Rough first impressions of LN #5 versus LV #4 1/2

[David Barnett]

That's great, Tony—glad it worked out for you.

[Winton Applegate]

I never let that stop me. Often I see it as a call to duty actually.
I would recommend the miter plane orrrrrrr . . . if you really want to get wild and crazy the No. 51 Shooting Board plane.

[glenn bradley]

Hand tools are fairly personal in that we are all built different, stand differently at different benches of differing heights, etc. It may be the geek in me but, I too favor the adjustment and retention mechanisms on the Lee Valley planes. The Lie Nielsen planes do sport that traditional look and are things of beauty, no doubt. I was lucky enough to catch a show where their booths were kitty-corner from each other and so got to go back and forth, trying out each maker's offerings for comfort before making a decision on a couple of items.

Both LN and LV are top notch outfits that stand behind their products and want you to be happy. The fact that you returned the plane for other product is of mutual benefit. Enjoy your new toyls and thanks for reporting your thoughts.

[Winton Applegate]

In other words : It is hard to kill a horse with a flute.


David B.,

Bussin" out witt the haiku
judging by the "attempted murder" line should we be concerned about you ?

Where did you get that gun ? You drew it so fast !
Wait !
No !
I didn't know she was Your girl !
. . .

[Chris Griggs]

Thank for all the input. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just call them. They agreed to take the plane back after I told them the situation. I'm going to exchange it for a full set of chisels and buy some DVD's along the way.

I hadn't used the LV any more than the LN but it was just so much easier to set up and seemed to just fit me first go. I was even using it with mouth wide open and fairly thick cut ala jack plane.

Great Tony. Glad it worked out. Have fun with those chisels. I think that's a better use of that cash...5's are so plentiful and besides you already have that awesome Old Street Jack. Now the trick is to find you a suitable jointer plane...(well and then there's the handsaws, but that's a whole other can of worms)

[Jim Koepke]

Bussin" out witt the haiku
judging by the "attempted murder" line should we be concerned about you ?

"A murder of crows" is the collective noun for a group of crows.

So two crows trying to get an accumulation of crows might be considered "attempted murder" (of crows).

jtk

[Charlie Stanford]

Got my LN #5 yesterday afternoon and got my LV #4 1/2 (BD) on Friday afternoon. This morning was my first chance to set them up and use them in anger on wood. I was quite surprised by what I found. First, the difference in the 'prettiness' of the tool was not as large as what the online pictures would have me believe. The LV ain't a bad lookin' tool.

I'll say it just flat out. I much prefer the LV to the LN. The controls and feel in my hand is much better to me in the LV. So much so that I regret getting the LN. The LN might be a bit better when I open the mouth a bit but even the relative ease in that operation is a selling point for the veritas. I'm seeing where I could do a lot with a couple of extra blades on the 4 1/2.

BTW, also used my Old Street jack in the mix some. It is a lot lighter but I do like the lower hold and overall ergonomics of the metal planes better (especially the LV).

Thoughts on my thoughts and comments welcome.

Bonus question: would it be untoward to see about sending the LN back if I don't bond with it soon and exchanging it for more of their chisels (which I do like)?

Tony, come on. A narrow jack vs. a wide-bodied smoother? With all due respect, are you joking? This is apples-to-oranges regardless of brand differences.

[Tony Wilkins]

I do realize that they are designed for different purposes Charlie. However, the control layout would be the same on the LV 5 1/4 with the same effect. I assume to that the tote comfort would be the same. And even though the 4 1/2 is primarily a smoother I was surprised how easily I could open the mouth and take a deeper cut (even without a cambered blade). I guess the long and the short of it is I preferred the design of the LV in areas where they would overlap and not be specifically for a certain purpose.

[Jim Koepke]

I do realize that they are designed for different purposes Charlie. However, the control layout would be the same on the LV 5 1/4 with the same effect. I assume to that the tote comfort would be the same.

This is why in the past it has often been suggested that if at all possible to try planes from different makers before spending one's money. When it comes to bench planes they will likely be pretty much the same though out a single maker's line.

Finding one LV plane comfortable with the controls to his liking, Tony is likely to find the others in the line to his liking. Just as finding an LN plane doesn't quite cut it for him, he is likely to not be overjoyed by the same thing in a different size.

For me, the Stanley/Bailey line feels good in my hands. The only real difference is the early totes have a bit more wood. For me, the totes from the type 9 era are to my liking.

jtk

[Adam Cruea]

I never let that stop me. Often I see it as a call to duty actually.
I would recommend the miter plane orrrrrrr . . . if you really want to get wild and crazy the No. 51 Shooting Board plane.

Hey, for a splurge buy, to me the No. 51 was well worth it.

I <3 my shooting plane. It got me off my butt to build a shooting board out of the spare hickory and scrap jatoba I have lying around. And it works beautifully. I just need to drill a hole to do mitres.

[Chris Vandiver]

Tony, come on. A narrow jack vs. a wide-bodied smoother? With all due respect, are you joking? This is apples-to-oranges regardless of brand differences.

I agree with Charles. The original post seemed like some sort of weird trolling to me.

[Charlie Stanford]

Got my LN #5 yesterday afternoon and got my LV #4 1/2 (BD) on Friday afternoon. This morning was my first chance to set them up and use them in anger on wood. I was quite surprised by what I found. First, the difference in the 'prettiness' of the tool was not as large as what the online pictures would have me believe. The LV ain't a bad lookin' tool.

I'll say it just flat out. I much prefer the LV to the LN. The controls and feel in my hand is much better to me in the LV. So much so that I regret getting the LN. The LN might be a bit better when I open the mouth a bit but even the relative ease in that operation is a selling point for the veritas. I'm seeing where I could do a lot with a couple of extra blades on the 4 1/2.

BTW, also used my Old Street jack in the mix some. It is a lot lighter but I do like the lower hold and overall ergonomics of the metal planes better (especially the LV).

Thoughts on my thoughts and comments welcome.

Bonus question: would it be untoward to see about sending the LN back if I don't bond with it soon and exchanging it for more of their chisels (which I do like)?

By the way, you went from a "rough first impression" in the title of the thread to a "flat out" conclusion by your second paragraph. Please, put the Tiger Beat magazines down for a day or two. Seriously, take a deep breath. Maybe you feel the window to ask for an exchange is closing. Really, that whole aspect of it will be less tawdry if you make a more informed comparison over a few more days. If you end up liking the L-V set up more that's cool. They make nice planes. At the moment, it seems like you can't make up your mind about going to the prom with the captain of the football team or the star of the basketball squad or you wouldn't have even started the thread. The Lie-Nielsen plane would have already been sent packing.

It's clear that you have a budget for the hobby worth working with: Lee Valley, Lie-Nielsen, Old Street (must have ordered that one a while ago, eh?) I assume (hope) your lumber stocks are equally drool worthy. Knock out a little box or something and if your mind doesn't change during the build THEN send the L-N plane back.

You appear to own two jack planes - the LV and woodie from Old Street, and a 4 1/2, at least at the moment. This is a bit of an odd grouping. What others do you have? What did you need from the metal jack that the Old Street tool wasn't able to deliver?

[David Weaver]

If you exchanged the ln #5 for chisels, that's not a bad move. You can find a decent vintage jack plane for 20 or 30 bucks. Just use the chisels and ignore magazine and blog articles about chisels after you get them and form your own opinion.

Charlie's point about lumber is a good one, though. Find a decent local sawyer if you can so you can get respectably sawn wood from the same tree and still pay half of a retailers charges for stacks of common low density garbage, and do a search on craigslist for "lumber" or "rough" lumber and treat yourself to inexpensive quality lumber.

[Tony Wilkins]

Regarding lumber. I've got some walnut and cherry I got from a local sawyer before we moved in December. I also ordered some 8/4 walnut from wall once I got here for the table legs I'm working on. Haven't found a good local source for lumber here yet but we'll move again soon when I retire and I know a good place back home. Probably will order some maple for a moxon vise to help me with work holding before I move though.

Charlie, you are correct that I did feel I needed to make a decision on the plane sooner rather than later. I didn't want to use it heavily and then return it. Can you tone down the tenor of your comments though. I'm not trolling just looking for more sage advice. I've literally been waiting to do this hobby since being a teenager but never had the time/money; now I have a bit of both but still want to be wise. Perhaps I'm thinking of it too much, but I also want to find what works best with the limited abilities (physical) that I have now to maximize my enjoyment and productivity.

[Hilton Ralphs]

Tony, out of interest, what other hand planes do you have?