Router vs. Plough

[Jim Belair]

So I was all set for my next tool purchase which was to be the LV router. Then they went and announced their new plough.

Help me to understand the differences in capabilities in these two planes and which would be more versatile. Are the following statements true?

Plough can be used for mouldings if contoured blades available in future, or self made. (it sounds like the plough will only come with various width straight blades at least initially)

Router can do curves while plough does straight cuts only.

Longer fence on plough gives better registration (although an auxiliary fence can be attached to the router).

Plough plane style blade cuts better? faster? smoother? than chisel-on-a-post blade in router.

Plough straight blades easier to sharpen than small blade of router.

Both can equally cut rabbets, rebates and dados either near edge (with fence) or in center of panel (using straight edge guide).

Using plough has better feel, since it’s a planing movement.


Also, can anyone comment on the Muji plough plane?
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=98%2E120%2E4033&dept_id=13602 (http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=98%2E120%2E4033&dept_id=13602)

Thanks for the input.
Regards
Jim B

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Good morning, Jim.

For grooving, use a plow.
For leveling, use the router plane.
For moldings, use a molding plane.
For wide rebates, use a moving fillister.
For dadoes, use a dado plane.
For circular work--grooves or rebates of a small nature that often follow an edge, use a scratchstock.

All that seems very didactic, doesn't it?

Some of the tools mentioned can be done using another tool on the list above. None are as efficient as the tool meant to do it--and in some cases, two of the tools in combination are more efficient than only one.

Take grooving for instance. Running a groove with a plow is dead simple, quick and efficient. With a router plane, not so much so. The router plane can certainly do the task, but then can a chisel. However, for a stopped groove, the combination of both a plow and a router plane (for longer lengths of groove) is more efficient. For a shorter length of a stopped groove, the router plane is more efficient.

For rebating, the plow is a workable tool until the rebate gets very
wide/deep. A moving fillister is more efficient. A saw, chisel followed by either a plow or router plane works well--and a stopped rebate, saw, chisel and router plane is tops.

For dadoes--nothing beats a dado plane and perhaps a pair of side rebate planes to tweak the dado if necessary. However...for stopped dadoes, a saw, chisel, brace and bit and router plane top my list to use. And in lieu of having a dado plane for through dadoes, sawing, knocking out the waste and then using the router plane is a good way of making dadoes.

For leveling dadoes, grooves, tenon cheeks, stringing grooves, and more, the router plane is a very efficient tool.


If you get a router plane, I would suggest the Lee Valley router and get the fence. Their fence is extremely well thought out and implemented.

The Muji? A friend has a couple. I thought the irons are too thin and flexible for all but small grooves. The fence shifted unless the wing nuts were tightened too hard, which affected the fence rods. Those are reasons I chose not to ever get one. He still has and uses his for light duty grooving much like I would use my Record 043 for.

Take care, Mike

[Richard Niemiec]

Not that Mike's opinion needs any further support, but I just bought a LV router and it is indeed well thought out, well made, and in particular the fence is a vast improvement over the #71 design.

RN

[Wendell Wilkerson]

I think of a hand tool router as a finishing tool. I wouldn't want to make grooves with only a router plane or at least nothing very wide. Typically you would rough out your grove, rabbet, or dado with some other set of tool like saw and chisels and then level the bottom with the router plane.

Mike has made a good list of the types of plane you need to do the operations you mentioned. If you want to see all these planes in action, try to get your hands on Jim Kingshott's "Special Planes" video. It shows the use of all the planes Mike mentioned.

Wendell

[Derek Cohen]

Mike, that is a simply superb summary of the planes that overlap or do similar tasks.

Jim, I would want both the router plane and the plough plane but, if only permitted one, it would be the router plane. Have a read of my review of the LV Router Plane for the pictorial on how the router plane can be used for various joints, including grooving.

http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/dCohen/z_art/LVRouterPlane/index.asp

Regards from Perth

Derek