Need some Advice on Shoulder planes

[eric eaton]

I am looking forward to purchasing my first Lie Nielsen plane. I pretty much have all of the plane sizes covered now except for a smoother which I am going to get in a few months (Going to get the Lie Nielsen Bronze #4) and am using a homemade woodie with a hock blade for now.

The question I have is which size should I get as my first shoulder plane, I am leaning towards the small but am curious about the medium as well.

I plan on using it for smoothing tenons and the occasional dado that were cut with electrons, I intend on using it to make small and medium size furniture pieces such as cabinets, toolboxes and tables.

Thanks in advance,

Eric

[Mike Henderson]

Unless you're dead set on LN, take a look at the Lee Valley medium shoulder plane. Most people find it fits their hand very well. (and it works great)

Mike

[willie sobat]

Shoulder planes for tenons and dados might have significantly different requirements. If you buy one for cleaning up dados you will be limited by the size of those dados. I have a large LN shoulder. I love it for cleaning up tenons. It is a little large for my hand. I also have some small Stanleys. They are not as nice but do well in small areas.

[Jim Koepke]

Question marks always come up when someone mentions using a shoulder plane for cleaning up dados. Especially a dado made with a router. The shoulder plane of the same size would be likely to bind in the cut.

In my experience, a side rabbet is more useful for trimming or cleaning up dados. If a dado is a touch tight, a shaving or two with a side rabbet will open it up.

For the clean up of the bottom of dados, a router plane may be more useful.

jim

[David Keller NC]

I'll second what Jim said. While you can make a shoulder plane work to clean the bottom of a rabbet or dado, they are really not optimized for the task. In particular, almost all shoulder planes except the HNT Gordon planes have a very low cutting angle that is designed to slice end-grain (i.e., the shoulder of a tenon). That low cutting angle tends to really gouge face or edge grain if it's not possible to plane "downslope".

I personally prefer the L-Ns because I don't like the looks of the Veritas plane. But they certainly work well, and many love them.

Regarding sizing - the ideal case is to have a shoulder plane that fits the scale of your work. Using a really large shoulder on the rail tenons for a small cabinet door is less than optimal, though it can be done with good technique. This is why I have 5 shoulder planes - from the small L-N infill plane (which is an incredibly useful tool if you make small items like wall cabinets) to a 1-1/2" wide Mathieson that weighs about 4 lbs.

[Mike Siemsen]

I don't use a shoulder plane preferring to use a chisel for the same tasks. The #4 on the other hand is a fairly useful tool in anyones arsenal. I would steer you towards the ductile iron version as I have been told that they slide easier on the wood. If you live in a place where things are very prone to rusting then the bronze would be a wise choice.
Mike

[Foras Noir]

Clifton 410

[Derek Cohen]

....Regarding sizing - the ideal case is to have a shoulder plane that fits the scale of your work. Using a really large shoulder on the rail tenons for a small cabinet door is less than optimal, though it can be done with good technique. This is why I have 5 shoulder planes - from the small L-N infill plane (which is an incredibly useful tool if you make small items like wall cabinets) to a 1-1/2" wide Mathieson that weighs about 4 lbs.

Don't forget the new Veritas small (1/2") shoulder plane. I have been using one for a couple of months and can say that it is the most comfortable shoulder plane yet, plus it is a real looker! Review in the making.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[eric eaton]

Thanks for the information all, looks like I need to do some research on the various options.

Eric

[David Turner]

I am a traditionalist and therefore I can't speak for any of the LV product line but I do have all 4 of the Lie Nielsen shoulder planes. I find the 073 (largest) a bit heavy and unrully and I am always a little fearful of dropping it because of its' size. The Bronze shoulder plane is a little too small for the period furniture I build and so I find myself reaching for the 2 middle size planes most often. If I had it to do over again, I would only buy the 041 (5/8" wide) and the 042 (3/4" wide). Of the 2 the 041 is the one I most often reach for and use.

David Turner
Plymouth, Mi.

[Derek Cohen]

If I had it to do over again, I would only buy the 041 (5/8" wide) and the 042 (3/4" wide). Of the 2 the 041 is the one I most often reach for and use.

Hi David

I find this interesting as I am in the process of writing a review of the Veritas 1/2", and I am curious to know (from those that have access to and use this size), what type of work they find it most useful for. So, I'd like to hear from all of you that qualify here.

Just for reference, my focus is on looking at sizes of shoulder planes, and specifically I am comparing the 1/2" and 3/4". I may add a 1 1/4".

Regards from Perth

Derek