Decent shoulder plane for the money?

[Mike Henderson]

Ok so I'm leaning toward a LN, is the PM-V11 blade material worth the extra $10?

I think so.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I have the medium and the large. I bought the medium first because folks who's opinion I respect said "if you only get one, make it the medium". They were right and it was great all on its own until Christmas got me the large. If I had to live with only one it would be the medium for the versatility. Ask for the large for your birthday .

As to the PM-V11, once I had the first cutter made with it, I was sold. I always get it when available. Sharpens easily and really does hold an edge longer; it is obvious enough that even a mostly-tailed-woodworker like me can tell the difference. It is not a subtle difference at all.

[paul cottingham]

I have an LV medium shoulder and an LV large shoulder. Love them both. If I only had one, it would likely be the large. But in many ways, the 3/4 probably has more utility.

[Derek Cohen]

I will fly in the face of others. I have the Small (1/2"), Medium (3/4") and Large (1 1/4") Veritas models. They are all excellent, and more comfortable to hold and easier to set up than the LN equivalents.

Now, as to the size: my absolute favourite of these shoulder planes is the Small (1/2"). It is so comfortable to hold. I use it to clean up rebates, which are rarely wider or deeper than 1/2". Ditto shoulders of tenons - in fact, a wide/Large shoulder plane does not balance well here.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Wilkins]

Derek, why do you say the LV are easier to adjust than the LN? I haven't held an LN but have a Med LV and the adjusters look similar other than the set screws in the LV body.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Tony

There are two main reasons: firstly, the set screws in the body of the LV enable the blade to be removed for sharpening and then reset in the exact previous position. This is helpful with a shoulder plane, which needs to be set up with the blade exactly square and with the correct side projection. Secondly, The LV shoulder planes are more comfortable to push than the LN shoulder planes. The Medium and Large both have handles that pivot and make this process more ergonomic on the left- and right sides. The Small additionally has a blade adjuster, which the LN Small lacks (it is an infill).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Houghton]

I have a Record 042 shoulder plane, the plane on which LN has based its series, and an LV medium shoulder plane. The Record sits and looks pretty; the LV is so much easier to handle. I may someday get a Lee Valley large, roughly equivalent to the Record in size, but, for now, LV's medium plane has served me quite well for the work I've been doing with it.

As to bullnose planes: I have two (Record 077 and Stanley 90J), and use them now and again. There are applications in which they're the perfect tool, but, lacking one, I could get there with careful chisel work. I see a bullnose plane as a Tier 3 tool, or thereabouts - you buy the tools in the first two tiers first.

[Chris Hachet]

I think so.

Mike

I would agree.

[Chris Hachet]

Hi Tony

There are two main reasons: firstly, the set screws in the body of the LV enable the blade to be removed for sharpening and then reset in the exact previous position. This is helpful with a shoulder plane, which needs to be set up with the blade exactly square and with the correct side projection. Secondly, The LV shoulder planes are more comfortable to push than the LN shoulder planes. The Medium and Large both have handles that pivot and make this process more ergonomic on the left- and right sides. The Small additionally has a blade adjuster, which the LN Small lacks (it is an infill).

Regards from Perth

Derek

I Think they discontinued the infill, unless their website is wrong. I pull up a standard style shoulder plane when I pull up small on their website.

[paul cottingham]

I should mention that I have a friend who vastly prefers his LN shoulder planes to the LV. In fact, I got my LV large from him when he bought the LN. He has MS, and finds the LN much more comfortable. I don't get it, but I got a large LV shoulder at a very reasonable price out of the deal.

[John Sanford]

... in fact, a wide/Large shoulder plane does not balance well here.

Regards from Perth

Derek

That's because Veritas designed them to balance properly when gravity is oriented in the correct fashion. Its not designed for your upside down gravity.

[Tony Wilkins]

I should mention that I have a friend who vastly prefers his LN shoulder planes to the LV. In fact, I got my LV large from him when he bought the LN. He has MS, and finds the LN much more comfortable. I don't get it, but I got a large LV shoulder at a very reasonable price out of the deal.

I have nerve damage and it reacts similar to MS. I try to look closely for things that may be more or less comfortable for me to hold.

[Brett Luna]

I have nerve damage and it reacts similar to MS. I try to look closely for things that may be more or less comfortable for me to hold.

I have RA (well managed) and while it certainly isn't MS, I keep ergonomics in mind as well. Both the large and medium LV shoulder planes work well in my hands...but then I've never put my paws on the LN flavor.

[Patrick Chase]

Derek, why do you say the LV are easier to adjust than the LN? I haven't held an LN but have a Med LV and the adjusters look similar other than the set screws in the LV body.

While I normally don't consider those screws to be that significant of a feature, they make a huge difference in flush-cutting planes (skew block, skew rabbet, jack rabbet, bullnose, block). Being able to plop your blade back in and have it register perfectly to the side is a big time saver.

Of course the catch is that you really only get that benefit if you use a honing guide or have come up with some similar way to ensure that you always sharpen the edge to the same angle (preferably 90 deg). If the edge skews as a result of sharpening then the screw settings lose their validity.

[Patrick Chase]

I will fly in the face of others. I have the Small (1/2"), Medium (3/4") and Large (1 1/4") Veritas models. They are all excellent, and more comfortable to hold and easier to set up than the LN equivalents.

Now, as to the size: my absolute favourite of these shoulder planes is the Small (1/2"). It is so comfortable to hold. I use it to clean up rebates, which are rarely wider or deeper than 1/2". Ditto shoulders of tenons - in fact, a wide/Large shoulder plane does not balance well here.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Interesting... I have exactly the same planes (and the bullnose for good measure) and have exactly the opposite preference: I prefer the large, followed by the medium. I only use the small if the work is small enough that the others would be too ponderous. Part of it may be that I've never really gotten the hang of doing shoulders one-handed (which is the small's "super power").