Lie-Nielson No. 8 Jointer plane question

[Aaron Inami]

Does anyone have a No. 8 who also has a smaller Lie-Nielson plane? I have a question on the tote handle size. It's hard to tell in the product photos, but it appears that the No. 8 handle might be a little bit taller than the standard. Can anyone verify this? While the Lie-Nielson stuff is excellent quality, I just don't like the small size of their tote handles. It's just too short for me to handle comfortably. The Veritas handles are larger and just work better for me.

[roger wiegand]

Making a handle to fit your hands might well be a fun project. No reason to stick with what the manufacturer gives you or what someone else thinks is a nice shape. I've replaced many tool handles with things that work or fit better, no regrets on any of them.

[Jimmy Harris]

Making a handle to fit your hands might well be a fun project. No reason to stick with what the manufacturer gives you or what someone else thinks is a nice shape. I've replaced many tool handles with things that work or fit better, no regrets on any of them.
I agree. You can make one that fits your hand perfectly, something no manufacturer can do. And you'll love using it, not just because of the perfect fit, but because of the pride of using a tool you made yourself.

If you do, I have a few pieces of advice for you. After rough cutting your wood, before you do any shaping and get too far into it, drill your long hole through the center. If you're going to mess it up, it will be here. And it's best not to invest too much time into it before finding out you messed it up. Two, go to Woodcraft or Rockler and dig through their scraps pile. You can often find a right sized piece of wood for just a few bucks. And three, get a Shinto saw rasp if you don't have one already. You can, of course, shape it with a regular rasp. And you'll probably need a few regular rasps anyway, including a round rasp to make the curves and everything. But those Shinto saw rasps will eat wood quickly and accurately. Minus the finishing, you can make a tote in an easy afternoon. There are videos and schematics online that make the process simple.

[Jim Koepke]

Aaron, you might also want to make a mock up handle out of an easy to work wood like fir or pine to be able to adjust the shape to personalize the fit.

I did this before making a saw tote and it helped to settle the angles and curves without wasting a good piece of wood.

jtk

[steven c newman]

The main sticking point regarding a bigger, taller tote....have to allow for the Lateral level to get by the horn of the tote.....

[Rafael Herrera]

Just curious, to the OP, how are you grasping the handle? Three fingers pistol grip or four finger grip?

The bevel up planes seem have a larger handle and allows for four finger grip, possibly because there's no place to rest the tip of the index finger.

[Robert Hartmann]

I have a number of LN planes. The No 8 is about 1/4 inch taller than my No 62 and about 1/2 inch taller than my No 4 1/2. All are the same width.

[Aaron Inami]

I have a number of LN planes. The No 8 is about 1/4 inch taller than my No 62 and about 1/2 inch taller than my No 4 1/2. All are the same width.

Thanks, Robert. That give me a better idea.

[Tony Shea]

I have a LN #2, #4, #5, #7, and #8. The #8 is about 4 7/8" to the top of the tote. The #7 is about 4 5/8" and both the #4/#5 are 4 1/2". So yes the tote is slightly taller but as Robert said they are roughly the same width. I personally love the tote shape and size of LN planes over the LV tote style. Having said this, I can see where LN totes will be much less unforgiving for large hands due to the more curvy design.

[Monte Milanuk]

Going slightly OT here, but...


I personally love the tote shape and size of LN planes over the LV tote style. Having said this, I can see where LN totes will be much less unforgiving for large hands due to the more curvy design.

There's always the option of getting a LV 'Custom' plane with choices of the more up-right Veritas tote, or a more traditional shaped one, as well as different sizes (small, medium or large). I realize some of the other features of the Veritas Custom series might bug some people, and others would rather just make a tote that is truly 'custom' to their hand - all good arguments. Just figured I'd present another option.

[Aaron Inami]

There's always the option of getting a LV 'Custom' plane with choices of the more up-right Veritas tote, or a more traditional shaped one, as well as different sizes (small, medium or large). I realize some of the other features of the Veritas Custom series might bug some people, and others would rather just make a tote that is truly 'custom' to their hand - all good arguments. Just figured I'd present another option.

Yup, I actually have a Veritas Custom No. 4 with a custom sized tote for my hands. It fits extremely well. My friend has a Lie-Nielson No. 4 and the tote is too small for me. Even his No. 7 is slightly smallish for me. So my decision is either to wait for a Veritas Custom No. 7 or go for a Lie-Nielson No. 8.

[Monte Milanuk]

Gotcha. I had been wanting a LN #4 (preferably bronze) but that looked like a long wait just to get in line, so I decided to try a LV Custom #4. Been pretty happy with it so far - I definitely like the Norris adjuster more 'up top' than on my LAJ (not like I hate it there either). Haven't used it enough to say whether the whole cap iron setup is a bug or a feature, for me.

Might have a lightly used LN #8 I'd be willing to part with, if'n yer interested ;)

[Tony Wilkins]

Gotcha. I had been wanting a LN #4 (preferably bronze) but that looked like a long wait just to get in line, so I decided to try a LV Custom #4. Been pretty happy with it so far - I definitely like the Norris adjuster more 'up top' than on my LAJ (not like I hate it there either). Haven't used it enough to say whether the whole cap iron setup is a bug or a feature, for me.

Might have a lightly used LN #8 I'd be willing to part with, if'n yer interested ;)

If’h he ain’t, I’m sure one of us would be — hint, hint. (Been rationalizing that the 8 woukd be so much better to straighten the 8 foot table top than my 7 lol)

[Aaron Inami]

I still have concerns about the Lie-Nielson tote height and, realistically, I really don't think I need a No. 8 for what I need to do. The Veritas No. 7 will work just fine, so Tony can have the No. 8 if you want to sell it, lol.

[Christopher Wellington]

I have a No.5-1/2 and a No.7 from Lie-Nielsen. Out of the box, the tote on the 7 was significantly more comfortable/less cramped than the 5-1/2. I think the totes are the same size, but the 7 has a little more space between the tote and frog.

On the 5-1/2, I made the tote shorter by about a 1/8" (or a bit less) and that created more space for my index finger under/behind the frog. This alleviated a lot of the cramped feeling.

[Derek Cohen]

I still have concerns about the Lie-Nielson tote height and, realistically, I really don't think I need a No. 8 for what I need to do. The Veritas No. 7 will work just fine, so Tony can have the No. 8 if you want to sell it, lol.

Hi Aaron

Both the LN and Veritas Custom planes are excellent. I own the Veritas, and can speak with some experience about the handles and choices. I wrote a very detailed description of these, which can be found here ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasCustomPlanes1.html

Regards from Perth

Derek