Plane question?

[Guy LaRochelle]

Is there much difference in quality between Lie-Nelson and Veritas planes? There is quite a difference in price. Regards. -Guy

[Bay Area Dave]

I sure hope not! I recently bit the bullet and picked up a Veritas Low Angle Smoother. Sure is sweet! I've seen the LN's, but don't own any; too pricey for this ole boy!

dave

Guy LaRochelle wrote:

[Swingman]

I can only speak to one-half of your question with practical experience. I own a low angle Veritas block plane that is one of the finest tools I've ever had the pleasure of holding in my hands. It's a shame all woodworking tools aren't made like that.

I used it late last night to fit a drawer and walked into the shop this morning, first cup of coffee in hand, and saw, and smelled, those curls of woodshavings all over the floor and bench ... makes you wonder why you bother doing anything else.

[Andy Dingley]

No. The styles and materials are different. The "quality" and "performance" are subjective, but both good.

If you compare the whole price range from eBay and Anant through to Holtey, then L-N and Veritas are actrually pretty similar.

[Jeffo]

The fellow that I worked with has both - don't ask me why. The limited amount that I've used them, they work equally well. I preffer the looks of th L-N, but we both agree that the blade is easier to set with the Veritas. With either I'd fettle the tote a little to fit my hand better, but I'll have to get one first.

HTH, jeffo

[Larry Bud]

I think it has something to do with making money so you can buy food and not die... or something silly like that :-)

[Swingman]

Get used to the fact that you _are_ going to die, food or not ... then take it from there. :)

[Bay Area Dave]

and don't forget, the one with the most toys wins!

dave

Sw>>

[patriarch]

I have several planes from each manufacturer, for reasons having more to do with distribution channels, (and my lack of patience when I get to a point that I 'need' another handplane. It is indeed a slippery slope.

Both are excellent products. In my case, it takes a week to get an order to the West Coast from Lee Valley, where as there are a number of dealers in my area who stock LN.

And LV doesn't duplicate the LN product range.

Having said all that, I believe that I will give my LN Standard Angle Block plane to my grandson. When the time is right. He was born last May.

Patriarch

[Guy LaRochelle]

Is there a plane that is a good all around plane or does each one have a specific purpose which forces a person to buy more than one? Regards. -Guy

[dave]

That'll tell you a fair amount about planes. What do YOU want to do with the plane? The basics are, don't buy new unless you want to spend a fair amount of money. Old (1945 or earlier preferably 1910 or so) Stanley, Millers Falls, Sargent, Union are keepers if there isn't horrible pitting or any cracks or chips. Back handle (tote) will probably be cracked, so you'll need to glue/replace it. Replacement is free if you have wood, drill press and a bandsaw. About $25 at Woodcraft. For end work you'll need a block plane, for other work a #4 or #5 bench plane will probably do. It really depends on what you want to use the plane for. If you have the change, try Lee Valley and their Veritas line of planes, nice stuff. Dave in Fairfax

[patriarch]

aka Patrick's Blood and Gore, is a work of love, and maybe a small bit of obsession, by a Wrecker of days of yore. One of the best resources freely available on the Web. (Patrick also sells handplanes and hand tools of all vintages.)

That said, what you need depends greatly on what you want to do. Getting started for many people usually means a block plane (trimming, end grain, small touch up types of things), and a bench plane of some sort. Again, it depends on what you are planning to do.

When I sent my eldest son off with a basic set of tools for taking care of a house last summer, he got the well used, disrespectable looking block plane and #4, which his grandfather had passed on to me. Sharpened, tuned, and with a number of lessons.

(And following a neat suggestion from another Wrecker last month, I got my Dad a Veritas block plane for Christmas to 'replace' to one he passed on to me. We're doing furniture and built-ins together now, as I learn more about this. Special times, while he can still enjoy it.)

Patriarch.