Shoulder planes

[Mike Givney]

Hi All,

Kicking around buying a shoulder plane. Was looking at the veritas line and was wondering what size you prefer. I will be using it mainly for cleaning up tenon cheeks , etc.

thanks
Mike

[James Phillips]

I really like my medium.

[glenn bradley]

+1 medium. A large would be nice but if I could only have one it would be the medium.

[Bruce Darrow]

My newest purchase is the Veritas medium. 1st shoulder plane, so I can't speak to size preference, but I can say that this is an extremely well made tool. Along with my Veritas low angle block plane, which I use all the time, and their inexpensive flush plane, which was purchased to solve a specific problem, but has found numerous uses since, I am very happy with Lee Valley/Veritas tools and will buy from them again in the future.

[Brian Myers]

This is a bit of a thread hijack but how does the Veritas med shoulder plane compare to the Lie Neilson med shoulder plane ( only $16 difference)? Their is a difference in width and design but is one better in use than the other?

[paul cottingham]

+1 medium. A large would be nice but if I could only have one it would be the medium.
+1 on all the above.

[Russell Sansom]

I have a large LN shoulder plane and it gets the job done, especially on, say, a 2-foot long groove and sometimes for "jointing" tenons. But I often lust for something one size smaller, both for the sake of man handling it and for the slightly lesser mass. This big one is pretty assertive. On the other hand, the one good-quality wooden one I have with skewed blade feels like a feather. I think I want something in between. Just where my head is lately. I'll probably slog along with this one until some odd luck brings me a different size.

[Rick Erickson]

I have the LN large and small (skipped the medium). The small is great for most shoulder work. There are not too many shoulders > 5/8" for most furniture making. The large works great for everything else (including non shoulder work - e.g. large dados/grooves, rabbets, tenons, etc.).

[Rich Konopka]

I have a LV large and I wanted something smaller. I just picked up a good deal ($99) on Stanley Premium #92 medium shoulder plane from Hartville Tool. There may be some purists who detest the new "Premium" Stanley planes but they are very reasonable for what I do and priced almost half of the top liners.

[Larry Fox]

Another vote for the LV Medium. I use mine all the time,very nice tool.

[David Turner]

I have the LN large, medium, and small and find myself always reaching for the medium. I do not have any Veritas planes and try to keep all my tool purchases of "made in USA".

[Tim Sproul]

Adjustments are easier on the Veritas plane.

Regarding tenon cheeks and shoulder planes - not a good match. Consider a block plane - rabbeting or skew rabbet let you get all the way to the shoulder.

For myself, I prefer chisels and/or files/rasps for adjusting tenon cheeks and shoulders.

If you find you need to do this a lot - say on 1/5 or more of your sawn tenons, I'd suggest investing in your sawing skills rather than tenon tuning skills. A few hours of lessons/practice with sawing will save you days worth of tuning time in the future.

[Jim Koepke]

Mike,

Welcome to the Creek. Your profile doesn't show your location. There might be a tool show coming to an area near you in the future.

As someone else mentioned, if your intention is to mostly use this plane on the cheeks, a block rabbet plane may be more desirable.

If there is a tool show or possibly a person in your area who has these tools, the best way to see what you will prefer is to try them before you buy them.

If you live near southern Washington, you would be welcome to come by and try my tools. I do not have any of the veritas planes, but you might be able to get a feel for size from my Stanley 93.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have a large LN, a medium LV and a small Preston (LN style, not the infilled). My favorite is the large LN and I've grown accustomed to using it with a pull motion. My next favorite (for the simple reason the the large LN will do most items for me) is the small Preston, for when I need a small shoulder plane. The medium LV is very well thought out shoulder plane and works extremely well.

If I were to only be able to have one? You might be surprised to hear me say the medium sized LV shoulder plane! It's also got great ergonomics, although, for those that have an LN plane, try pulling towards you.

[glenn bradley]

This is a bit of a thread hijack but how does the Veritas med shoulder plane compare to the Lie Neilson med shoulder plane ( only $16 difference)? Their is a difference in width and design but is one better in use than the other?

This is akin to asking if a top handle or barrel grip jigsaw is better. It will depend on you. I was lucky enough to be able to handle both the LN and LV repeatedly at a show and the LV medium felt better and was more controllable . . . for me. YMMV ;-)

[Pam Niedermayer]

I have the LN large and small (skipped the medium). The small is great for most shoulder work. There are not too many shoulders > 5/8" for most furniture making. The large works great for everything else (including non shoulder work - e.g. large dados/grooves, rabbets, tenons, etc.).

Me, too, but I have the really small one they used to sell, a version of a Preston I think. The big shoulder plane is good for timber framing shoulders. :)

I also have the 3/4" HNT Gordon, which I never use. Not because it's wooden, but because the two LN seem to cover everything.

Pam

[Pam Niedermayer]

... If I were to only be able to have one? You might be surprised to hear me say the medium sized LV shoulder plane! It's also got great ergonomics, although, for those that have an LN plane, try pulling towards you.

I've never been religious about pushing and pulling rules either.

Pam

[Derek Cohen]

Hi All,

Kicking around buying a shoulder plane. Was looking at the veritas line and was wondering what size you prefer. I will be using it mainly for cleaning up tenon cheeks , etc.

thanks
Mike

Hi Mike

If you were only to get one shoulder plane, then the Medium is the way to go. Here is a review I did some time back, comparing it with the 3/4" HNT Gordon and original Stanley #92.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20Veritas%20Medium%20Shoulder%20Plane_html_m67 6a4453.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20Veritas%20Medium%20Shoulder%20Plane.html

More recently I reviewed the Veritas Small. This is a great size if you are looking for a dedicated shoulder plane for the more common sized tenons. All about it here, with comparison to the Veritas Medium, LN Small (also a 1/2" width), and (in liew of a Veritas Large, which I do not own) a 1 1/4" wide infill ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasSmallShoulderPlane_html_4af22ae8.jpg

And let us not forget the 1/4" Veritas Mini - it is a serious plane :) Yes it is. Perfect for very small tenons (that's an 1/8" wide mortice) ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Curved%20side%20end%20table/Drawerpull1.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Zach England]

I sold my LV medium in favor of the LN. I like the grip better. I kept my LV large because I like the removable front knob, but I think the knob is superfluous on the smaller plane.

[Mike Givney]

Thank you, everyone, for the information (and the welcome aboard). I have a pretty good collection of hand tools, planes,saws, etc. and after finding this site have been giving the "neander convert' thing a whirl. There really is something satisfying about working in a quiet shop after years of all that noise !