Bronze vs. Iron LN3?

[Matt Radtke]

I find myself wanting a Lie-Nielsen number 3 to help finish up my current project. Part of me really wants bronze, but I'm having a hard time paying the $60 premium, especially when the no. 4 bronze premium is only $50. (And the no. 2 having a premium price of only $30. Seems to be the 3 should have a $40 premium for bronze, but maybe there is something particularly hard about casting a no. 3.)

Has anyone tried out both 3's and firmly felt the one was better? Or the bronze over-priced?

[Chris Griggs]

I tried them both at an LN show last month. I liked the combination of the small footprint and the the weight of the bronze. It's not a drastic difference but I liked the bronze a bit better. They were both great.

[Mike Cogswell]

I haven't tried both 3's, but I have both 4's and a bronze 2. IMHO the extra weight of the bronze helps keep the plane moving, especially in harder woods. It's more important in the smaller, lighter planes.
I'm planning on getting a 3 as my next plane and will definitely be getting bronze. Right now I'm trying to decide if I want to get it with a 50 degree frog.

[Don Dorn]

I've never tried a bronze, but I did have an Iron. I used it a great deal and if I were buying another LN, I'd make the same decision. Weight is great if you are needing it to develop some momentum for smoothing, but for me, I used the #3 more as a shaper plane. I use it chamfers, bullnoses and also a great deal for the dual tapering of legs because of it's small footprint, the front of the plane didn't hit the bench before the iron got to the end of the taper.

Frankly though, I sold it because even the iron one is too heavy for what I used the plane for. With the funds, I bought a vintage Stanley #3 and pocketed the difference. I've not regretted the decision, but if you are stuck on the LN, the iron certainly did what I asked of it.

[David Keller NC]

Matt - I have the bronze #2, 2 bronze #4s, and a bronze #4-1/2. The rest of my L-N's are iron. I have an iron Stanley #3, #4, and #5-1/4.

I much prefer the bronze planes to the iron ones, simply because I don't have to concern myself with getting all of the fingerprints off of the body of the plane each day during the course of a project. One way to think about this is that a L-N plane is a lifetime purchase, and even used they are worth at least 80% of the new purchase price. Depends on the indvidual, I suppose, but I doubt you'll remember the extra $60 a couple of years from now.

That said, I doubt I would want my L-N #8 to be made of bronze. ;-)

[Kent A Bathurst]

My #3 is the only bronze plane on the wall.

Easily the coolest-looking thing up there. Don't overlook that benefit :D

I also like the no-fingerprints feature, and the mass.

[Jim Ritter]

I will be getting the bronze because it doesn't rust, #3 is my favorite size. I use it more than any other plane.

[Curt Putnam]

FWIW, Deneb recommends the HAF for the smoothers.

[Curt Putnam]

If you are trying to rationalize LN's price curve, my thought is that you are overthinking an irrelevancy. It is what it is and you either want the plane or you don't. I'm pretty sure LN knows what they have to charge to make money with a product and equally sure that they know how much they need to stay in business.

That said, I crave a bronze #3 with HAF (per Deneb) but that purchase will wait since I already have two #3 sized planes.

[Chris Fournier]

The wieght aspect/benfit of bronze vs CI is a moot point with a Number 3. This is a plane used to smooth out smaller imperfections in surfaces, you will have worked the area with larger planes already. I have sold a couple of bronze planes in exchange for CI. I personally like the way that CI looks and I wouldn't pay a premium for bronze for it's assumed benefits of heft. If you like the way that it looks, well that is a different matter. I do enjoy my bronze LN 103 and 103...

[Matt Radtke]

FWIW, Deneb recommends the HAF for the smoothers.

That's why I'm going LN, actually. My success rate with the super-close chipbreaker technique is hit or miss. When I dial it in just right, I totally get it. But 50% success rate is too low for me.

[Jim Koepke]

Matt,

Have you looked in to attending a Lie-Nielsen tool event?

You could give them both a test drive to see which feels better to you.

Even though there are a bunch of #4s in my shop, the #3 often gets used just because it seems better for a particular job at the moment.

jtk

[Jim Neeley]

I preface this post by stating I love the weight and feel of my L-N bronze #4 with it's coco tote.

If you don't use your bronze planes regularly, please be aware that they can leave a black mark on the wood as the minimal surface corrosion on the bronze rubs off.

One option would be to lightly sand the sole with some very fine sandpaper if you're going to use it on a light colored wood. I've seen this most prevalently on pine.

I have considerd getting a small granite block and adhering some ?2500 grit? sandpaper to it. A quick brush or two of the bottom of the plane on the sandpaper (after retracting the blade, of course! :) ) and it'd be clear and clean.

Just food for thought.. YMMV.

Jim

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

If you don't use your bronze planes regularly, please be aware that they can leave a black mark on the wood as the minimal surface corrosion on the bronze rubs off.


Yeah, the brass or bronze depth stop on my filletster plane does this terribly.

[James Taglienti]

I bought a bronze 103 years ago to put in my tool belt for trimming houses. Its great and much less of a worry than an iron plane. The bronze does get dinged a bit easier. Also it has a tiny dish ahead of the mouth from cleaning the edges of boards. It can also leave black marks on some painted surfaces.
Im not worried about the dish as the plane is so small it will lap on a regular piece of sandpaper. But wearing a dish on a bronze bench plane might be more of a hassle.
It was nice and flat for the first mile or so though :D

[Derek Cohen]

I can't say that I've noticed any marks left behind by a bronze plane.

I like the LN #3 in bronze. Mine has a 55 degree frog. It's a small plane - which is ideal in a smoother when you are trying to avoid removing much of the thickness when finishing the surface (a reason why the longer jack size is unsuitable as a smoother unless the boards you use are flat flat flat). And it carries a great deal of authority in this small package as a result of the extra mass.

The downside of the #3 is if you have small hands - the handle is smaller than a #4. More of a 2 1/2 finger grip than a 3 finger grip if you have a broad palm like mine. If you use a high angled frog (I am not sure of the 50 degree version, only the 55 degree), then happily the #4 handle fits the #3 body. This is how I have mine set up.

#4 1/2 Anniversary and #3 ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Lie%20Nielsen/LN2.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

Reg

[Ray Bohn]

I find myself wanting a Lie-Nielsen number 3 to help finish up my current project. Part of me really wants bronze, but I'm having a hard time paying the $60 premium, especially when the no. 4 bronze premium is only $50. (And the no. 2 having a premium price of only $30. Seems to be the 3 should have a $40 premium for bronze, but maybe there is something particularly hard about casting a no. 3.)

Has anyone tried out both 3's and firmly felt the one was better? Or the bronze over-priced?

I have and like the #4 bronze very much. This week I planned to buy a #3 bronze as described in LN's 2010 catalog. This may be common knowledge, but I was surprised to find that the catalog had a serious error in the description - 8" vs actual (website) length of 9". I am sure that veterans of the craft would know that the catalog description was in error, but this information may be of benefit to rookies.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

The downside of the #3 is if you have small hands - the handle is smaller than a #4. More of a 2 1/2 finger grip than a 3 finger grip if you have a broad palm like mine.


Ever since a long day of planing stock with an old junker plane gave me a blister and forced me to change my grip, I've been holding smooth planes with an open-handed grip, like one would hold a coffin smoother style plane.

[Jim Koepke]

Ever since a long day of planing stock with an old junker plane gave me a blister and forced me to change my grip, I've been holding smooth planes with an open-handed grip, like one would hold a coffin smoother style plane.

The "coffin smoother" grip is comfortable for me. Just have to be careful not to be too loose with the bigger planes.

jtk

[James Owen]

I've used both and prefer/bought the bronze. I like the little bit of extra mass, as well as the color and lack of rust.....