Christmas money - help me pick out my new hand plane!!!

[Mike Dowell]

Mike, since you are primarily interested in building boxes, the LAS is the largest plane you can use. Actually, the SBUS would be a better size for planing edges, but it would not shoot as well as the LAS. And, yes, you will want to shoot ends once you learn how this will increase the accuracy and the ease of your dimensioning.

With regards blades, my recommendation is to only get 25 degree bevels. Add the bevel angle of your choice. You will have greater flexibility this way, but importantly sharpening will be easier.

I assume that that you will be using a honing guide (which one do you use?). Honing guides work on the principle that a secondary bevel reduces the amount of steel that needs to be honed. In other words, there is less steel to remove by adding a 38 degree secondary bevel to a 25 degree primary bevel, than honing the full face of a 38 degree bevel. I know that Lee Valley sell a range of blades - it seems tempting that this is a shortcut. It is not. Just get blades with a 25 degree bevel. As mentioned earlier, I only use 2 blades: shooting at 25 degrees and planing at 50 degrees.

25 degrees for end grain
38 degrees for mild-moderate straight face grain
50 degrees for interlocked face grain

For more details on honing BU blades, an article I wrote several years ago: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...aneBlades.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

I use a LV MK II honing guide. So are you saying to get the BU plane, and one extra 25 degree blade, then take that blade and bevel it to 50 degrees?

[Derek Cohen]

I use a LV MK II honing guide. So are you saying to get the BU plane, and one extra 25 degree blade, then take that blade and bevel it to 50 degrees?

Yes.

To be clear, add a 50 degree secondary micro bevel to the second blade. And the plane of choice is the LAS.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John Schtrumpf]

Just to remove any ambiguity for you:

LAS = Veritas® Low-Angle Smooth Plane

That plane has machined sides, so it can be used for shooting.

[Mike Dowell]

Just to remove any ambiguity for you:

LAS = Veritas® Low-Angle Smooth Plane

That plane has machined sides, so it can be used for shooting.

I appreciate the ambiguity removal. I did in fact know what he meant by LAS, but admittedly, I do get very easily lost in the acronyms once they start flying. LAS, BU, SBUS(still haven't figured this one out), LV, LN - wow... we really make a lot of shortcuts!

[Brian Holcombe]

Mike,

Apologies that I'm late to the party. If you have not purchased a plane I recommend a #4 with a cap iron, either LV or LN. It will be an incredibly useful tool both in your personal life (well....your hobby that is, it won't help your relationship) and in your business. Smoothing with a properly set cap iron goes a lot faster than sanding! If you plan to have a Minimax 12 J/P (get a 16!) for the rough work then you will likely be gluing up and smoothing, or just smoothing.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Mike,

Apologies that I'm late to the party. If you have not purchased a plane I recommend a #4 with a cap iron, either LV or LN. It will be an incredibly useful tool both in your personal life (well....your hobby that is, it won't help your relationship) and in your business. Smoothing with a properly set cap iron goes a lot faster than sanding! If you plan to have a Minimax 12 J/P (get a 16!) for the rough work then you will likely be gluing up and smoothing, or just smoothing.

I love this place. Four pages, lord only knows how many days, and we are back to the BU/BD issue that came up on day one. And the OP has two very experienced members pointing in opposite directions! I happen to agree with Brian about BU versus BD, but all of these "what should I buy" threads illustrate how tool preferences depend so much on the individual. Some people hate the combination planes. I like mine. Some people use wooden planes for firewood, I just spent a morning using my wooden jack and can't think of anything it can't do as well or better than my Stanley. Lots of people love the Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley tools, I can't stomach the thought of spending that much on a chisel regardless of what kind of unobtanium it is made of. At $75-$100 each, they ought to sharpen themselves and make coffee to boot! But we each have our preferences, and that is what makes life interesting (or exasperating depending on your point of view).

Mike Dowell, I don't think you can go all that wrong with either recommendation. Both LV and LN hold their resale value well from what I can tell, and if you keep it waxed or oiled, don't start sandpapering the sole or doing something else to screw it up, you should be able to resell either and get a good part of your money back if you decide you want to go the other direction. Do whatever experiments you want with the blade, at worst somebody can regrind it or buy a brand new one for $30.

[lowell holmes]

I took classes from Paul while he was at Waco, Texas. I find his methods tend to work.

I have adjusted bevel angle on plane irons to minimize tear out.

It is not magic, but it can be affective under some conditions.

[Mike Dowell]

I love this place. Four pages, lord only knows how many days, and we are back to the BU/BD issue that came up on day one. And the OP has two very experienced members pointing in opposite directions! I happen to agree with Brian about BU versus BD, but all of these "what should I buy" threads illustrate how tool preferences depend so much on the individual. Some people hate the combination planes. I like mine. Some people use wooden planes for firewood, I just spent a morning using my wooden jack and can't think of anything it can't do as well or better than my Stanley. Lots of people love the Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley tools, I can't stomach the thought of spending that much on a chisel regardless of what kind of unobtanium it is made of. At $75-$100 each, they ought to sharpen themselves and make coffee to boot! But we each have our preferences, and that is what makes life interesting (or exasperating depending on your point of view).

Mike Dowell, I don't think you can go all that wrong with either recommendation. Both LV and LN hold their resale value well from what I can tell, and if you keep it waxed or oiled, don't start sandpapering the sole or doing something else to screw it up, you should be able to resell either and get a good part of your money back if you decide you want to go the other direction. Do whatever experiments you want with the blade, at worst somebody can regrind it or buy a brand new one for $30.

Well DANG! My problem(I have many, but I'm referring strictly to the plane-related) is that I don't have much plane experience. I love the hell out of my apron plane, and that of course, is a low angle, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to just go with that since it's so familiar.

[Brian Holcombe]

The only way to gain experience is to first get in a little too deep The path is rewarding.

[Phil Mueller]

Since moving into the foray of planes, I've been all over the place...part of the fun. My first real plane purchase was a LN #4. Being a novice, I couldn't really get it to where I "loved" it. Bought a LN 62...and it quickly became my go to plane for everything. Sold the LN #4 for about 90% of what I paid...cheep "rent" in my mind. Picked up a vintage Stanley #5 and now it's become my go to. Found a few woodies at a garage sale, resoled them and still haven't gotten comfortable with them yet. Will likely try one of those Japanese things Brian uses at some point.

My point is, this will likely not be your last purchase and you may very well move from one thing to the next over time as you continue to work with planes. I've enjoyed the journey. As Brian pointed out, it can be deep hole...but nothing you should lose sleep over. Go on...go to the website, click the box, enter your cc, and hit confirm. Then have some fun with it for awhile.

[Derek Cohen]

Mike, let me make this easier for you ...

Get the LAS. It is the right plane for you at the stage of your handplane use. The LAS is a point-and-shoot plane that will have a lot in common with the block plane you like so much. The low centre of gravity increases control, which is important on small parts, such as boxes. The LAS excells on a shooting board.

The LN #4 is an excellent smoother .... my personal preference is for a #3, which I have and enjoy using ... but it will come with a learning curve. This involves setting the chipbreaker to master tearout. The #4 has a higher centre of gravity, and is better on larger boards. It is not in the same class as the LAS on a shooting board.

The dilemma you experience is that you want to get the purchase of this plane right first time. One day you may want a #4, but my reading of the situation is that you will find the LAS more satisfying right now.

Regads from Perth

Derek

[Pat Barry]

Derek, Wouldn't the SBUS fit his needs better? Its smaller, lighter, same low angle. It would do everything he asked for.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Pat

The SBUS is a nice plane - very similar to the LAS (but smaller, Mike, close to a #2 size), and a bit more like a larger block plane. I don't see it as a large enough step up from a block plane. The SBUS can be used on a shooting board, but it does not carry the mass, the authority there that the LAS does. I do see shooting as important for someone who makes boxes, and one of the reasons for pushing the LAS. One might then question 'why not the LAJ' (Low Angle Jack, Mike)? The LAJ is terrific on the shooting board - in a class of its own - but would be too large for boxes. It is more of a dimensioning plane and Mike does his dimensioning with machines. Consequently, a smoother-size is the better choice.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Prashun Patel]

The las does not share the same blade size as the la jack or la jointer so if sharing the blades between the planes you might buy in the future, know that. The bevel up smoother (not the small one) does have the same blade as the jack and jointer.

[John Schtrumpf]

The las does not share the same blade size as the la jack or la jointer so if sharing the blades between the planes you might buy in the future, know that. The bevel up smoother (not the small one) does have the same blade as the jack and jointer.

The Bevel-Up Smoother doesn't have the machined sides, so not a good shooting plane.