New from Lee Valley

[goodbasil]

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...t=1,44047&ap=1

I think I need one.

[StevenBauer]

I'm not sure I need one but I sure do want one!










And it comes in right and left hand models.



Steven

[Tom Robb]

Competition (and a market) driving toward excelence. A refreshing change from the drive to the bottom we've lived with.

[Steve Paskey]

Very nice, but I have a question. Let's say you're planing a gain into the opposite ends of a plank. To do that, you'd be going in opposite directions, and would need to turn the plane 180 degrees in relation to the edge of the wood.

With the skewed blade, would it be equally effective at planing both ends? Or would it work better going in one direction than the other?

[goodbasil]

If I follow you correctly Steve, I think this is the reason why there are two available. A left and a right hand.

[John Meachen]

I have a reservation about the design of the adjustable mouth;just like the other recent attempt to update the block plane by another maker there is a groove left in the sole of the plane.I have had occasions when a block plane chips out a fragment of awkward grain or the edge of a knot and I believe this feature makes it too likely that the piece of wood that may be released is likely to roll as the plane moves and may mark the surface of the workpiece.The established Stanley or Record design moves the entire front end of the sole with no gap to retain debris and I believe this to be a better idea.With the exception of this quibble,it does appear to be a well made plane if you want such a thing.I don't believe I do,but I might succumb to the lure of a Quangsheng block plane like this:

[Paul Scheuer]

Steve: I think you need to buy them both. Even though the fence can go on either side, each plane is open only on one side.

I haven't had much luck going up hill.

At least with a 78 you can set the blade flush with the left side and do the score with an exacto.

By the way, does anyone know the companion for a Stanley #140 Right Hand skew plane - if there is one ?

[Steve Paskey]

Steve: I think you need to buy them both. Even though the fence can go on either side, each plane is open only on one side.

That's what I was afraid of. $349 for the pair! (gulp) and that's an "introductory" price, good only through May 31.

[Paul Pless]

That's what I was afraid of. $349 for the pair! (gulp) and that's an "introductory" price, good only through May 31.

Still more than a hundred dollars less than a similar pair from Lie Nielsen.

[Ian McColgin]

Wish I were good enough to justify a pair.

[TimH]

My Stanley 78 was like $50

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Wish I were good enough to justify a pair.

I hear ya brother

[CByrneiv]

Lesse... a pair of rabbeting planes for $350... or a Powermatic 54a for $900 (I just bought one, less than a year used, with a rolling base, for $685)...

I love hand planes. They're often beautiful pieces of art, and are generally useful tools. When used and maintained properly, they produce a finer surface than any planer, edger, jointer, router, or shaper can...

But I don't need to pay $350 (or $550 and up for the solid brass or other "fine" models) just for the ability to cut a nice rabbet. Not when for twice that, I can get a quality power tool to do the same job, and a dozen more... where I would have to buy a dozen more equally expensive planes (when I have stock I can move anyway. Planes are obviously invaluable for work on fixed stock).

The whole thing about hand planes, is that they have become fetishized. They are no longer just hand tools, they are collectors items and works of art.

It's a woodworkers tool. There is NO reason why that implement should cost $190. None.... except that the fanatics for hand planes, are willing to pay that price.

Fine, that's capitalism. More power to them. Charge what the market will bear and all that...

But can we drug the plane fanatics for a year or two, so the market readjusts down to the point where the rest of us can buy a decent set of planes without taking out a second mortgage?

[Eric D]

Amen!!!

[Paul Pless]

Will your powermatic cut gains though?

[Lew Barrett]

I disagree, although I understand the lament about the cost. I don't think these tools are made in very large numbers; I think they are for people who want a very nice manufactured item, and I don't even think they are overcharging for them. They me be a more expensive and more specialized tool than you need, but I don't find them anything but desirable. Of course, one can buy a used tool for less, but good as the old tools may be I don't think they were any better than what Lee or Leigh are offering now. And if you were buying Bedrock quality then, I suspect the relative costs were similar.

These are somewhat specialized tools for a special trade, but I think they are neat and I'm really glad Lee makes them. If I wanted a left handed skew rabbet plane, I know just where I'd go.

As it happens I have an LN rabbet/block plane (not a skew plane) that I use quite a bit since it serves well as a regular large block plane, and although it is also a little specialized, when you need a plane for trimming tenons or that can cut a rabbet, it's mighty handy. It wasn't cheap, but I'll have it for my whole life and if it's in nice shape when I'm done with it, somebody is going to be mighty happy to get the old man's tool.

These are the collectible tools of the future.

[SBrookman]

I'm considering starting a 15' glued lap later this year (1/4" ply). I don't have a rabbet plane, and have yet to even plane a gain, so what should I get? I don't mind investing in a good tool, but I also don't need to pass it down to any heirs....

[Lew Barrett]

Understand the thing about the heirs but half the guys on this forum will buy a used English Bailey (not that there's anything wrong with that!) or hunt for a Sweetheart and spend a pleasant weekend tuning it up because that's what they want to do. Maybe more than half. The other guys will buy a new tool and then you have some choices to make. You can buy an Anant really cheap, and that's what you get, or you can buy an (ahem) heirloom tool and at such point as you no longer want it, I can promise you there will be ten guys who do. In between, we've been talking about some of the new higher end tools hitting the market that are trying to split the difference, but I think the choices in new are pretty much "cheap" or Canadian/American. Or.... you can do as I have done; get some used tools and replace them or add to them with fancy schmansy as you go along.

But the thing about the Lees (and some of the others) is that they are ready to go out of the box, and they work great. How do you select? Buy it locally
and see how it fits your hand.

These are truly investment quality tools if you take care of them. Those of us who own a few know that. You can buy a good plane for 30 bucks or 300, (or 3000; but I've never felt the need for one of those) and both will cut wood, but I can assure you precious few who ever bought an LN or a Lee Valley ever felt like they got ripped off. If you can afford them, they are good value if you use your tools much. Chac'un a son gout.

[goodbasil]

A review.
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com...ock+Plane.aspx

[Keith Wilson]

I don't have a rabbet plane, and have yet to even plane a gain . . .

You can cut gains perfectly well with a chisel. I built two lapstrake boats before I got a rabbet plane or a shoulder plane. OTOH, old Stanley #78s are common and very cheap on eBay, and will do a perfectly acceptable job on epoxy joints in plywood. But if you don't mind spending the money, the Lee Valley tools are very nice.

The ubiquitous Stanley #78; if you pay much more then $20 for one of these it's too much.

[bob winter]

Nice little things but I can't imagine what I would need them for. I think I can make do with what I have.

[SBrookman]

>>A review.
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com...ock+Plane.aspx<<

I like reviews that say I don't need this expensive tool!

And I do see Stanley 78's all over Ebay, at very affordable prices.

Another question from a lot to learn woodworker, what is the difference between a shoulder and rabbet plane? Will either do for planing gains?

[Keith Wilson]

Shoulder planes look like this and are generally used for cleaning up tenons and other fairly fine work.





Rabbet planes are larger and were designed for cutting rabbets; they usually come with a fence, a nicker blade (spur) for cross-grain work, and a depth stop, all of which you can take off. Old rabbet planes are cheap; shoulder planes aren't. You can use either one to cut gains.

Modern Anant rabbet plane, a copy of the Record 778 which was a modification of the Stanley 78:



I was looking for a photo and stumbled on this one of a Stanley #78 modified with a guide for automatically beveling laps by the Tom Hill/Carl Bausch method. The wooden guide is attached by the hole for the fence.



I like the Veritas planes very much. They really think about it and put some new engineering into the design, rather than just making very good copies of planes from 80 years ago. That lovely CNC-machined curve in the adjustable toe is a perfect example.

OTOH, when I have to spend my own money I generally buy old planes on eBay. They work well enough, at least for my level of skill and perfectionism.

[Chris F]

Keith, this has been very helpful (pictures!) for another 'lot to learn' woodworker. I've been busy reconditioning an old Craftsman jack plane that was my grandfathers. Going through a lot of 80 grit to lap the sole.

I think I need a rabbit or shoulder plane for my planned build. I've been salivating over the Lee and Lie planes but I think I'll be reconditioning something off old that better fits my current budget and skill level.

[Keith Wilson]

Going through a lot of 80 grit to lap the sole.

Despite what some folks think, a plane doesn't have to be flat within .002" to work just fine. I'd put the effort into getting the blade really sharp. But it is good exercise.

If it were me, I'd buy a Stanley 78 on eBay, making sure to get one with the fence (they often get lost over the years). The depth stop is less important for boatbuilding. It's not a great tool, but they're cheap and adequate and useful for lots of different things. Note that really old ones have a different casting with a handle that doesn't fit my hand well.

An early Stanley #78:



A more recent one:

[Lew Barrett]

Wish I were good enough to justify a pair.

They make you better, starting from the moment you write the check, and right up until you try to use them, at which point you revert to your prior skill level!

[goodbasil]

Lew, your absolutely right.

[Modelbuilder24/7]

Hah, that's hilarious your from Vancouver too... Anyway I have one
from LeeValley. I haven't used it yet , but I do have a small showcase box for it , so I can look at it whenever I want.