# Lie-Nielsen throw us a bone! i need a 1/4" iron!



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

I'm not sure why this is posted as a review instead of a forum topic. Additionally, referring to it as an "excellent router plane," and then giving it three stars seems pretty odd.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Can you make a Veritas one work in there??


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## metolius (May 26, 2016)

> Can you make a Veritas one work in there??


No, Veritas and LN are different.

You need to get the "Large Router Plane Blade Adapter" which will add support for blades of LN's small router plane.


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## AGolden (Mar 22, 2020)

> I m not sure why this is posted as a review instead of a forum topic. Additionally, referring to it as an "excellent router plane," and then giving it three stars seems pretty odd.
> 
> - Rich


Hey Rich, I think I can help you out. This is considered a review because I purchased a product, used it, and then described what I did and did not like about it. Let me know if you need further clarification on that.

as for calling it "an excellent router plane" and then giving it 3 stars I can also square that circle for you. I tried to look at the tool in it's totality rather than just one dimension, such as performance. While the plane works great for certain functions it's overall utility is dragged down by the lack of blades.

I will give you another example:
"he was a great woodworker but some things just really went over his head" 
the above shows that a person or thing can have some good features but can be seriously lacking in others. Let me know if you need further clarification, I will do my best to help you out.


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## Pixxture (Mar 16, 2018)

OP Great review thanks.
I have purchased a few high quality tools that for one reason or another i have been disappointed with. Same as you a feature or two i missed or didn't think was important.
Glad i am not the only one in that boat. 
Again thanks for the great review.


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## Peteybadboy (Jan 23, 2013)

Thanks for posting that. I bought the Lee Valley mini router plane in part because it was about 50 bucks and I wanted to try it. Works great on small bow tie inlay for example. I may buy the bigger brother from Lee Valley after seeing your post. ( I will look at others as well) Thanks again The adapter for 40$ is what you need. (just checked out both planes)


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Can you buy another 3/8" blade and just grind the cutting portion down to 1/4"? Probably cheaper than buying the adapter+the cutter for the small router?


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

i agree their both excellent quality tools but i went with the veritas for the reason you stated,to get an assortment of cutters.you liked the look of the ln better but i like the look of veritas myself.good review so someone wanting one will know whats available for each.


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## MarioF (Feb 6, 2009)

Exactly the reason I went with the Veritas and side stepped the Lie Nielsen, the wide selection of accessories and blades makes it a simple choice, top quality both of them but the overall usefulness of the Veritas takes over the LN hands down.


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## Chiaroscuro (Apr 11, 2016)

I have the Veritas, and I've enjoyed it and think it's great…. BUT I don't like the depth stop. I have a hard time getting it tight enough not to move (something that I've found on a number of Veritas products for the same reason - they purposefully have a brass screw tightening onto a steel slide/screw/'piece that is harder' so that the other object doesn't get marred but it also means it is VERY hard to positively lock in place). And to those that may think it doesn't need to be tight, you are just refining a flat tenon/whatever, sometimes it is needed in other applications if you have a mostly hand-tool shop, and if the blade digs in, it moves deeper in the cut. And yes, if you make tiny sliver shavings every time this might not happen (often), but it is fairly common if you grab it a lot. I work with it, it doesn't bother me at this point but I always worry if the depth stop will hold (it didn't a couple of times).


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## Newbie17 (Feb 20, 2017)

Thanks for taking the time to make a review, I think the Veritas will suite me better


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

It pays to do some research before you buy. All you have to do is view the two products on their respective web sites and it's obvious the LN has one blade offered, while Lee Valley offers a full range from 3/4" to 1/16", not to mention the fact that their medium router plane accepts the same blades. Talk about versatility.

I went with the large and medium Veritas planes, and the full set of Imperial blades, and never looked back. It's hard to imagine why anyone would knowingly buy a plane with one blade option and then complain because there aren't more available-and then give a three-star rating for a tool that is worthy of five. It's not like Lie-Nielsen tried to deceive anyone. It was right there in plain sight.

Caveat emptor.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> It pays to do some research before you buy. All you have to do is view the two products on their respective web sites and it s obvious the LN has one blade offered, while Lee Valley offers a full range from 3/4" to 1/16", not to mention the fact that their medium router plane accepts the same blades. Talk about versatility.
> 
> I went with the large and medium Veritas planes, and the full set of Imperial blades, and never looked back. It s hard to imagine why anyone would knowingly buy a plane with one blade option and then complain because there aren t more available-and then give a three-star rating for a tool that is worthy of five. It s not like Lie-Nielsen tried to deceive anyone. It was right there in plain sight.
> 
> ...


+1 thats why i also got the veritas,no comparison.


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## AGolden (Mar 22, 2020)

> It pays to do some research before you buy. All you have to do is view the two products on their respective web sites and it s obvious the LN has one blade offered, while Lee Valley offers a full range from 3/4" to 1/16", not to mention the fact that their medium router plane accepts the same blades. Talk about versatility.
> 
> I went with the large and medium Veritas planes, and the full set of Imperial blades, and never looked back. It s hard to imagine why anyone would knowingly buy a plane with one blade option and then complain because there aren t more available-and then give a three-star rating for a tool that is worthy of five. It s not like Lie-Nielsen tried to deceive anyone. It was right there in plain sight.
> 
> ...


Yes you can tell that the Veritas has more blade options, but that isn't the only reason someone would consider buying one over the other. When I did my research it is one of the factors i considered but I, like a lot of other people, thought that maybe the good features of the Lie-Nielsen would out way the lack of blade choices. In my experience it did not, which is why i posted this review.

However, if you disagree with me you can post a review of your own Lie-Nielsen router plane and give it five stars, except you can't, because you actually agree with me and bought the Veritas router plane. So I am really not sure why you are somehow dissatisfied unless you just like complaining.


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## DanAZ (Jul 8, 2019)

This is an old review but I hope my comments are still useful for others who may be in the market for a router plane. I have had both the Veritas and the Lie Nielsen Router Planes. I initially bought the Lie Nielsen Router Plane in 2019. Both planes were about the same price back then. Actually, the Lie Nielsen was a few bucks less and Lee Valley wasn't doing free shipping all the time. Now, the Lie Nielsen plane is more expensive and they charge shipping so you're looking at a pretty big difference in the price.

I later bought the Veritas Router plane to try out and see if I was missing anything. The Lie Nielsen plane is dead simple - one blade, simple depth stop, pretty small overall, and I thought I could get more usability to of the Veritas. I was able to compare both tools side by side and I can honestly say that I was not impressed with the Veritas plane. After using the LN, the veritas felt bulky, the blade holding mechanism felt loose and fidgety, the fit of the blade in the body was loose, and I didn't like that the blade locking screw screws onto the threaded blade adjustment shaft - Those threads are going to get smashed. In use, the blade shifted on me no matter how hard I locked it down. I had also gotten used to sharpening the LN fixed blade so I found the blade honing mechanism on the Veritas unnecessary and easy to lose - a gimmick really. Finally, I don't think all those extra blades and accessories are needed on a router plane. To me, all the extras amount to trying to make a tool work for reasons it's not intended. Like any "multi-tool" it can do a lot of things okay, but still mostly excels at what it's meant for, which is fine controlled chiseling. All the other actions can be handled by other tools and some should be handled by tools meant for one specific task.

I will admit, I do wish Lie Nielsen would release a large spear-pointed router blade for the plane. In some woods, I think it would make a smoother finish, which might help sometimes.

But in general, I think the Lie Nielsen plane is far better. Its dead simple design and excellent machining make it perfect for my needs.


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