Tongue-Cutting with Lee Valley Plow Plane

[Mike Holbrook]

I am thinking about ordering the Veritas Wide-Blade Conversion Kit and some of the wide and tongue-cutting blades for my LV Small Plow Plane. I am hoping to get input from owners of these new kits regarding how well this conversion kit and the larger blades work on this "small" plow plane. I am interested if this is a reliable method for making grooves up to 3/4" and tongues up to 14" by hand? I would prefer not having to get an electric router & router table out for this work, but not having made these joints by hand before I have no idea how well/fast these joints can be made with the LV Small Plow Plane and the new kits? I searched and did not find a related post, if the info is out there though feel free to point me in the right direction.

[Tony Wilkins]

Have you seen Derek's review of it?

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/AccessoryBladesfortheVeritasSmallPlow.html

[Chris Griggs]

I have it. Had the good fortune of being given the attachment and tongue blades for testing when it first came out. It works quite well. Takes a minute to setup, but goes quickly after you've done the changeover a couple times. Read the directions on this one. Once setup, makes the joint quickly and easily. Great to have for the occasional t&g back or bottom and the fact that it has 3 different size tongue blades is great. If I were doing lots and lots of cabinets with t&g backs I'd probably want the dedicated Stanley or LN plane, but as it stands the LV kit works very well for me. I used it to do the pine t&g back on the figured maple cabinet I posted a week our so ago and was very pleased with the results.

Derek's review of it matches my experience with it exactly.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've made a few 1/2" grooves with my mujingfang plow plane without much problem, but it definitely requires more work the wider you go - I don't know if I'd want to plow a 3/4" groove with a single blade - it seemed *much* quicker to me as the needed grooves got wider to plow two smaller grooves next to each other, and break out the waste with some wider vise grips, (the kind for bend sheet metal) and a quick cleaning pass with a router plane if needed. The speed came from the fact that with a cutter a quarter inch or less and fairly agreeable wood I can rip out some fairly thick shavings - almost as deep as I'd make with a router pass. If you aren't making a whole lot of those wider grooves, it might be worth looking at. I'd still go for the tonguing attachment if you're making more than a few, but I've done that with a filletster or plow plane working from both face sides as well, which is an option if money is tighter than time. It often is for me.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for the input guys. I checked Derek's info which as always is very helpful, don't know how I missed it on his site before. Sounds like the newer attachments should be worth the investment. Then all I have to do is come up with the time to learn how to set up and use it. I will keep the two pass idea in mind Joshua. I just was not sure if there were preferable alternatives. Derek mentions a LN plane, but unless my guess is wrong it would be a substantial investment.

I have cabinets to make and I want to be able to make rails & styles with raised panel frames, T&G backs.....

[Tony Wilkins]

Having not used either, take my 2 pesos with a grain of salt. I'd make the decision between the attachments and the investment in the LN T&G based on just how many cabinets you're planning to do. The LN looks easy to set up and use.

[bob blakeborough]

Having not used either, take my 2 pesos with a grain of salt. I'd make the decision between the attachments and the investment in the LN T&G based on just how many cabinets you're planning to do. The LN looks easy to set up and use.If one already has the small plow plane though, the conversion kit provides excellent value, and you are not limited on the T&G's sizes. When you buy the LN T&G plane, the size is the size and it only does the one job. Depends on your specific needs for sure...

[Tony Wilkins]

If one already has the small plow plane though, the conversion kit provides excellent value, and you are not limited on the T&G's sizes. When you buy the LN T&G plane, the size is the size and it only does the one job. Depends on your specific needs for sure...

And it does look heavier (though I haven't checked that out). The attachments are a good value from everything I've seen. I was thinking that one trick ponies are ok if you ride a lot ;)

[Chris Griggs]

And it does look heavier (though I haven't checked that out). The attachments are a good value from everything I've seen. I was thinking that one trick ponies are ok if you ride a lot ;)

You hit the nail on the head Tony. I would honestly love to have LN 49 1/2. Since most my t&g work is in 1/2" it would be a great tool for me and preferable to changing over the small plow. BUT I wouldn't use it enough nor would it be enough more convenient for me to justify the cost at the moment. With that in mind the small plow attachment is a real nice option especially if you already own or are already going to buy the small plow.

Though I think Derek had it right by owning both:-)

The other option that would be less expensive then the LN if you want a dedicated plane would be to look for an old Stanley or seek out a wooden "match plane"

[Mike Holbrook]

Wondering what guys actually bought to update their LV Plow planes? I have the plane and the original set of imperial blades. Not sure I need a 1/8 tongue, seems small. Wondering if If I need all those wide blades too? Are 11/16, 3/4 a pain to make with this "small" plane? Actually not sure if imperial sizes match up better to the weird plywood sizes I find these days. Not sure I want to make drawer bottoms or cabinet backs out of solid wood all the time.