Veritas medium shoulder plane

[Larry Frank]

After reading a number of reviews on should planes, I bought the Veritas medium should plane. I considered the Stanley but the reviews were not that great. I was very torn between the Lie-Nielsen and the Veritas. The prices were pretty similar and the reviews both good. The deciding factor was the small knob on the Veritas and I thought that it would be easier on my hand to use.


I did a small amount of work on the blade and then used it to size the tongue on some joints and could not be happier. The small knob can be adjusted to what works best for you and I really appreciate the way it fits into my hand. The fit and the finish on the plane are excellent and what one would expect from the Veritas planes.


206159

[Christopher Hawkins]

I have the same plane and am pleased with the performance, but wish I had bought the large shoulder plane (1 1/4' wide) so that I could use it with a shooting board on 3/4" to 1 1/8" stock.

[Rob Fisher]

I have the same plane and am pleased with the performance, but wish I had bought the large shoulder plane (1 1/4' wide) so that I could use it with a shooting board on 3/4" to 1 1/8" stock.How does one use a shoulder plane on a shooting board? It is precisely the cheeks of a standard bench style plane that allows a shooting board to work.

[Pam Niedermayer]

How does one use a shoulder plane on a shooting board? It is precisely the cheeks of a standard bench style plane that allows a shooting board to work.

How right you are.

Pam

[Christopher Hawkins]

My plan was to offset the iron in the plane as shown below in my medium shoulder plane.
206171 Wouldn't this work? If not, is it because I the "lip" isn't wide enough? I was trying to avoid another purchase. Sigh...

[Andrew Gibson]

In theory it would work, but would require a bit of fiddely setup every time you went to use the plane...

hmmm one might be able to make a simple side plate to use in conjunction with the plane to add a lip...

I love my LV medium shouider plane as well... one day I will have all 4.

[Gary Kman]

I thought it could be done and tested with my Record 73. With no sole beside the blade to hold it away from the fence, it will simply plane the fence away. Unless I'm missing something.

[Trevor Walsh]

As to the shoulder plane for shooting to avoid another purchase, do you have any regular bench planes? People have used just about every plane their is for shooting and most with good results.

[Christopher Hawkins]

As to the shoulder plane for shooting to avoid another purchase, do you have any regular bench planes? People have used just about every plane their is for shooting and most with good results.

Unfortunately, no. I go straight from a "tailed" planer/jointer to a smoothing plane. The only bench planes I've got are the


Veritas® Bevel-Up Smoother Plane (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=51870&cat=1,41182,52515) which doesn't have flat sides.
LN Small bevel up block plane which isn't big enough for shooting.

[Bruce Haugen]

How does one use a shoulder plane on a shooting board? It is precisely the cheeks of a standard bench style plane that allows a shooting board to work.

I suspect he's using the shooting board more as a bench hook. That's exactly how I use my shoulder plane. The back rest on the shooting board provides a really good surface to prevent tear-out on the tenon shoulder.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Unfortunately, no. I go straight from a "tailed" planer/jointer to a smoothing plane. The only bench planes I've got are the


Veritas® Bevel-Up Smoother Plane (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=51870&cat=1,41182,52515) which doesn't have flat sides.
LN Small bevel up block plane which isn't big enough for shooting.


You don't need flat sides, even a coffin smoother would do a better job than a shoulder.

Pam

[Jim Matthews]

The extra offset of the blade makes it possible to lightly undercut the shoulder, right up to the tenon.

One caution with these - mine has suffered terribly from rust in my damp basement shop. I keep it well oiled, but that has been insufficient.
When finished for the day, it needs complete disassembly and cleaning before storage.

YMMV

[Christopher Hawkins]

You don't need flat sides,

You are likely right on this, but I do have questions. One hand pushes forward, the other pushes sideways toward the fence. Correct? Assuming this is correct.... You rely only on the uncut vertical section of the shooting board with the sole of the plane between the throat and edge to register the plane and ensure 90* vertical cuts. Correct? Assuming this is true..... Wouldn't less experienced people get more consistent 90* angles if they were able to register the side of the plane against the horizontal surface of the shooting board.

[Pam Niedermayer]

\..... Wouldn't less experienced people get more consistent 90* angles if they were able to register the side of the plane against the horizontal surface of the shooting board.

Yes that's true; but if you were in a pinch, you could use a coffin smoother, which is straight from top to bottom, but not back to front.

Pam

[James Taglienti]

One could easily use a shoulder plane with the cutter set up normally to shoot small stock, as long as there was enough room left for the toe to slide on, probably would work best with a dedicated shooting board