Member
Derek, I believe you are paying for the versatility in the Walke Moore router plane. Not only can it be set up as open or closed throat, the cutter mechanism can be swapped with either of the handles, useful for cleaning long tenons I imagine. Not sure why they went with bronze though, ductile iron would be more durable.
Contributor
Hi Trevor
I do not see the point of this versatility. I use router planes a lot. Even make them. Inlay, stopped rebates, grooves, dados, hinge mortices ... I swap between a large LV and a small woodie I made. You can turn the blade to an outboard position on the LV router planes as well. I've just never needed to use them this way.
Keep in mind that WM advertise their router plane at $280-320 (USD) and the LV Large is $159 (USD). The LV Medium is $109, and the LV Small is $55. Hell, you could purchase all three LV router planes for the one WM (with one blade)!
Regards from Perth
Derek
Member
Fair enough. I have a LV large router plane sitting in a box next to me that I haven't had a chance to use because I've been swamped by study all year
Happy with the LV. The LN felt awkward BUT, this is very dependent on your hands, arm length, stance, etc.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Member
thanks guys I was leaning toward the LV.
now all I have to do is tell Santa.
Contributor
It seems I went against the trend by getting the LN. I have both the 71 and the little 271, and I think they'll do whatever I'll ever need. Nothing against the LV. It appears to be a very nice plane.
Originally Posted by Michael L. Martin
Not at all. the "best" hand tool for the job is the one that fits best in your hands ;-) Out here on the left coast I don't get to try LV and LN side by side anymore ;-( Good thing I'm already pretty well fitted out.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
Paul Sellers himself finds the LV large router a great tool to use and has written about it on his blog.
Any router that can only be used with one cutter can't claim to be versatile in my book. I have used LV's to cut stopped grooves, clean up dados, fine tune tenons, cut hinge mortises, and fit inlays. I can't think of a job that it is not "versatile" enough to handle as compared to any other brands.
As regards attraction, I actually find the shape of MW unattractive and its size too large. Even if it were priced the same as a LV's, I wouldn't root for it.
Simon
Member
I think that the LV planes offer much better value for the money, but let me play devils' advocate a tiny bit:
With the blade moved to either of the end locations the WM provides the functionality of a hinge mortise plane. You could therefore argue that an appropriate comparison would be to the LV Large Router ($159) plus the LV Hinge Mortise plane ($149). For somebody who buys into that comparison it doesn't look so bad.
Of course the real problem both in general and for their target market is the lack of irons. I understand that you can cut grooves into L-N irons and use them, but I suspect that the sort of people would would pay $300 for a router plane aren't going to be into that sort of thing.
Member
I would expect WM to introduce an array of blades in the near future. (If I were running their show, I'd announce the plan sooner rather than later, so their market doesn't turn to LV or LN before they can get their offering together.) Call it logic, call it common sense, call it what you will. It has to happen if the WM people aren't a little touched in the head. Silly to have people bemoaning the lack. Even sillier if they don't have such a plan.
Fair winds and following seas,
Jim Waldron
Contributor
To try to answer your questions Derek, this plane is not for everyone. There are some advantages to the longer length providing better support. Being bronze it will not rust (except for the cutter all other metal is stainless). The handles being further apart feels better to me. The castings are chosen to be defect free.
As it can utilize any of the L-V cutters, neither has the advantage there. Yes, the L-V has a better fence. Yes, the L-V and all the Stanley's too can have a base added to make them longer.
As a two man shop you really can't expect them to have as big a selection as the big boys. So far they have only had a preliminary run and have not gone into full production. It takes time and money. I applaud their efforts.
A real question is why anybody really needs a router. You can do the same things with a chisel or plane. The router only makes certain tasks easier.
About the price. Consider your friend Chris Vespers bevel gages. The L-V ones do the same job at a much lower cost. Either can do a fine job. So can a wooden shop made one.
However, sometimes a tool looks beautiful, feels good, and also functions well. The W-M router is in this category.
Contributor
Hi Eric
I have no beef with the detail work and construction of this Preston rebuild. They appear to do a great job. I also applaud them for taking the risk of manufacture. It is unlikely that this is going to be made in sufficient numbers to be competitive with either LV or LN. It is also twice the price of the large router planes from these two companies. My criticism is that the design, itself, does not offer much as a working tool. I may have chosen a different model of router plane, however, such as smaller version.
I will disagree with you about the value of a router plane (vs a chisel). Yes, one can use a chisel. But, yes, there are many work-arounds for a large number of tasks. I find a router plane to be an incredibly useful tool.
The comparison of Chris Vesper's sliding bevel with one from LV? I have not used the one from LV. I have used a number of other makes. The Vesper sliding bevel is not just good looking; it is very solid (e.g. a thick and hard steel blade that will resist damage). It is the easiest to adjust, and has the most secure locking mechanism of all I have used to date. Whether one can argue that it offers value-for-money depends on the funds one has available for spending on woodworking tools.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Member
StanleyNo.71Plane1.jpg
This is my large hand router plane. It has screw holes for a wooden sole, I have attached one. I have the full assortment of irons that I was able to buy online. I think I bought the irons from Lee Valley.
It's been years since I did that.
I have considered making a guide for it to be used when making slots. I've never pursued the idea, but maybe I will resurrect the idea.
Last edited by lowell holmes; 10-05-2016 at 12:03 PM.
[OP]
Member
I can give several examples of why a router plane excels - just think of any recessed surface that you want flat and a guaranteed depth, or any slot or groove longer than your chisel.A real question is why anybody really needs a router. You can do the same things with a chisel or plane. The router only makes certain tasks easier.
Member
Robert,
The reason we need a router plane is that we need one of each tool.
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