has a fixed mouth opening.

Your apron plan, if I'm not mistaken, has the fixed mouth opening also.

There is more flexibility when you an close or open the mouth

according to the type of cut you want.

My .02 cents,

Norman

Denis.

Larry Williams

>Scale your planes to your work. For working on small things, like planes, I would suggest you get the Lie-Nielsen #2. When Lie-Nielsen first started into bench planes I put my name on a list for a #2 very early on. I waited two years for that little gem and it's still my favorite metal plane. I've sold off most of my metal planes but the LN #2 will stay with me to the end.

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Clay C in Miami

>Unless you have a smallish block plane (other than the apron) and omitted it from your list, I'd also say get the LN LA block plane - it's my most-used plane.

Clay

Re: Denis.

john jesseph

>Hi Larry, curious what it is about the number two that you like so much? I have a number two I haven't done much with yet...

Thanks guys, I guess...

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>Now you've given me even more choices to mull over! :)

Derek, I see few instances where the LA jack could be too long, but in these cases I thought my Record #4 would do the trick (apart from the excessive backlash in the adjuster it works great). If I need a still shorter plane I was thinking something in the block plane size, but with a high angle blade, maybe a baby coffin smoother that I would build with my beech stock.

Many suggested a block plane, but between the apron plane and my Stanley block (which I forgot to put in my list) I haven't felt the need for more in that size range. Maybe in the future...

William, I don't think I'm ready yet for an expensive dovetail saw. I thought I'd practice some more before splurging on a good saw, better screw up cheaper ones while I'm learning...

Norm, the router plane was absent at the LV booth, maybe they haven't ramped up production yet, I don't know. They most probably take orders for it, though.

Chisels... I don't chop mortises by hand (yet), and the bunch of bevel-edge chisels I have (Marples and Buck) have been sufficient so far. But I'm not closing the door on other chisels (I know the LNs are very nice).

In the end I'm still pretty undecided... We'll see if Frank and Norm can convince me to part with my money tomorrow...

So many nice tools, so little money and time...

Thanks,

DC

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Alice Frampton, UK

>Risky guarantee, IMO. I have both and I know which one they'll be prying from my cold dead hands last of all - although obviously I'll be trying to take them all with me...

Cheers, Alf

LN 5.5 with HA frog!!!

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>

contrarian opinion

Michael Recchione

>Denis, if you're happy without a jointer (which is the only important thing missing from your list, IMHO), I'd say you're good the way your are. We spend entirely too much time and money acquiring stuff we don't need rather than spending the time learning to really use and enjoy the stuff we have already.

There are planes you'd appreciate if you really got more into handtool work - the 79, for example is a godsend when you need the very specialized thing it does. But if you're comfortable doing that specialized thing another way, you don't need it. And given what a simple thing it is, I don't know if I could justify the price tag of the LN 98/99 pair - the recent Stanley 79 I bought for whatever Woodcraft was selling it for a few years ago does the job as well as it needs to be done - it's not like you're going to be planing curly bubinga burl to a mirror finish with this thing.

Ditto a router plane - I'd hate to live without my 71 or 271. Don't use them every day, but when I need what they do, they make life so much more pleasant. But if you have an electric router that you do that stuff with, and you're happy doing it that way, you don't need these.

What's the downside of saving the money until you find yourself really needing something in particular, and then using it for that?

- Mike (who will have to change his name and move out of town after saying "you don't need any more tools" here :-) )

Re: Ditto

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>

Re: What plane next? Kinda urgent...

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>OK, not what you should do, but the answer to what I would buy next, if I already had those tools.

1. Lie-Nielsen LA Adjustable Mouth Block Plane

2. Mujingfang 63 degree Rosewood bodied smoother.

Together, these would be less than $200 and be used on almost every project.

3. "Left Hand" Lie-Nielsen #140 block plane. William already said why.

and if I didn't already have a couple of cranked neck chisels, I'd get a couple of Henry Taylors which can be used to replace a bullnose among other tasks. One of the things I'd most like to see L-N make are some cranknecked chisels.

Again, this would be the next step for me (given the list of what you already have), but it may not be the best fit for you.

FWIW, if I could only have one working plane, it would be the LV BU Jack.

Re: Thanks guys, I guess...

Paul Kierstead

>Norm, the router plane was absent at the LV booth, maybe they haven't ramped up production yet, I don't know. They most probably take orders for it, though.

I received mine quite some time ago; however, 1/4" straight blades seem to be the problem, they back ordered it for quite some time. I think it might be in the mail now (actually it could be in my mail box....).

It is very nice and works well. But I do find my new (to me) record 044 more fun :)

Disagree

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>I have both the LN HA and the LV BUS and Jack. Definitely would buy the LN hands down over the LV.

The LV's are my friends I am to test out and they are currently in a lockup in my shop as I have no need for them.

Just my opinion.

Dan Clermont

Something to be said for that...

john jesseph

>If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, a low angle adjustable mouth block plane would be nice. Otherwise, sounds like you're ready to go...

It is unlikely to be sold at the show but ...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>... the Record #044 is the nicest/easiest plough plane I have used (and I also have a Rapier (ala Record) #043, a Stanley #45, and a Stanley #46). It is the one I reach for when grooving boards. I would heartely recommend its purchase, but it might be a little difficult to find in either the LV or LN booths. :>)

Regards from Perth

Derek

A woodie that might replace your #2

Greg B�tit, Crown Point NY

>If you like your #2, you'd love the ECE gent's plane. It fits perfectly in the Machinery Handbook drawer of my tool chest. It's a great little plane, and I love how you can just whack the heal or toe to move the iron a bit.

Being a Millers Falls collector, some day that drawer may hold a MF #7 type 1. But it's the size. Sometimes less is more.

Greg

It fits my hands

Larry Williams

>Hi John,

The #2 fits my hands. I can get a good grip on it where I can sense plumb & level and actually get a feel for what's going on. I used it out on job sites for that. In the shop, I like my wooden smoother.

Re: A woodie that might replace your #2

Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

>There is truth to this..

I picked up a 1950's vintage #3, tuned it up, moved the frog forward a bit, and it has since become one of my favorite planes.

A lot needs to be said about smaller, lighter metal-bodies planes that can be easily handled with one hand.

Norman ( on the lookout for used or discarded #3's )

a wooden plane might be just the ticket :)

Larry Williams

>Thanks, I'll have to try wooden planes some day. :)