Asian Hollows and Rounds??

[Frederick Skelly]

Anyone tried the Asian Hollows and Rounds that Lee Valley sells? Frankly, I don't know what to think. They are selling a set of 12 for $249. If this was Woodcraft, I'd dismiss it immediately. But it's LV. The part number is 07p16.50.

What do you make of these - worth having or "pass"?

Thanks,
Fred

[Nicholas Lingg]

They are small 6 1/4" long and is the size a radius or diameter?

[Jim Belair]

If I recall comments when they were first carried, they are less of a circle than western H&R's, which I think are 1/6th. You could always buy a couple and see if they meet your needs.

[Jim Belair]

... is the size a radius or diameter?

As per chart on website "sole radius"

[Tom M King]

Of the twenty or so I bought off ebay from the UK, I have one that chatters. It had a replacement wedge in it that I couldn't tell in the pictures. I probably could fix it, but just bought another one the same size for less than 20 bucks, which was the most I paid for any of them. I've had good luck with molding planes from the UK. It seems they don't keep them in barns there like they end up here.

[Johannes Becker]

I tried a few. I have no previous experience with HRs so please take my comments with a grain of salt. I got two pairs with a smaller radius from LV and I could make them work for a project. However, the wood on the lee valley ones is soft, the fit of the iron is marginal in terms of positioning in the plane body and the irons did not fit the profile exactly. So that is when I started to venture into trying to shape and sharpen them which improved them a bit. However, in the end I bought a few pairs of HRs from Patrick Leach. After sharpening and tuning the end result is a much better plane. Part of that is the plane (I paid about double the price per plane buying from a knowledgeable dealer) and part probably the additional experience I gained in tuning the LVs. If you want to give the LV planes a try I would recommend first buying a pair to try before springing for the set.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the insights.
Gotta go "ponder".
Fred

[Nicholas Lingg]

I've got a #55 plane if I get the correct cutters will it do the same thing?

[Jim Koepke]

I have never tried the LV planes. They look to have a much different design than the western hollows & rounds. It looks like the rounds could only go so deep before the planes design prevents it from going any further.

Currently I am smitten by my recent purchase of a bunch of H & Rs. Trying to find a way to use them on just about everything including firewood.

I've got a #55 plane if I get the correct cutters will it do the same thing?

The #55 can do some of the things a hollow or round plane can do. It is limited in that it doesn't have a sole to ride on a corner if one were rounding over a corner. It is a bit hard to set the adjustable skate to the center of the blade and then ride the corner. You might be able to do a slight chamfer on the corner and have better control.

Like so many multi-purpose tools, the #55 can do many of the tasks, not as easily and sometimes not as well as a tool that was made to do a single task.

jtk

[Tom M King]

I have a couple of 55's that I use when I dont' have the right molding plane. It never works as good as a dedicated molding plane, but is a very handy thing to have. Another benefit of the H and R's, is you can go either direction with one, where you have to be more particular in choosing the piece of wood for a multi plane.

Snipe bills are hard to do without sometimes too if the molding requires a quirk, but harder to find at a decent price.

[Chuck Nickerson]

They look to have a much different design than the western hollows & rounds. It looks like the rounds could only go so deep before the planes design prevents it from going any further.
jtk

This is the keeper. I have a few of the Asian H&Rs from Japan Woodworker and a set of western H&R's. The sides of western H&R's are shaped to allow working right up to faces and fillets, the Asian ones are not. Reworking the sides of the Asian H&R's is sometimes possible but there's not always enough wood there.