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Thread: Let's talk about low angle jack planes

  1. #1
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    Mar 2016
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    New England (Connecticut)
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    Let's talk about low angle jack planes

    I've recently constructed a shooting board for my bench and quickly realized this is a great opportunity to tell the misses that I clearly "need" to buy a low angle jack plane

    I'd love to plop down for a Lie Nielsen or Veritas, if only money grew on trees....

    To that end, I've been looking at the current Stanley sweetheart version that can be had for $122 (price fluctuates on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002B56CUY...=1AERWKTKKN7QS

    Chris Schwartz review pointed me in this direction: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/w...ot-yet-perfect

    For the folks on here that have used all three low angle jack planes, is this one worth considering? Or should I save up for a high end version that costs more than double?

    Thanks,
    Chris
    Last edited by Chris Stephenson; 10-25-2017 at 10:26 AM.

  2. #2
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    Chris, I use the LV for shooting and am very happy with it - for that and many other purposes. I am sure they will all work. But there is one feature in the LV worth noting. There are small set screws that hold the blade side to side. I don't think it is required, but that feature helps me keep the blade in perfect alignment. When I shoot with a #4 or other plane, the blade can get bumped out of position. Granted, that is normally only a problem when I get dull... but it happens.

  3. #3
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    Using a low-angle jack plane on a shooting board is so last year. What you need is a shooting plane. http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/pag...182,48945&ap=1 Maybe you need a pair -- one left-hand, and one right-hand.

  4. #4
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    Dec 2008
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    I have an original and have had for many years. I have used the LN, Veritas, and new Stanley. If you can find a nice original, I think that is the way to go if you find a nice one. Something, something, history and all that. I would go with the LN next, then either the Veritas or the Stanley. Never saw need for the little jack screws, and I will often cock the blade on purpose for little tasks myself. Never had a problem with the blade staying where I put it.

    Besides shooting the #62's, no matter what brand are just great planes to have around. Second favorite to my LN low angle block.

  5. #5
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    Mar 2016
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    New England (Connecticut)
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    Bill - great feedback, i'm hoping to be in Maine in the coming months and will seek to stop by Lie Nielsen to try it out. My gut is telling me to veer away from the Stanely
    Owner - Christopher and Co. Woodcraft and Design

  6. #6
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    Jamie - I couldn't agree more, had the opportunity to try this at the last woodworking show, hence the drive to build a shooting board. However, I cannot simply take on the cost yet.
    Owner - Christopher and Co. Woodcraft and Design

  7. #7
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    Mar 2016
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    New England (Connecticut)
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    Larry - great feedback, seems like folks on here have an affinity for Lie Nielsen. I recently purchased their scrub plane and love it, guess there might be more LN purchases in my future.
    Owner - Christopher and Co. Woodcraft and Design

  8. #8
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    Chris,
    I have the newer Stanley, the LV low angle jack and the LV shooting plane (purchased over time in that order). For general shooting purposes, the LV shooting plane is my go to. It just works great. Especially after I installed a side guide on my shooting board.

    With that said, before getting the shooting plane, I used the LV low angle, and the Stanley. Both can work well.

    The Stanley iron does have a tendency to move. It has an inferior cap iron that must be locked down hard to keep the iron in place. It was certainly frustrating at first, but with a little perseverance once I had it set up and locked down (and sharp) it worked well. I kept it as a dedicated shooting plane for some time, which was quite convenient, before getting the LV shooting plane. I will also say that I was fortunate to get a Stanley with a very flat sole and accurate 90 degree sides (you can certainly compensate with iron angle, if not).

    The LV low angle jack is an excellent plane for a number of tasks. And as mentioned above, the side set screws keep the iron from moving side to side. Before I got the shooting plane, I still used the Stanley more for shooting, because it was all set up and ready to go. In fact, I still use the Stanley for some 45 degree shooting on my donkey’s ear shooting board.

    I won’t kid you, the Stanley can be frustrating. But then again, it’s a low cost entry that can get the job done. Also keep in mind, unlike the LV or even LN planes, there’s not much resale value in the Stanley. So it you do find you hate it, you won’t recoup a lot.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Stephenson View Post
    Bill - great feedback, i'm hoping to be in Maine in the coming months and will seek to stop by Lie Nielsen to try it out. My gut is telling me to veer away from the Stanely
    I stopped in there when they were still making planes in the old barn, very cool. You get to play at their benches with whatever plane you wish.

  10. #10
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    Colorful Colorado
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    I have a LN 62 that I love. It's great to get multiple blades for it with different bevel angles for easier or more difficult grain situations. I really like the LV set screws in planes, but the prior poster, I've never had an issue with the blade moving on me. It does take some trial and error tapping with a small hammer to get it straight after you remove the blade for sharpening, though.

  11. #11
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    Before LN and LV came out with specific shooting planes an LN #62 was bought for use on my shooting board. My one recommendation is to also purchase or make a hot dog if you are going to use it for shooting. It makes things work so much easier.

    Here is a post on putting together my ambidextrous shooting board:

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...44777-Oh-Shoot!

    It has a few other tips on shooting angles and such.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  12. I have a LV LAJ and I really like it. I think the tote shape is more important on the low angle jacks because of how you push it and the center of gravity. I thought this video by Matt Estlea did a good job comparing them (second half of the video).

  13. #13
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    Dec 2012
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    Ste-Julienne, Qc, Canada
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    Well... I do not use a low angle plane for shooting. I typically use a WoodRiver no.4 or an old Record no.5 and I have no problem at all. In any case, I'm not using my shooting board very much, I prefer to hold the piece vertical in the vise and plane to the line. With this method you can skew the plane and avoid impacts like when using the shooting board. I tend to believe that my blade remain sharp much longer.

  14. #14
    A new Stanley Sweat Heart? Right now I feel like I felt the day I found out the Easter Bunny wasn't real. I have spent the past month reading Patrick's blood and gore, surfing eBay and reading posts trying to learn the lingo and differences of the vintage planes and come to find out buying new is an option?
    Are they putting the effort into making the sweet heart line worth the time?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by kent wardecke View Post
    A new Stanley Sweat Heart? Right now I feel like I felt the day I found out the Easter Bunny wasn't real. I have spent the past month reading Patrick's blood and gore, surfing eBay and reading posts trying to learn the lingo and differences of the vintage planes and come to find out buying new is an option?
    Are they putting the effort into making the sweet heart line worth the time?
    Hi Kent,

    The "new" Stanley products and the old Stanley products are very different things. It seems Stanley recently learned there was money to be made from some of their old designs so they went out to find off shore factories to make them.

    It seems they also noticed some folks liked, and would pay more for, the SW inside the heart on vintage tools so they revived that logo. Unfortunately they didn't work on producing premium quality as much as they did to charge premium prices.

    The first batches were below par.

    Not sure what the current production quality may be.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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