Lee Valley Motised Bench Stop?

[Jason Dean]

Can anyone comment on the long term durability of the Lee Valley Bench stop?

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It looks like a pretty clean solution and they do have free shipping if I spend $40. . . .

[lowell holmes]

At $9, your concerned about durability?

I've never found anything Lee Valley offered to be not durable.

[Paul K. Johnson]

I don't have a wood-working bench yet so take this for what it's worth. My Lee Valley catalogs are regular reading so I'm familiar in that sense of everything they carry.

Every time I see that thing it just frightens me. Even if it's well below the surface you're planing it would just bother me that if my plane hit it then really bad things would happen. I can't imagine every being comfortable planing toward a chunk of metal so I doubt that when I do have a proper wood-working bench that I'd even consider using one of those stops.

[Jason Dean]

It isn't so much about the cost as it is planning my work holding and cutting a mortise in my bench top. It "looks" like it should work and I am hoping to solicit experienced feedback.

[Chet R Parks]

Hi Jason,
I've have one mounted into my bench for years, never had any problems with it and I use it often. I like it, it's always available and out of the way when not in use. Just make sure you recess it at least 1/16 below the top surface.
Chet

[Simon MacGowen]

Same here; never hit the stop with an iron. Paul Sellers has one on his bench, but not sure if it came from Lee Valley.

As for durability, I don't care if it is $9 or $90, I want the tools I buy to be durable. Not sure where the idea came from that if it wasn't expensive it wasn't durable. If the mortised stop broke easily, even if it were $5, I wouldn't touch it.

Simon

[Patrick Chase]

Every time I see that thing it just frightens me. Even if it's well below the surface you're planing it would just bother me that if my plane hit it then really bad things would happen. I can't imagine every being comfortable planing toward a chunk of metal so I doubt that when I do have a proper wood-working bench that I'd even consider using one of those stops.

Why do you find the LV stop to be uniquely worrisome in that respect? You'll have exactly the same problem (and basically the same damage) if you leave a bench dog sticking up too far when working thin stock. Been there, done that.

FWIW I usually use a either a plain old bench dog or one of the "bar style" Veritas stops (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=69837&cat=1,41182). It doesn't take much practice to figure out how to "balance" the workpiece on a bench dog while planing.

[William Fretwell]

I believe the original stops like that were made of zinc, soft enough to do no damage. For thin stock they are a great solution. They do need some oil on the spring inside once in a while to stop it rusting and keep the action smooth.
They would probably last 40 years based on my experience, if not abused.

[Warren Mickley]

I have used a two inch wide beech stop for all planing since 1979. Before that I used a bench that belonged to a landlord that had this style of iron screw stop. I think it was the same mechanism and I would say it was from around 1900. The stop was a bit rusty and had not been used for some decades, but I took it apart and cleaned it and it worked alright.

One disadvantage of a stop with teeth is that it will mark the end grain (or the edge if you are traversing), so in some cases you need to put a small block between the stop and the work.

[Frederick Skelly]

FWIW I usually use a either a plain old bench dog or one of the "bar style" Veritas stops (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=69837&cat=1,41182). It doesn't take much practice to figure out how to "balance" the workpiece on a bench dog while planing.

It doesnt answer the OP's question, but I use the bar style from LV and Im very happy with them.

[Paul K. Johnson]

Why do you find the LV stop to be uniquely worrisome in that respect? You'll have exactly the same problem (and basically the same damage) if you leave a bench dog sticking up too far when working thin stock. Been there, done that.

FWIW I usually use a either a plain old bench dog or one of the "bar style" Veritas stops (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=69837&cat=1,41182). It doesn't take much practice to figure out how to "balance" the workpiece on a bench dog while planing.

I'm sure it's fine. It's just my anxiety gene telling me to worry about it. I'm thinking in comparison to a wood stop that if you hit it, it won't take a chunk out of your plane.

[Jason Dean]

Thanks for the input folks. I went ahead and ordered a pair along with a few other things to get me up over the $40 minimum. Lee Valley is fast becoming one of my favorite stores.

[lowell holmes]

I don't have a negative opinion of the Lee Valley bench stop.

I have 3/4" holes on 5 1/2" centers 3" from the face of the bench. I use the Lee Valley prairie dog had these for at least 10 years.
I've never hit them with a sharp edge. I highly recommend them.

[Simon MacGowen]

The prairie dogs are very good, especially if you use them with extra stop plates. I think they have been around only since 2012 or so.

Simon

[Terry Beadle]

I've had a pair of them for over 15 yrs without a problem.

Enjoy the shavings!