LV LA Jack or LN #5 or #5-1/2 ?

[Doug Shepard]

I've been slowly getting purpleheart edging onto my workbench top and glued it on a bit proud so I can flush it to the top. I'm getting some tearout on the PH unless I use the 50 degree bevel blade I got with my LV bevel up jointer. It's cumbersome but planing well and it's the highest angle cutting plane I've got. But I'm starting to hanker for something a bit shorter than the jointer but with a higher cutting angle. I seem to keep working with stuff on the hard/figured side.
So....
Get the LV LA Jack so I can use the same 3 blades as my Jointer?
Something in a LN? And if so which one? #5 or #5-1/2 and 50 or 55 HAF ?

[Steve Wargo]

I had a LN 4 1/2 with HAF that served me well for many years. It planed many hard exotics like purpleheart, ebony, rosewoods and the likes all pretty well. I've since retired that plane, but for what you're looking to do it will serve you well.

[Doug Shepard]

So why did you retire it? And was it the 50 or 55 deg HAF? The 50 on the LV BU Jointer is working well but I'm wondering if I'd do even better with the 55 and whether it's worth the extra cutting effort. I still might go with one of the slightly longer ones though.

[Steve Wargo]

I bought myself an Sauer and Steiner infill and retired the LN. I'm not a fan of low angle planes for smoothing and jointing tasks so that's why I recommended the LN. I had the 50 deg frog and it worked well. Honestly, I think its more important to have a sharp and honed iron than the pitch.

[Lewis Moon]

I like the wider blade on my 5 1/2 Stanley (actually, I use my WWII #6 and keep my CCC vintage Stanley in a place of honor). When turning the plane at an angle (see the Fine Woodworking video referenced elsewhere) it presents more blade. For me the #5 seems a little narrow.

[Doug Shepard]

I bought myself an Sauer and Steiner infill and retired the LN. I'm not a fan of low angle planes for smoothing and jointing tasks so that's why I recommended the LN. I had the 50 deg frog and it worked well. Honestly, I think its more important to have a sharp and honed iron than the pitch.

Ya mean ya gotta sharpen em too? I can certainly see where a S&S could put a LN out to pasture (RIP).