Lie Nielsen or Veritas?

[Brian Kent]

Joel, what is your experience with V3 Wood River planes. I had not heard about the V3 line until your post. Have you gotten to try all 3 (Lie Nielsen, Lee Valley, V3 Wood River)?

Brian

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have the LV Low Angle Block plane and the LV medium shoulder plane and I'm very fond of both. That said, if your initial objective is to cut small rabbets for dovetails I don't think you would go wrong with the shoulder plane. It fits my hand beautifully, it's balanced and if you run it against a guide it will cut extremely accurate rabbets. I'm having trouble getting my head around how you would cut a rabbet with a block plane as the edge of the blade is inside the body of the plane rather than out at the edge like it is on a shoulder plane. However, it's been a LONG day and I may simply be missing something obvious.

Certainly a normal block plane would not do it. From Lie Nielsen, there is this skew block plane
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=140

From Lee Valley, there is this skew rabbett plane.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...cat=51&p=59999

[Jim Neeley]

LV also offers O1 as well as A2..

[Trevor Walsh]

I love my Veritas Apron plane, it's a handy small size like the #102 bigger mouth though so take that into account. The adjustment's are super nice. and the price is great too.

[Jim R Edwards]

I own a LN 60 1/2R and a LV apron plane and I like them both but if I had to choose one it would be the LN. Not because it is better but because it is more useful. In my opinion the LN 60 1/2R is the most useful block plane made and this is coming from a LV fan!

[Charles McKinley]

BTW - there is no handrail on this long, slippery slope you've just started down. See you at the bottom of the hill.[/QUOTE]

THERE IS A BOTTOM???????????

[Derek Cohen]

I did complete a comparison of these ...



Article: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRev...lockPlane.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Martino]

LV and LN make several sizes and types of block planes, not sure if you've narrowed it down or are just starting out in your quest.

Lie-Nielsen makes a small plane in both standard and low angle config, it's the one selling for around $115 now (based on old Stanley models 102/103). I have the bronze low angle, first plane I got and it's a gem. Bulletproof, simple, fits nicely in one hand, works like a charm. No adjustable mouth for finer/smoothing finesse but hasn't hurt it in my use.

LN also makes a larger std/low-angle block based on Stanley classics with an adjustable mouth. Last I checked they were around $165. Solid adjustment, excellent plane and maybe a bit more versatile than the smaller one, with enough mass to do more serious work and the adjustable mouth.

That's without getting into rabbets, model maker's and other specialty planes... oh my!

Lee Valley also makes a smaller, apron sized block as several posters have noted. In addition, they've had a standard/low angle block for years (around $145) that is similar to the LN version but a different size with a different feel -- it's a bit bigger and has a very different feel in the hand. (Might be based on a different Stanley original? I get confused by the Stanley block plane numbers...) Also has an adjustable mouth, and a Norris style blade adjuster - precisely made like all Veritas tools, some prefer them some don't. I don't have enough experience with it to know, but wonder about having lateral adjustment on the same control as blade advancement.

Then to make things even more interesting, in the last few years Veritas introduced its "premium" line of block planes -- the swoopy, aerodynamic looking ones. Adjustable mouth of course, std and low angles of course, they look a bit smaller and one-hand friendly (closer to the LN block?). They are machined to even more ridiculously fine standards than the others available and look to be exquisite tools, although some like the strong styling and others not. Comes in iron $185 and a new, corrosion-resistant nickel version (looks like stainless steel) for $295. These look like really nice tools, I haven't had a chance to handle them but possibly someone who has will weigh in.

As others have said both planemakers make outstanding products and have superior customer service. Lee Valley has developed a reputation for technical innovation and really paying attention to functional details even where it departs from "classic" plane designs. Lie-Nielsen makes extremely solid, beautifully machined (better than the originals, and in better materials) classics, often improving the designs in evolutionary ways. You have options, and none of them are bad planes. The advice to try to check them out in person, see how they feel to you or what your preferences are is good. Personally over time I lean more toward the Lie-Nielsen planes for their solidity and simplicity, but in some areas Lee Valley excels (their joinery planes, and the low angle jack is on my shortlist...).

Enjoy the hunt, hope this helps.

[Niels Cosman]

Not to confuse the issue, but have you considered the new V3 Woodriver planes? IMHO, Lie-Nielson are superior planes to the Veritas. With woodriver somewhere in between on quality. But when you consider the price, Woodriver can't be beat.

Hi Joel,
Welcome to the Creek!
Not to confuse the issue further, You wouldn't happen to have an affiliation with Woodcraft or Woodriver? I only ask because I have been noticing a trend of new users in other forums, pitching in glowing praise of WR products and then disappearing. I hope that's not what's happening here. If I am mistaken, please accept my apologies in advance, I should probably be off to bed.
Cheers,
Niels

[John Coloccia]

Not to confuse the issue, but have you considered the new V3 Woodriver planes? IMHO, Lie-Nielson are superior planes to the Veritas. With woodriver somewhere in between on quality. But when you consider the price, Woodriver can't be beat.

I have to disagree with this. I've praised the Woodriver planes as being very good for the price, but there is no way they are in between Lie-Nielson and Veritas. There is nothing in the Woodriver line that is as nice as any of the Veritas planes, and it's difficult to argue that Lie-Nielson are superior to Veritas. In fact, I happen to think that the Veritas block planes are actually a bit nicer than LN's.

Again, nothing against the Woodriver line. It's everything a plane should be...this is what the new Stanley Sweethearts hope to grow up to be someday. Still, Veritas and LN blow it away.

Anyhow, that's just my opinion on it.


edit: And in the interest of full disclosure, I DO work for Woodcraft. I started working there a few hours a week to get out of the shop and have human interaction. I was starting to go a little looney spending all day by myself! I don't know how my wife does it...I even drive myself nuts.

[Chris Fournier]

When it comes to block planes I don't think that you'll miss out going one way or the other with these two manufacturers. The LN block rabbet is likely the most useful block plane that you could own. The LN 102 is a perfect fit in the hand for me and it would be the last plane that I gave up - cold dead hands stuff.

I personally bought most of these planes before LV had offerings. I like the look of LN more than LV. I don't like a lot of the unecessary CNC driven features on the LV planes - needless and takes away from the tool in my opinion. I go with LN but as you have just read my decisions are half "rational" and half emotional.

Now if we're talking bench planes I just can't get past the grisly aesthetics and clunky feel in the hand of the LV line up.

The LV router plan strikes a balance for me and its the one LV plane that I own and I have no regrets about choosing this model from LV.

Your ability to sharpen your planes will have much more bearing on the usefulness of your block plane than the LN or LV manufacture does!

[Eddie Darby]

I own 4 low angle block planes from both LV and LN ( don't have the NX series ), and can honestly say that I don't have a favorite.

If you are just going to buy 1 block plane only, then I would go with the LV model just because it has other options and steel blade choices.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...15&cat=1,41182

I would use O1 for all the low angle end-grain work, and for anything requiring a bevel angle above 30 degrees, then A2 would be my choice.

If you get a chance to lay hands on them before buying, then do so. Planing is a very tactile experience. I think it would be hard to not like any of these though.

[Jim Koepke]

Not to confuse the issue, but have you considered the new V3 Woodriver planes? IMHO, Lie-Nielson are superior planes to the Veritas. With woodriver somewhere in between on quality.

Joel,
Welcome to the creek. Your profile does not show your location. If you are near to me, I would like to test drive a V3. It could make a believer out of me.

From what I have read, the V3 may be a good product for the money, but still is not the great out of box experience of the LV or the LN. Others have stated with a little work, they work very well.

Along with John, I would have to go along with the idea that the superiority of LN or LV has more than a few caveats. I do not think either Rob Lee or Thom Lie-Nielsen make such a claim. The only thing I recall hearing from either of them is that they are different.

I do believe that for many of us it comes down to how an item feels in our hands our how they look in our shop.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Back to the OP's question. My answer is that both are very nice tools. The one that you prefer will be up to you. I was lucky enough to visit a woodworking show back when LN still participated in the left coast shows. Being able to go back and forth between the two booths (conveniently located near each other) allowed me to spend plenty of time with each (read "I was a pain for longer than any vendor should be expected to put up with me").

I went with the Veritas LA block and medium shoulder plane on that run. It is unfortunately a matter of how the things feel in your hand, not mine or anyone else's. The LN and LV block planes were about equal in feel for me. The Veritas medium shoulder just fell into my hand...

OH NO! Don't tell me it was you that drove them away.

Glenn makes a very important point here. Trying before buying is the best way to determine which of these tools will be best. The plane that feels like it belongs in your hand is going to be the right one.

And I am pulling Glenn's chain a bit. The folks at both LN and LV are happy to have someone trying everything. It is as if with both companies it is more important that the customer be happy even if the customer ends up being the other company's customer for a particular purchase.

Just a funny little aside… The block plane in my shop that fits best in my hand is an old #102 that I bought at The Restore" for $2.56.

It doesn't do end grain as well as my LA blocks. But if I ever want to buy another new plane, it may be the LA version of the #102.

jtk

[jamie shard]

So... has the original poster bought a block plane yet?