I'd like to know the inspiration for LV's tool style

[Brian Ashton]

Personally I don't like it. But! simply because they're the best out there I'm more than willing to over look the design. I'd still like to know how they arrived at the styles they did though.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

How can you not like the NX60?
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=61963&cat=1,41182,48942,61963

They have a team of designers and look at function, traditional versions of tools, and then create a stylized version. I very much like it, except the older high angle planes. The new ones do look cool.

[Frederick Skelly]

How can you not like the NX60.
I dont like its "look" and bought the LN equivalent.

Sometimes their "styling" doesnt suit me at all. Thats only a tiebreaker though if everything else is relatively equal between my choices (which include buying/tuning vintage).

Im not taking a cheapshot at LV - they have become my tool store of choice. Just sayin' I understand the OP's viewpoint.

Fred

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I also love the design of their shooting plane. That said, a LN bronze plane is also a wonderful thing to hold and to behold. :-)

[Mel Fulks]

I think they copied Star Trek stuff.

[lowell holmes]

If you think about it, if their tools looked like the classic Stanley designs, why would anyone choose them over Lie Nielsen.

I prefer the LN designs, but I have as many LV tools as I do LN. I have the apron plane which is an absolute jewel. And having a ferrous body, I can attach a wooden block on it that makes it into a bevel plane.

I wonder if LV knows the apron plane is a bevel plane? LV also sells the magnets that holds the block on the plane.

[Frederick Skelly]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I also love the design of their shooting plane.

Yes, me too. If I didnt have a really nice #6 shooter, Id grab LV's.

Lowell, I'll bet you're right - their "styling" may very well be intended to set them apart. (It works in the car business - why not tools?)

[george wilson]

The NX60 is a great design.

[Marko Milisavljevic]

I like their tools that seem to be designed with first and foremost interest in function - plow, shoulder, rabbet, bevel up planes and even their older bench planes. Not at all crazy about their newer stuff - new block and bench planes. Some weird Flash Gordon aesthetic. Mind you, their shooting plane quite appeals to me and I have my finger on the trigger in case the left-handed model is on sale next Monday.

[Curt Putnam]

I know they work hard to make their tools as ergonomic as possible to use. Then within that parameter to adjust, change blades, etc. Lastly, they worry about making it look good.

For my taste, all their tools look good and fit my hands better than the equivalent LN. That said, I do have a bronze # 4 which I cherish. It's a user, but the last one I reach for. It has a 55° frog and takes effort to push - the tote wants to swivel in my hand because it's too small for me to grip well - needs two hands and more push and less steering from the right (push) hand.

[Dave Beauchesne]

I don't like the NX60, I like the look and fit / finish, but it is just too smooth for my reasonably big mitt. I have used one a few times, and it just was too slippery; I was having to work at keeping a good grip on it.
I have two LN 102s; not the same problem.
Like many comments on this Forum; use them before you buy them if at all possible.
BTW, I really like and respect many things LV does, I am not trying a back door dig here. Mr. Lee has a good share of my tool budget over the years!!
Dave B

[Derek Cohen]

I've sat in on design meetings. They all quaff hallucinogens and watch Star Trek. Then there is dancing, and more.

A ouija board figures in there as well.

Oh, wait .. that was another group. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Hilton Ralphs]

Lee Valley is akin to the Germans, great products through precision engineering and innovation.

Lie-Nielsen seems to just copy stuff but manufacture them at higher tolerances of course with prices to match.

What was the last tool LN launched? Was it the progressive pitch dovetail saw or the tapered back saws?

[Harold Burrell]

I think they copied Star Trek stuff.

Wait a minute...I have watch every episode of every Star Trek show ever produced and I (for the life of me) do not remember any woodworking episodes.

[Prashun Patel]

Ln launched a couple last month. Shoptalk live did a great interivew with thomas lie nielsen. His passion and strategy are impressive. I am glad the two companies both exist. I believe they push each other respectfully.

[bridger berdel]

the design of planes has been dominated by the work of leonard bailey since the mid 1800s. with the possible exception of the millers falls buck rogers stuff, there have been no sucessful deviations, either functionally or aesthetically. Lee Valley is doing legitimate new engineering work, which understandably begs new design work. myself, I like some, others not so much. I only own one Lee Valley tool, the medium shoulder plane. it's a solid, well thought out tool. always performs for me. the aesthetics of it to me seem not too great a departure from the similar legacy designs, if anything more.... industrial. I didn't buy it for it's looks, though.

[glenn bradley]

Some folks also don't care for Shaker furniture. I don't like swan-necks on anything. If there is something that does the job equally well for you that you prefer, I would get that. I'm after the function, the appearance comes in way after that. I am a user so I want what works best for me. If I find two items equal in other ways and one looks cooler (and this is indeed in the eye of the beholder apparently), I would go for the cool one too.

[Hilton Ralphs]

Ln launched a couple last month. Shoptalk live did a great interivew with thomas lie nielsen. His passion and strategy are impressive.

Thanks Prashun, I'll check this out.

[george wilson]

The NX60 is slippery,as I have mentioned. But,I like it so much,I just am careful to keep a good grip on it. It is the high nickel alloy that makes it slippery. It's like very smooth nickel plating.

[Reinis Kanders]

I found this while eBaying and looking at Jointers
Looks like the new LV plane.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STANLEY-G-7-GAGE-JOINTER-PLANE-FINE-VINTAGE-AMERICAN-TOOLS-/371202617920
STANLEY # G 7 GAGE JOINTER PLANE, FINE VINTAGE AMERICAN TOOLS
301323

[Brian Ashton]

At last count I have about 200 planes, I've added about 70 in the last month or so… I lean towards the traditional styles, relatively speaking; in that how do you define traditional style. Probably the plane I find most appealing visually by LV is the bullnose plane. Second is the low angle block with handle add on. That one, when it's on my bench, gets the passer bys to stop and want to know more. Probably my favourite over all is the router below. I guess I like my tools to be curvy, busy with a few colours. Smooth, sleek and only one colour just doesn't appeal to me. And to be honest I wouldn't buy either the NX or DX 60s simply because I don't think they take the add on handle.

But I like to know back stories, so was just wondering how they arrived at what they did. I can listen to anyone willing to tell how they came to where they did any day - I never get tired of peoples stories. They're like treasure hunts - there's always a nugget of information in their tale worth remembering.

Interestingly of the two, LV and LN, I lean towards LN for style but I only have one of their planes (80 scraper) where as I have at least 19 LV planes. So overall function over style wins 95% of the time.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Wow, Brian! That router is beautiful. Looks like something George Wilson made!

[Tony Wilkins]

If I recall the article in CS's Handplane Essentials, Rob has an extensive collection of old tools and reference of old patents that are per used to produce the ideas for new tools.

As far as Star Trek goes, you are obviously forgetting the TOS episode carves a transporter out of Andorian Oak. Or the TNG episode where the Ferengi use pocket screws to make counterfit phasers.

[John Sanford]

The NX60 is a great design.

This, in spades. I think the NX60 is the best looking plane made this century that I've seen, with due respect to Holtey and Marcou. I'm not a fan of the visual design of their original bevel down planes, but do like the bevel ups.