Visited Lie Nielsen in Warren and went on the factory tour too.

[Hasin Haroon]

A few weeks ago I posted asking if Lie Nielsen still did their showroom discount. When the wife and I were in Maine a week ago we made the drive out to Warren. Kicked off my showroom and factory tour with a fire drill (there was an alarm going off). The factory tour was very cool, the attention to detail and quality imbued in all of their processes is fantastic, very similar to what I saw at Lee Valley/Veritas factory tour down to the same equipment testing each tool in the quality assurance/control department as at Veritas, though Lie Nielsen production seems to be at a much smaller scale. Highlight for me was watching their resident saw sharpener hand sharpening each saw at a homemade wooden vise. Just amazing.

The showroom itself was beautiful, with all the tools out and available ready and sharpened for use. The employees are good at giving you space while you try the tools out, which I really appreciated - I find it very annoying having someone hover over the other end of a bench while I try out a tool at other stores. The showroom also had a couple chairs made by Peter Galbert, just beautifully made and super comfortable.

I left the showroom much much poorer. As a Canadian, having Lee Valley in my city, selling tools of the same quality for quite a bit cheaper (because of shipping and exchange rates - I think LN prices are well warranted and the tools are well worth it) I usually find it tough to justify buying from LN, and I like to support local manufacturing whenever I can. But being there and seeing the tools in hand and getting them for a discount justified it for me, and I probably spent more than I should have! Another bonus - they let me go through a few of each tool to pick the handles and totes I liked...I can be silly that way. And one more thing - their bronze bench planes are just things of beauty.

[Frederick Skelly]

That sounds like a great trip Hasin. I hope to get there some day, and also to LV.

So. What did you buy?
Fred

[Hasin Haroon]

Frederick, it was well worth the trip. I got a No. 7, a No. 4 bronze (55 degrees) and a No. 62 and a toothed blade.
My wife got the boar bristle brush.

[Jim Koepke]

Frederick, it was well worth the trip. I got a No. 7, a No. 4 bronze (55 degrees) and a No. 62 and a toothed blade.
My wife got the boar bristle brush.

Wow, in the future just looking at the handles you chose will likely be a source of many smiles.

We need a green smiley face that looks like envy or jealousy.

jtk

[Tony Shea]

Sounds like a great trip Frederick. I unfortunately live just over an hour away from that place and they have certainly received a many paychecks from me. But I have no problem paying the price for their tools as you really do get what you pay for with their stuff. I prefer their bench chisels, planes, and saws vs. most of their competitors. I own many of other tools from their competitors but for some reason always come back to Lie Nielsen's stuff. I agree, their bronze smoothing planes are certainly works of functional art!

[Don Orr]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the visit. Pictures?

[Kevin Perez]

... and a No. 62 and a toothed blade.

I love, love my 62. I don't have the toothed blade, but I have a high angle and a standard angle blade for it. Every time I use it I smile.

[Shawn Pixley]

Frederick, it was well worth the trip. I got a No. 7, a No. 4 bronze (55 degrees) and a No. 62 and a toothed blade.
My wife got the boar bristle brush.

You’ll love the #7. Everytime I use mine, I swear it becomes my favorite plane.

Sounds fun!

[ken hatch]

Hasin,

Brings back good memories. Back in the early '80's I spent a lot of time in Maine with nothing to do. My co-pilot and i had a pretty set routine. We would have coffee and cookies on the dock in Camden, then drive to Warren stopping at the "Old Hippy Tool Seller", and the Maine Coon Cat and German Sheppard Puppy Farm for some puppy love before visiting the LN store. At that time there were not too many tools available but it was always a great visit.

If we ever have a beer together I will have to tell about meeting a small pickup truck on the road with a large draft Horse in the bed and the horse's ass end pointing into the wind. Both of us almost lost it laughing so hard.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

If we ever have a beer together I will have to tell about meeting a small pickup truck on the road with a large draft Horse in the bed and the horse's ass end pointing into the wind. Both of us almost lost it laughing so hard.

Horses do not like wind, they'll stand still for long times, but will turn their backside to the wind if they can.

jtk