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Thread: What sized shoulder plane for my first?

  1. #1
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    What sized shoulder plane for my first?

    Hey everyone! I've got an opinion question to ask of you. I currently own (2) hand planes(4 if you count the two low quality ones that I never use). They are:

    Stanley 4 1/2 and the Lee Valley Apron block plane. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a Veritas shoulder plane from Lee Valley, but I Can't decide between the medium and large.

    http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...90&cat=1,41182

    Any reason in particular I should be considering one over the other? Also, by all means, if there's a plane I've overlooked, please make that suggestion too.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    I ordered a LV large sent it back and got the medium and after 1 project regretted doing it.
    I kept it and ended up getting a large from LN.

    Diff is mostly the mass. The large is definitely a much heavier tool (which can be an advantage).

    For me, it seems I reach for the large one 90% of the time unless its rabbet or stub tenons.

  3. #3
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    Just my
    2¢ Two Cents.png.

    Looking at the two it seems the medium is designed to be useful cleaning the bottom of dados made for the common size of material available for shelving and such.

    The large shoulder plane would be more useful at smoothing the cheeks of a tenon or tuning rebates.

    As far as tuning a shoulder on a tenon, how wide will your tenon shoulders be?

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
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    I have an LN medium. It works fine on most shoulders except for small one under 1" . It is good for most rebates. I don't use it for tenon cheeks, on those I use my large router or if big one like you would use on a bench or something similar I use a 78.
    Jim

  5. #5
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    If you want to use it on tenon cheeks you definitely want the large. That said I prefer my lv medium for just about everything else, so I'd get that size if you have other means/preferences for trimming tenon cheeks.
    Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...

  6. #6
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    I have a LV 1" shoulder i use for everything and i love. If i only had one shoulder plane it would be the 1". I do have the 3/4" whhich i use a great deal as well. But the one inch is my go to.

    of course, this really is contingent on what kind of woodworking you do. I do a lot of traditional joinery, M+T, rabbets, the like.
    Paul

  7. #7
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    Large......

  8. #8
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    I'll be contrary. Medium. I don't us it for cheeks (router plane) and seldom cut greater than 3/4" shoulders.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Dowell View Post
    Hey everyone! I've got an opinion question to ask of you. I currently own (2) hand planes(4 if you count the two low quality ones that I never use). They are:

    Stanley 4 1/2 and the Lee Valley Apron block plane. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a Veritas shoulder plane from Lee Valley, but I Can't decide between the medium and large.

    http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...90&cat=1,41182

    Any reason in particular I should be considering one over the other? Also, by all means, if there's a plane I've overlooked, please make that suggestion too.

    Thanks!
    What do you need one for? If you can answer that you should be able to decide easily. If you can't I bet you don't need one.

  10. #10
    I like the LV medium.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  11. #11
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    I probably use the LV medium more often and it is a joy to use. I have the large as well, and for . . . well, larger things like tenon cheeks, it is preferred. I find the medium handy for more things and if I could only have one, that would be it. I find the large superior for tenons.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  12. #12
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    Mine are Records that I bought new. I've never owned a medium one. I have a large and small. The small is great for when you need it, but the large has been used twenty times at least for every use of the small. It all depends on what you are doing.

  13. #13
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    I have the LV medium one mainly for utility work cleaning dado grooves and such. I have arthritis in my hands and the peg thingy really makes a difference holding it. Love this plane.

  14. #14
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    Thank you all for the input. I don't really *need* one if I'm being honest. But, there have been many times when I've wanted to clean up a right angle inside corner. Of course, now I can't remember all the times I've said "man, I really need to get a shoulder plane for this", but I'm sure there have been many. I've got some Lee Valley gift cards so I was thinking of treating myself and a shoulder plane popped up as a good idea.

  15. #15
    Already posted but I'll post again something to think about.
    The think is, shoulder planes are supposed to be for tweaking ..... tenon shoulders & rabbets, right?
    Not really for tenon faces, but that's what a lot of us use them for. Thing is, the only advantage is getting in the corner.

    I'm planning to add the rabbet block plane LN offers to my repertoire and looking back, I would get it before the lg. shoulder plane.

    This is for the kind of work I'm doing. Your req's may be different.

    I've found I rarely deal with tenon shoulders over 3/8" but I frequently deal with tenons over 2" long so I'm using the lg shoulder plane mostly for fitting tenons faces.

    In summary, I think the best combo for tenon work is a medium shoulder plane and a block rabbet plane.

    As far as other planes in your arsenal, in addition to the 4 1/2 (which I have the LN version of and absolutely love) I find a standard #4 to be useful also. Sometimes the 4 1/2 just gets a little heavy. I keep a back bevelled bladed on the #4 and I like it for adverse grain.

    The other plane I use probably 75% of the time is a #6 Wood River, and I also love that especially for face planing boards under 18".

    A bevel up jack plane I find very handy for endgrain work like paring dovetail ends in drawers, although a LA block is good, too.

    In addition to a block plane (both regular and LA) a small block plane like a 102 is quite handy, also.

    The only other plane would be a 7 or 8 jointer.

    What I've done is purchased planes as I think I need them for a project, for example, spokeshaves or apron planes.

    Hope this helps.

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