which plane ??

[Tony Falotico]

I'm looking at getting a low angle block plane for general shop use, nothing exotic or fancy, an everyday user.............

while the Stanley contractor's grades are enticing @ $40, I really don't think it's a good choice. finish definitely seems lacking, is it worth the time (and can it be) properly tuned?

Brings me to a choice between the Veritas® Low-Angle Block Plane from Lee Valley @ $110 or the LIE-NIELSEN Adjustable Mouth Block Plane from Woodcraft on sale this month for $135. Of course, Ole Cheapy here is leaning towards the Veritas. They appear to be fairly comparable in fit, finish and quality....

Your thoughts please.............

Thanks, Tony

[chris del]

Hey Tony....

Chris here from Toronto Canada. (first time poster on SMC)

I own the Veritas LAB plane and can testify that it is a solid performer.
Adjustable mouth, laterial adjustment lever (not sure if the LN has Laterial adjustment).... Feels good in the hand. I like the concave front knob, and the side detents...
I own both Lie-Nielsen, and Lee Valley planes and they are both top notch. In this case I cannot see the extra $20 for the LN being worth it..... Bench planes are another story.....

[tod evans]

tony, i use old made in the usa stanley 60 1/2`s and they work just fine. sure the l/n planes are nicer but is the cut nicer? something to think about..02 tod

[Tony Falotico]

tony, i use old made in the usa stanley 60 1/2`s and they work just fine. sure the l/n planes are nicer but is the cut nicer? something to think about..02 tod

Tod, are you referring to older ones bought second (+) hand or the new ones currently being manufactured??

[tod evans]

tony, the stanley planes i use where made in the usa, the only way to get them now is used. another plus to buying and using the older stanleys is that they go up in value every year and the cost upfront is usually less than the newer models. i`ve used other folks l/n planes and they`re sweet! but looking at a champher cut with theirs or mine you can`t tell the difference. it`s really all about what will make you feel better about woodworking? if using vintage tools trips your trigger then great! if using new tools trips your trigger cool! in the finished product it`s really hard to tell if the cut was made by a several thousand dollar handmade infill or an old bailey.....02 tod


[edit] welcome chris!

[Steve Wargo]

This was a topic covered on another forum a while back. I posed the question if money was not an issue then who would honestly purchase the Lee Valley block over the Lie Nielsen? Out of about 40 replies only 2 said they'd choose the Lee Valley. The bottom line is the block plane is often the most used plane in the shop. It is always out and always being used for many applications. Can you honestly say that an extra $25 isn't worth it for a plane of this value? I'm not disagreeing that the older stanley's aren't fine as well, but your talking about pehaps the most perfectly designed plane that is mass produced (the LN 60 1/2). Sorry for the speach, but having used both, and knowing many people that have, there is really no comparison here.

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Tony,

Most of the time when people are considering a new plane, I don't think they should really should allow the relatively small difference in price affect their decision. Choose the one which tickles your fancy because as Steve says, you'll use it a lot.

Didn't see Steve's thread, or maybe I was one of the few who responded I would still have bought as I did, but I would have still purchased the LV. I don't have larger hands--one of the reasons oft cited to purchase the LV. But I do like how it fits my hand. I also like the adjuster way better.

But many like the traditional looks of the LN. You simply cannot find better block planes than either of these companies produce.

Having had many block planes over my life and still having a few, I can also agree with Tod. I have a couple Stanleys that even with the minor cost of them as vintage planes and the addition of a thicker replacement iron, they were cheaper than a new Stanley--and every bit as good as a new block plane.

My point? The choice doesn't really matter. They will all serve you as well. The vintage ones there is the possibility one needs to fettle to make as good as a new one, but that has never detered me. It is an issue to some. So just purchase whichever one strikes you best.

Take care, Mike

[James Mittlefehldt]

I agree with Mike, frankly the difference between both planes seems to be mainly subjective in my opinion. I have used LN's at shows and as I said in another thread I could not justify spending the extra cash for the LN, though I should also add that here in Canada the price difference is greater than in the US, so that is definitly a factor for me.

IF possible I would put off buying either of them until the next time you go to a wood show and try both of them. The most consistant and I think valid difference in the two is the way they feel in your hands. I noted on another thread not the one Steve mentioned but another asking a similar question that a number of people who had used both preferred the adjustment mechanism on the LV even though it did not feel right in their hands. To be honest I did not really try the adjustment on the LN so I cannot personally comment on that.

Truth is though neither is a bad or wrong choice, they are both very well made and will do you proud, my LV is never far from my bench I go to it often and have never regretted purchasing it.

[JayStPeter]

Count me as a fan of the LV adjuster. I choose LV over LN. But, the LN does feel better in the hand.

I personally think the LV LA Block is the best first plane for anyone. It's ready to go out of the box and has an very easy to use adjuster. It's frustrating enough trying to learn to use handplanes. For the first one, get the easiest to get good results from, then move on. Just my opinion as someone who is just past the beginner phase myself. I spent far too long farting around with old planes before I even knew how they were even supposed to work. It took getting the LV LA block to get me on track. Now most of the old planes I have work too. The Bailey/Bedrock style adjusters (including LN) still take me a while to get adjusted correctly compared to the LV planes.

Jay

[Mike Henderson]

I own the LV LA block but find that the LN LA block fits my hand better. Both planes are very good but the LV is a bit bigger and heavier. Prior to purchasing the LV plane, I had a modern (made in England) Stanley 60 1/2. It was a piece of junk. No matter what I did, it would not hold an edge.

My advice would be to go with the LN plane but the best way to choose would be to try both planes. One way would be to buy both of them, use them for a while, then sell the one you don't want on fleaBay. People pay way too much for used LV and LN tools on FleaBay - sometimes more than what they could buy it for new. Keep the original packaging so you can offer that with the plane on FleaBay.

But you can't go wrong with either plane. We are fortunate indeed as woodworkers to have two excellent choices.

Mike

[Maurice Metzger]

Whatever you do don't buy a new (made in the UK) Stanley block plane. They have serious quality issues.

My answer to your question would be another question - can you sharpen? Even with a new plane you'll have to be able to sharpen it after using it for a while.

I only have old planes, and I like them all a lot, but they aren't ready to go out of the box like a LV or LN.

It's funny you mentioned $40 as the price of a new plane - I just bought an old Stanley 60 1/2 for $40.91 (including shipping) on eBay. That price was a little high, but I trusted the seller and there were a lot of pictures.

At a minimum there should be a picture of the mouth, as low angle block planes are prone to chipping there.

So I thought I would recount the "discovery" process here, it might be of use to you.

Opening up the box, I found this:

40726

The mouth looks OK, a little worn. The bottom is pitted, but not badly enough to affect the flatness of the bottom after lapping (I hope).

40728

The blade has serious problems - there's pitting close to the edge. I had planned on replacing the stock blade with an after-market blade, but it would have been nice to have a usable blade as a backup.

40727

I expect it will be a good user after I replace the blade and lap the bottom. I've had better experiences and I've had worse. But again, it's definitely not ready to go out of the box.

And Chris, welcome to SMC!

Maurice

[Keith Hooks]

I own the Lee Valley LA and I love it. Unfortunately, I don't have experience with the LN to compare, but to this day I'm still extremely satisfied with my purchase.

[Ian Smith]

I have the Lie-Nielsen Low Angle Adjustable Mouth Block Plane (60-1/2). It is a great little plane, I love it. I chose it over the Lee-Valley because I liked its size better and I liked the look of it better. When it comes down to it though, the Lie-Nielsen and the Lee-Valley are both great planes.

The Lie-Nielsen doesn't have a lateral adjustment lever.

[Jim Becker]

I also have the L-N adjustable mouth work of art! (The LV wasn't out for a couple years after I bought) The L-N is "slinky" in my hand...I just love it. But honestly, either one would make your shop a better place to work...even if you mostly work with tailed-tools like I do. Every project benefits. Every one.

[Alan Turner]

Tony,
I have come to think that the LN 102 is a much better plane than might at first appear. It is small, comfortable, and remarkably effective.

As between the LN and the LV low angle adjustable mouthers, the LN is a much better fit in my hand. The LV is quite clunky in comparison, altough this is just a personal opinion. The price difference, over time, is not relevant, again in my opinion.

[Clinton Findlay]

Tony,
I think you can see that there a lot of people that are passionate supporters of either the LV or the LN, as well as others that see the older second hand block planes as a sensible choice. Yes, the LV's LN's and older planes are all decent little beasties.
Seems to me that the best option was mentioned a while back (by Mike and James) - wait and try them all and then choose the one that 'feels' the best to you.

For my 2 cents worth - the LV adjustment mechanism makes the LV Low Angle Block the better choice. I greatly prefer this mechanism to the Stanley type mechanism. The lateral adjustment set screws enhance the plane as well.

Whichever way you go, you won't get a dud.

[Ken Bryant]

I own the LV low-angle, the LN adjustable mouth, and the bronze un-adjustable little LN 102 in bronze, as well as an ECE wooden block plane. Over time, the Lee Valley plane and the EC Emmerich have slid into a corner of the shelf, and the adjustable Lee-Nielsen has been shoved to the back of the work bench, and I use the little LN 102 a billion times a day...It's somehow just exactly the right size for everything I want a block plane for. Can't imagine life without it...

[chris del]

Tony,
Sometimes when you post a search for the ultimate product in a forum you end up more confused, and have more to select from that you first started....
I think we all agree that both LV and LN are top notch and that what ever you decide on you will be happy with.
My opinion is that if your goal is to woodwork and you want a good tool, buy new..... I have gone the old Stanley route..... lots of work, more money than you think in the end, the iron in many cases needs to be replaced etc....
If you are like me and have larger than normal hands and prefer a beefy tool the LV is the only choice. If you prefer a more conventional looking, a more attractive piece of art the LN is your choice.
The choice is yours to make, you cannot go wrong.

[Larry Rose]

Tony, I have a LA/LN and when I reach for a plane, it gets picked more than any thing else. You can't go wrong with it.

[Hank Knight]

I would buy the LN 102 instead of the larger, heavier 60 1/2 or the LV block plane. I have a well fettled, older Stanley 60 1/2 and a LN 102. I use the 102 all the time and the 60 1/2 sits on the shelf. So far I haven't found a block plane task the 102 can't handle. It is, hands down, the most used hand tool in my shop.

[Randall Houghton]

Tony
I've had the LN 601/2 for ten plus years. It's the only plane I carry to the job all the time and I've planed wood, plastic laminate, aluminium laminated and most anything else you could think of to plane with it. It's simple to operated and capable of good quality work on most any wood. It has enough weight to give it a good presence and is comfortable to use. I'd reccomend it to anyone. You get what you pay for if your lucky.
Regards
Randy

[Steve Wargo]

Nice to see some participation in the forum. A post like this always seems to stir things up a little. I really did post this question about 1 1/2 years ago on another forum, and the results were as stated. Keep them coming guys.

[Roger Nixon]

I don't own either plane and I don't use block planes all that much but there is a simple test in these matters: Which one would you really like to have?
Either tool will last you a lifetime so don't spend a lifetime second guessing yourself. Hand tools are very personal and tactile and block planes especially so. Since many have attested to both tools' quality and performance pick the one that feels best to you and you will enjoy it more.

[Jay Davidson]

You've already gotten a lot of great recommendations. Just in case someone missed it Lie-Nielson has a low angle brass plane for about $75 that works beautifully. http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=102

Having said that I also use Lee Valley-Veritas and all their tools are high quality and work quite well.

[Deirdre Saoirse Moen]

Brings me to a choice between the Veritas® Low-Angle Block Plane from Lee Valley @ $110 or the LIE-NIELSEN Adjustable Mouth Block Plane from Woodcraft on sale this month for $135. Of course, Ole Cheapy here is leaning towards the Veritas. They appear to be fairly comparable in fit, finish and quality....

When you posted this, I looked up LN on Woodcraft's site, saw they showed LN's 4-1/2 at $50 off the usual price. That was true as of Tuesday. Naturally, it's not true TODAY (when I was finally able to make it into Woodcraft), nor is it still on their website despite being listed as a sale through June 30. Grrrr.

I got the sale LN block plane and another plane instead, but I'm still pretty tweaked. :(