Stanley vs. Lie Nielsen #112 Scraper

[Brett Bobo]

I've been in the market for a #112 and I'm finding that the solid Stanley users go between $150 to $300. With the cost of a LN at $235, I'm starting to rethink my decision of sticking with a vintage tool. For those of you that have one or the other or that have tried both, what's your opinion on these two scrapers? Are there any noticeable differences? I don't currently own any LN planes so I don't have a good feel of how much better the LN may be as compared to the Stanley in the #112.

Thanks in advance,Brett

[Greg Wease]

I have a Stanley 112 that I picked up years ago for ~$60 that works quite well but I wouldn't consider it to be a $150+ tool. I have tried the Lee Valley scraping plane with the optional thick blade (borrowed from a friend) and I feel it's much improved over the original.

[Carl Beckett]

I have the LN 112 in bronze

Love it. It stays out on the workbench a lot.

Have no basis to compare against a Stanley so cant help you there.

(my apologies, I realized the smaller one is the 212 model, which I have in bronze. I love it. I also happen to have a 112, but it doesn't get the use that the 212 does)

[Nicholas Lingg]

I have the Stanley with a new heavier blade. I got it off ebay as a junker and fixed it up for a total of $160.00 I've played with the LN at one of there events and both feel about the same.

[Andrew Nemeth]

Brett,

I don't know if you have seen this thread or not: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?179258-Lie-Nielsen-scraper-plane-to-try A member here has genorously offered to pass his LN scraper plane around for people to test drive. Holding a LN in your hand might help you make the decision. I'm realativly new to this side of the sport but I know I would not pay a premium for a vintage Stanley plane over most of the LN planes I have seen. If I find a vintage Stanley that looks to be a good user at a low price, that's another story.

[Jim Koepke]

Brett,

My tendency is to stick with older tools for many reasons, the strongest being the price difference. If a Stanley #112 can be found at a reasonable price, that would be my suggestion.

Among some old tools, the collector demand drives the price of a quality used tool into or above the cost of a new Lie-Nielsen or Veritas tool.

In those situations it is no disgrace to purchase the new tool to avoid the constant disappointment of losing bids on ebay or taking the chance of some untoward detail being undisclosed by the seller. Some dealers seem overly adept at this.

There are a few tools in my shop that were purchased new from Lie-Nielsen. Two were purchased because they were less expensive than buying vintage tools. One was bought because after almost a year of bidding on ebay I still could not obtain one in my price range.

The difference in quality over what could have been obtained buying used and not continuing to bid for another year more than made up the difference in price. Currently, I would miss my new plane more than I miss the money.

jtk

[Brett Bobo]

It sounds like the consensus so far is to purchase the LN if the Stanley is priced comparably.

Carl, is your generous "co-op" program still available? I'd sure like to test it out since I just missed a LN demo event in Houston.

Thanks,
Brett

[Carl Beckett]

It sounds like the consensus so far is to purchase the LN if the Stanley is priced comparably.

Carl, is your generous "co-op" program still available? I'd sure like to test it out since I just missed a LN demo event in Houston.

Thanks,
Brett

You can slide in behind Phillip, Brett. Will send a pm.

I listed the wrong model on my first post. The smaller 212 is the one I use a lot. The 112 is out being tried by the fellow creekers. Given you are interested in one, always valuable to have a test drive.

[Greg Portland]

Why not get a new Veritas (LeeValley) for $169? I have one along with a toothed blade and have no complaints.

[Brett Bobo]

Hi Greg,
Valid point. I did specifically mention LN but my initial question was geared towards buying a new vs. used tool and trying to distinguish between a high-quality new tool compared to a vintage tool. That's a fairly considerable price difference of ~$65 between LN and LV so definitely worth considering.

[Stew Hagerty]

OK, here is a follow-on question to this thread...

I have a vintage 12 1/2 that I dearly love. But, I have often wondered about the 112. They both work the same way. The 112 has a different handles and is longer, but is those really significant enough differences to justify the additional expense of another plane. Because I am sure that I am just like most of the rest of you that I just hate buying tools. Right? Right? :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I would like to know what you all think.

[Michael Dedon]

If I didn't have a 112 I wouldn't know what I was missing because the 12 tuned/adjusted properly works just fine. If I was building 10' dining tables all day I would probably want the 112. My go-to scraper is a Sargent 53 but that's for smaller stuff or particulary wild grain. And I'm probably the only person around that's not a fan of the #80.

My 112 is a beater that was rescued with some pitting, little finish, and a <$100 price. Otherwise I would find somewhere else to spend the money but I'm glad I have it now.

P.S. If you haven't yet, put that Stanley or cut up saw blade away and try one of the thicker Hock or LN blades for your 12 1/2. Play around with varying degrees of hook and no hook on the edge. If you get it right it feels like you're working a $300+ high angle smoother on butter.