Lee Valley Plow Plane

[Dale Cruea]

I need a plow plane.
I have read that some of the Stanley offerings can be a PITA to setup and use.

I think I will get the LV small plow plane.

Does anyone own or have used this plane?

Chris Schwartz had a good review of it and it is LV.

I want something plain and simple to use.

Thanks,
Dale

[Chris Griggs]

Its fantastic! Very very easy to use. Probably one of the easiest planes to adjust/use there is when in regular plow mode. If you get the add on's too, they require a little more fiddling, but even those are nuts simple to setup once you've done it a couple times.

If you want other options I was told by Deneb at an LN tool event recently that their plow plane is going to be modeled after the Stanley 43 millers patent. No idea when that's coming out though, and personally I wouldn't trade my LV plow for anything anyway, but just thought I'd mention it as one more thing to think about.

[paul cottingham]

Loved mine, but the handle murdered my hand so I had to sell it. Having a heck of a time trying to find a suitable replacement that'd cost less than a used car.

[Jim Koepke]

The Stanley 45 can be a PITA to set up and use.

The first thing one has to understand with (possibly any) Stanley multi-plane is the fence may not come square from the factory.

The second thing one has to understand with maybe any plow or multi-plane is the plane will try to push back toward the edge. A skew blade plane may counter this, but since none of my experience is with a skew blade plow, my thought is just theory for me.

Many have a tendency to try to take too thick of a shaving with a plow or rebate plane. Going too fast without paying attention to each cut is what gives slanted sides to the groves or dado being cut.

One trick for working with a plow for shelves or drawer bottoms is to work a little extra length to make a gauge to check your shelves or bottoms without having to try them in the finished piece. This can save a lot of time when one is working with uneven re-sawn stock.

My guess is you can't go wrong with the LV plow. With a little careful tuning and experience, you could also find the Stanley 45 to have a bit more versatility with beading cutters and match cutters.

jtk

[Gary Herrmann]

The small LV plow is probably my favorite specialty plane. Used to be my LV router plane, but it's nbr 2 now.

I find the small plow very intuitive to set up and use.

[David Weaver]

I have the LV small plow, it works great, and it's incredibly precise and solid.

For a while I used a Stanley 45, which isn't difficult to use if you're on a budget and you want irons that are easy to make or find. It's a bit clattery, though, and it does feel like in heavy work from time to time like you might break it (though that doesn't happen).

Record's small offerings are also out there if you find one and it's a lot cheaper than the LV version.

[Dale Cruea]

Thanks guys for the responses.
I have seen some Stanley plow/multi planes for sale.
I don't have the time right now to fiddle with them and I would not have a clue if it was all there.

I think I will order the LV plow.
Maybe look at a Stanley 45-46 or a 50 later when I have more time to play.

Thanks again,
Dale

[Sean Richards]

I need a plow plane.
I have read that some of the Stanley offerings can be a PITA to setup and use.

...

I want something plain and simple to use.


The Stanley 50, Record 043, and 044 are plain and simple to use. I have and use the Stanley 50 and Record 043. They don't have cute little knurled brass doodads etc, but they do the job just fine.

[David Weaver]

The only trouble with the 50s is if you get the type that grips the side of the iron, they will not hold tightly to a 1/8" iron. Whether or not someone uses a 1/8" iron much is up for debate, but I got a 50 solely to use with the 1/8" iron and was pretty peeved to find it didn't grip the iron very well, leading to an iron that varied its depth of cut with each stroke.

[bob blakeborough]

Loved mine, but the handle murdered my hand so I had to sell it. Having a heck of a time trying to find a suitable replacement that'd lest cost more than a used car.

Why didn't you simply modify the handle? A rasp and a bit of elbow grease and you are good to go...

[paul cottingham]

Why didn't you simply modify the handle? A rasp and a bit of elbow grease and you are good to go...

To be honest, I didn't trust myself not to wreck the handle without improving the situation.

[Jim Koepke]

The only trouble with the 50s is if you get the type that grips the side of the iron, they will not hold tightly to a 1/8" iron.

Is that with the extra bolt to hold the smaller irons?

jtk

[Sean Richards]

The only trouble with the 50s is if you get the type that grips the side of the iron, they will not hold tightly to a 1/8" iron. Whether or not someone uses a 1/8" iron much is up for debate, but I got a 50 solely to use with the 1/8" iron and was pretty peeved to find it didn't grip the iron very well, leading to an iron that varied its depth of cut with each stroke.

Have not experienced this issue

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Haven't seen a number 50 in person, so I could be way off, but couldn't you grind an iron narrower at the business end, and leave it wider at the top so the clamps still work?

[David Weaver]

Haven't seen a number 50 in person, so I could be way off, but couldn't you grind an iron narrower at the business end, and leave it wider at the top so the clamps still work?

Sure. Mine went out the door before I started to make and harden my own irons, though, and most people seem to be averse to any metalwork.

[Ron Kellison]

To be honest, I didn't trust myself not to wreck the handle without improving the situation.

You can always call LV Customer Service and get another handle. Trust me...they're good that way!

Ron

[Randy Karst]

My 2 cents: the LV Small Plow Plan is a beauty; easy to setup and use, easy to get good results with. I am very pleased with mine and highly recommend it.

[Michael Ray Smith]

I've had my eye on them for quite some time, but so far I haven't been able to justify one because my Record 043 does everything I've needed to do so far. I also have a Record 405 multiplane (Record equivalent of a Stanley 45) that I've never tried to use. If you get one, let us know how you like it. Maybe I'll ask Santa for one.

[Charles Bjorgen]

I've been looking at this for several months, trying to justify the purchase. How does this work on plywood? My most immediate project would be to make dados for drawer construction for a storage unit under my bench. I'll be using Baltic birch.

[David Weaver]

User power tools to make a dado in plywood. Tool steel and plywood glue is not a good combination, and you'll likely be working across the grain ripping up the top veneer even if you had luck cutting a groove.

[Dale Cruea]

Well guys, I ordered one today.
Should be here by Tuesday.
I will let you know how it works.

Thanks for the help.
Dale

[Charles Bjorgen]

Gee David...You're taking all the fun out of this for me. Actually, I wondered about that. I have a small router table setup that I've used for similar plywood projects. I think I can still figure out another reason to get the plow. Maybe another free shipping event, eh?


User power tools to make a dado in plywood. Tool steel and plywood glue is not a good combination, and you'll likely be working across the grain ripping up the top veneer even if you had luck cutting a groove.

[David Weaver]

That works. I wouldn't normally lean toward premium tools unless someone said they just had the money and they wanted premium no matter what, but in this case, the LV small plow is trick. It's fabulous.

[Mike Brady]

I just ordered a cheap Record 43 to use until Lie-Nielsen decides to make their plow plane. I considered the Lee Valley version, but their tools just aren't for me. What I do like about Lee Valley is their breadth of choice and commendable customer service. You will be very happy with your purchase.

[Dale Cruea]

I just got my plow plane in the mail today.
Honed the blade and made a few test cuts.
WOW.....
Works great and easy to use.
Not awkward to use as I thought it would be. Very comfortable in my hand.
I was really surprised to see that it did a nice job cleaning up both surfaces. I thought I would have to clean up the wall with a shoulder plane.
I will need to scribe a line when using it across grain.
No nicker. Still does a great job.
Maybe now I can give my router plane a rest.

Dale

[Chris Griggs]

I just got my plow plane in the mail today.
Honed the blade and made a few test cuts.
WOW.....
Works great and easy to use.
Not awkward to use as I thought it would be. Very comfortable in my hand.
I was really surprised to see that it did a nice job cleaning up both surfaces. I thought I would have to clean up the wall with a shoulder plane.
I will need to scribe a line when using it across grain.
No nicker. Still does a great job.
Maybe now I can give my router plane a rest.

Dale

Glad to here you like it. That's been my experience with it exactly. If you pay attention to the grain you will easily get clean cuts. If you go through a swirl of grain or if the grain angles so that it isn't all that straight to the edge of the board you can get some tearout on the sides (as with all planes), so pay attention to the wood you are using.

Don't ever give your router plane a rest. It remains one of my favorite if not my favorite tool. Now that you have a plow for cutting grooves you'll just have the opportunity to find new uses for it!

[paul cottingham]

I just got my plow plane in the mail today.
Honed the blade and made a few test cuts.
WOW.....
Works great and easy to use.
Not awkward to use as I thought it would be. Very comfortable in my hand.
I was really surprised to see that it did a nice job cleaning up both surfaces. I thought I would have to clean up the wall with a shoulder plane.
I will need to scribe a line when using it across grain.
No nicker. Still does a great job.
Maybe now I can give my router plane a rest.

Dale
Glad you looked it. Like I said, I loved mine, except that it killed my hand. Still trying to find a replacement.
good stuff!

[RickT Harding]

I just got my plow plane in the mail today.
Honed the blade and made a few test cuts.
WOW.....
Works great and easy to use.
Not awkward to use as I thought it would be. Very comfortable in my hand.
I was really surprised to see that it did a nice job cleaning up both surfaces. I thought I would have to clean up the wall with a shoulder plane.
I will need to scribe a line when using it across grain.
No nicker. Still does a great job.
Maybe now I can give my router plane a rest.

Dale

Hah, next up it'll be time to expand it. I just got the wide blade conversion kit, T&G bits, and wide blades for mine in the mail today. It's definitely a much more versitle plane than I realized before I finally broke down and ordered one.

Keep that shoulder plane around though. I know I've had to touch up the vertical side a few times when I've have used it for rabbets.