Lie-Nielsen Plow Plane

[Anthony Moumar]

I have had no problem with my Plow plane and the depth stop works without any roughing up. Do some of you hold the tool too tight and too hard down? If the cutter is sharp, there is no need too press the tool too hard down and the force should be on the pushing.

So far, none of my projects couldn't be handled by the so called small plow and I don't see any need for a large one as in those odd cases, I would turn to my tailed router.

Finally, had I waited for the LN plow to come out, I would not have had any plow plane experience for the past three years. LN has kept us in the dark on this and like other new product releases in the past, their record of timing hasn't been good, to say the least. Still waiting to hear more about the new honing jig. It may not be a fair comparison, but when one sees a prototype tool at a LV booth in shows, one can tell the date you can order it is not years away. I can't justify waiting for a LN tool when the company is not telling me enough for me to decide if I should wait.

Simon

I had problems with the depth stop slipping when ploughing groves on small box sides and draws. Sometimes I feel the need to put extra pressure on top of the plane to stop it from tipping on pieces that are smaller than the plan. I just gave it a quick rub with some 80 grit sandpaper and haven't had it slip since.

The name "Small" plow plane does it a disservice. I've also never found it to be too small for for anything. I do put an auxiliary fence on it for larger tasks but I think that would a good idea on any plough plane. I've done tongue and groove joints on 1.8m long boards with no problems so I don't see any cases where it would be too small. I know I'm comparing apples to oranges but in my opinion the Small Plow is one of the best planes Veritas makes.

I'm glad I didn't decide to wait as well. In my opinion a company shouldn't announce something unless that can also give a solid date that it will be available. I love LN and hold their tools and customer service in high regard but I think they are letting themselves down a bit with the cat and mouse game that's occurred with both the honing jig and plough plane. I definitely think it's better to release a product later that meets their outstanding standards rather than release something that is half baked but some solid information from them would be nice.

[Jim Koepke]

I definitely think it's better to release a product later that meets their outstanding standards rather than release something that is half baked but some solid information from them would be nice.

The idea of taking a prototype to a show so they can get feedback from people who will possibly buy and use a plane is a lot better than putting something on the market and hearing, "if only it had... "

There could be a problem in production of design. A company would not be wise to release this kind of information as when it did come to market their announcement could come back to haunt them even though it had been corrected.

We see this kind of thing all the time when people are waiting for a new tool to come to market. We have LV and LN both not wanting to put a tool to market until it is ready. In one case LV released the Preston reproduction spokeshave on what may have been a hurried schedule. Rob Lee said this was a kind of promotional to introduce people to the PMv11 blades. It was also probably good for the Christmas shoppers. There were a few less than stellar reviews. Mine wasn't a great out of the box experience. So I spent a small amount of time fettling and now it is one of my favorite spokeshaves to use.

In contrast we have two other large tool makers Wood River and Stanley. People suggest the version 3 of Wood River planes are okay but there have been a few problems with chip breakers. Stanley had a delay on their release and then the items were problematic from the start.

I would rather have the patience to let a manufacturer get it right than to have to accept something that is flawed.

A little bit of fettling as with the LV spokeshave is fine with me.

Having a major flaw in the design foisted off on me is not something I can accept.

jtk

[Simon MacGowen]

I fully agree that a vendor shouldn't release a product that it thinks it is not ready and that applies to any product, including cars and parts (look at the predicament GM is now in). It is, however, not a good thing to do for a vendor to keep "testing" a new product in the public domain (tradeshows, e.g.); that should be done behind-the-scenes with "testers" -- in-house or external ones. Only when something that has gone through all the internal/external testing and reviews and changes needed and is in its final development stage (and that means within 6 months or 3 months of its release, depending on what it is) should it be on display for public comments or feedback.

I hope it is not really the case. But if the official reply to an inquiry about a launch/ready date from LN is that it is ready when it is ready, whoever wrote that reply needs to be taught how to produce customer-friendly letters.

I am lucky to have passed the reproduction spokeshave made by LV. Whether it was a QC issue or a production screw-up, I do not want to fix a tool when bought new. For the same reasons, I avoid WR planes.
Simon

[lowell holmes]

I bought the reproduction spoke shave when it was introduced. It came out of the box working with no issues. The only fettling required was honing the blade a bit.

[Jim Koepke]

I bought the reproduction spoke shave when it was introduced. It came out of the box working with no issues. The only fettling required was honing the blade a bit.

Surely I forgot:

YMMV!!!.jpg

jtk

[Peter Milano]

Sorry, it's ready when it's ready was my paraphrasing of the reply from LN. I didn't mean to say they were flip about it. The reply was very diplomatic and professional about not wanting to release an item before they had fully tested it etc. The same sentiment that has been expressed by several posts as being a positive. I translated ( summed up) their reply as it's ready when it's ready. Sorry if I gave a negative impression of the LN response it wasn't meant that way
Pete

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Reviving this from the dead rather than starting a new thread. Any word on the LN plough? It was supposed to be released right about now according to the interview with Thomas Lie-Nielsen on Shop Talk Live. I really need one and have been saving a gift certificate for months hoping to be buyer #1.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'm giving it another month or so then buying the veritas.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I would be perfectly happy with the Veritas but the LN prototype looked hefty. I like hefty. I would like to see what they offer as far as irons for it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Malcolm, when I was researching it last year, I was told that it was a sparse complement of blades. No TONGUE CREATING ability. Then again, a match plane takes care of that.

[Jim Koepke]

No grooving ability.

My brain must have fried. My understanding is that is exactly what a plow plane is supposed to do, make grooves of a predetermined size.

jtk

[paul cottingham]

My brain must have fried. My understanding is that is exactly what a plow plane is supposed to do, make grooves of a predetermined size.

jtk

i was thinking the same thing.

[Marc Seguin]

Perhaps he meant 'tonguing' ability ?

[Derek Cohen]

Just a reminder for those that did not see the thread that inclded this tip several months ago, if you are experiencing a slipping depth stop on a Veritas plane, such as the Small Plow, there is a simple and permanent fix ...

The problem is due to the high level of polish on the shaft. This prevents the clamp locking down tightly.

1. Sand the rod with 240 grit to remove the shine.

2. Add a slot to the knob so as to tighten/loosen with a screwdriver. This alone can make all the difference (I used a Dremel. You can use a hack saw).



Beyond this, the Veritas/LV is a wonderful, balanced and versatlie plough plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Sean Hughto]

Hey, Weaver-mon, I'd PM you but somehow can't - maybe due to "guest"? Wher you been and how you been?