LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Hand plane advice needed

Tags
hand plane
4K views 54 replies 25 participants last post by  thedude50 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have just finished a project for a good friend who paid me generously for it. With each project my goal is to be able to afford a new tool for the next one, which I'm thinking to be a smoothing plane. I have researched for some time and I am at a crossroads. Do I get a LN, Veritas, or WoodRiver? I have the Veritas BU Jack plane and love it, but I wanted to ask for all of your opinions before making my final decision. Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I own several Veritas and LN plane's and really, you can't go wrong with either.

I have the bronze LN smoothing plane and love it. I have the Veritas BU Jack and Jointer plane's and they are also great.

In your case I think I would recommend the BU Veritas and request a different angle blade then what you have on your Jack plane. This way, you can use both blades with both plane's.

Just my 2 cents.

(I can't speak for WoodRiver as I don't own/haven't used one)
 
#3 ·
If it were me, I would buy the LV. I think they are as good as the LN, but not as expensive. I'm not a fan of the Woodriver planes, although I've heard that the newest incarnation of them is much better quality than the earlier versions. My $.02
 
#8 ·
Thank you all for your input.

Don, I am hesitant on buying an old plane because I have never refurbished anything before and I don't want to throw good money after bad. Shane did a fabulous job on restoring one of his planes, but I don't want to take a chance on wasting a dime or my time on something not worth the effort. I don't have a very good history in this area.

The Woodshow is coming in 2 weeks. I will seriously consider the "vintage" idea after spending the day there. They usually have a good selection of old planes.

I started this post without even considering an old plane and walk away with my thoughts narrowed down to two: Veritas or Vintage. Thanks again…
 
#10 ·
I'm not trying to persuade you in either direction. I bought an LN #62 and a veritas scraper. I haven't done a formal review on the veritas, but did mention how nice it worked when building my blanket chest..

On the other hand, two points to make about vintage. One several of the guys here on LJs buy, restore and sell vintage planes. Prices are usually reasonable, we (well I) don't do it to make money, its just for fun. If you get one of them you shouldn't have to worry any more than buying a Woodriver. I would say less. Most planes do not work right out of the box.

You can't go wrong with either the LN or the veritas. If you have the budget to put together a collection of planes in that price range, your going to be happy. I've never had a Woodriver, but know from talking with others they are ok. It may take some tuning to get them to perfection. Even LN and veritas will need a little tuning.

Take a read at Hand Planes of your Dreams. We discuss this all the time.
 
#11 ·
Refurbing a Stanley is a no-brainer with the resources you have here. You'll learn a lot about planes in the process, whether you want to or not;)
.
If you're dead set on new, the bronze LN would be my choice. It ain't cheap, but what is.
 
#12 ·
I'm also a fan of the older model Stanleys. It's not nearly as difficult to refurbish as you might think. I can understand if you don't want to risk it, but it is definitely worth it. The newer models just aren't built like Stanleys. LN isn't bad, if a little expensive.
 
#13 ·
Depending on how or where you buy a vintage Stanley, you can get a good #4 or #5 for something between $10 and $30. A few dollars in materials and you have a quality tool. How much of a risk is it really.
 
#15 ·
You don't need to spend a lot on bench planes as there are lots
of decent vintage ones out there. The L-N bronze planes have
more concentrated mass and that can help with smoothing some
tricky woods.

The Japanese use lower-mass plane bodies with extremely sharp
irons and a fast stroke to plane softwoods. They seldom work
with hardwoods.

James Krenov advocated making your own planes. Considering
how beefy they are, Krenov planes may equal some fine metal
planes in mass if made from dense woods.

One area where you may want to put some dollars if you do
this seriously is your joinery planes. They are not cheap, but
a massive shoulder plane is a very useful tool and the side
rabbet planes serve a useful function no other tool does.
 
#16 ·
I just picked up an old Stanley 1105 model in pretty good condition and only paid 28 bucks for it, I just need to sharpen the blade and get rid of the paint on it. I wish I had the money for a LN or veritas. good luck in what your eventually pick up. I know what ever it is it will be treasured.
 
#17 ·
Thank you all for your great advice.

Well, I have been watching eBay for a while and this one was on my watch list. After all of the responses I have gotten about these old planes I decided to take the best of both worlds and buy a restored vintage smoothing plane. A Stanley #4 smoothing plane Type 15. The price was right, for $40 I really can't go wrong. I will put it through its paces over the next two weeks and if I am happy then I will save my money for something else on the wish list. If not then I will go for the Veritas at the upcoming Wood Show.

One of the greatest things about this site is the advice you get from people who have the knowledge to actually be able to give advice on these matters. Thanks again!

Photobucket
 
#20 ·
"If not then I will go for the Veritas at the upcoming Wood Show."

Regardless of how your vintage plane turns out after you try it, I recommend that you go to the Woodshow and try out the Veritas planes there. They have almost all of their Veritas planes there for you try and ask for free advice. You can compare and feel how different their #4(?) is from yours, in terms of features, adjuster, finish, etc.

Bring the blade from your vintage plane along and they'll do a sharpening demo on it for you. No purchase necessary! They are not sales-oriented only, but also educational.

PS "With each project my goal is to be able to afford a new tool for the next one" _ You can also decide for you if your next new tool should be any of the Veritas planes you try out there. (Declaration: All my handplanes are Veritas BU, except one and the specialty planes)
 
#22 ·
I have a couple of L.V. planes. I have put them through a lot and they hold up well. You can always same money on a used plane but it sounds to me as if you have "money found". If that is the case then go for it. Get one that you will consider an heirloom that you will pass down. You just cannot go wrong with the extra investment in a good quality plane that is close to tuned when you get it. The time saved sometimes makes up for the extra money.

I am about to buy an L.V. smoothing plane based on my great experiences with what I have and the great assistance that the L.V. folks provide. My understanding is that the Veritas quality is right up there but I go with what I know.

Just my two cents.
 
#23 ·
I am firmly intrenched in the bedrock camp, that said that leaves out the veritas planes they just don't do it for me at all. I love a vintage bedrock with a nice thick iron from IBC it requires you to file open the mouth on your plane a little took me like 5 minutes and i was shooting photos for an article. the other option is a wood river ver3 these are not junk and are easily tuned even better fit this with a nice rob cosman set and you have a great affordable plane also I would be glad to sell you one of the hundred bedrock Stanley planes that are in my shop if your interested i have references and can easily sell you a restored plane in any condition you request. and lastly the cream of the bedrocks is currently ln they are second to none they have all the bells and whistles and i have it from a good source that wood craft will soon be having a second line of planes this one under the Pinnacle label keep your eyes open for these they are sure to stir up the market I you want a sweet vintage bedrock pm me ill be glad to customize one just for you
 
#25 ·
not that i like to argue but hock blades are not all they are cracked up to be shane just got one and the damn thing wasn't even close to flat it took him a long time to get it flat while it is only 95 thousandths and a ibc is 140 and the ibc is flat there is really no comparison the ibc is by far the better blade and they aren't ugly like the hock blade either
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top